Google Just Roasted the iPhone 17 in a Pixel 9 Pro Ad—and Honestly, It’s Kinda Hilarious

Well, this just got spicy. Google is taking shots at Apple again—this time poking fun at the unreleased iPhone 17 in a new Pixel 9 Pro ad. And yeah, it’s petty… but it’s also kind of brilliant.

Let me break it down.

So What’s Going On?

The ad—which plays out like a fake podcast between a Pixel and an iPhone (yep, really)—jabs at the latest iPhone 17 design rumors, specifically the idea that Apple is finally moving to a horizontal camera bar.

Sound familiar?

That’s because it’s very Pixel. Google’s been rocking that horizontal camera bar since the Pixel 6, and it’s now one of the most recognizable features on a Pixel phone. So when leaked mockups of the iPhone 17 Pro and the rumored “iPhone 17 Air” started floating around—showing off a very Pixel-like design—Google couldn’t help but… respond.

The Ad? It’s Sass in Software Form

In the ad, Pixel opens with:
“Hi, I’m Pixel, and this is my friend, iPhone.”
The iPhone replies with a stiff, “Good day.” (Very on-brand, by the way.)

Then comes the punchline:
Pixel: “There are a lot of rumors circulating about iPhone’s upcoming redesign.”
iPhone: “It’s crazy. Can you imagine me doing the same thing you did first years later?”

Oof.

Google doesn’t stop there—they go full petty and roll out the receipts. Night Mode? Android had it first. The Clean Up photo tool? Pixel again. Homescreen widgets? Yup, Android’s been doing that since the Froyo days.

Basically, the whole ad is Google saying, “Hey Apple, welcome to the party… again.”

But Is It Fair?

Well, yes and no. Apple does tend to play the long game. It usually doesn’t rush to implement new features—it waits, polishes them, and then rolls them out. And yeah, sometimes that means Android phones have stuff first. But Apple usually nails the execution (like with Face ID or ProMotion), and its users don’t seem to mind the wait.

Still, the look of the iPhone 17 Pro (if the rumors are accurate) does make it feel like Apple’s finally giving the Pixel’s design language a nod. And Google’s having a little fun with that.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, this is classic marketing snark. Google’s not really worried that Apple’s copying them—they’re just flexing a bit because for once, they might be the ones setting the trend.

Whether you’re Team iPhone or Team Pixel, you’ve got to admit: it’s fun seeing tech giants roast each other with this kind of tongue-in-cheek energy.

And hey, if Apple does go full Pixel with the iPhone 17… you heard it here first.

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Jamie Spencer

Jamie has been blogging about tech, making money online and entrepreneurship for the past 12 years. He is the proud owner of hugely successful website makeawebsitehub.com and has helped over 20k people start their own blogs.