In a smartphone-centered world, even a minor design tweak can spark a full-scale war. The new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are speculated to feature a radically new camera island, now spanning the back in a horizontal "camera bar." Apple enthusiasts might dub it innovation, but Google fans call it copying.
And it didn't take Google long to jump on it.
In a new video commercial, one of its ongoing Pixel vs iPhone ad campaigns, Google pokes fun at Apple for supposedly borrowing the camera bar design it made popular with its Pixel phones. While the Pixel camera bar has been the norm for years, Apple's supposed redesign, while visually different, still came a little too close to home for Google's comfort.
iPhone 17 Air Becomes a Member of the Bar Club, But Not the Base iPhone 17
Based on leaked reports spotted by GSM Arena, the iPhone 17 Air will also embrace this new bar-shaped housing, although it only has a single lens. The vanilla iPhone 17, however, seems to be the only holdout, retaining Apple's classic vertical or square camera design.
While the bar design across the iPhone 17 lineup adds a modern, cohesive aesthetic, critics have pointed out that Apple's version looks more reminiscent of older Poco smartphones than Google's Pixels. Still, perception matters—and in the competitive smartphone space, optics are everything.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Ad Shades Apple
Google's new ad includes the animated Pixel and iPhone "friends," a marketing ploy the tech giant has employed to hilarious or cringeworthy effect in the past. In the ad, the Pixel "reminds" the iPhone of an increasingly long list of borrowed ideas:
- Night Sight became Night Mode
- Magic Eraser was preceded by Photo Cleanup
And, naturally, Android widgets that Apple only borrowed years later
The ad does not hesitate to make it plain: to Google, Apple is usually playing catch-up. It's all in good fun, but also a calculated dig at Apple's story of innovation.
Design Imitation or Industry Evolution
Although the charge of copying is likely to set off fan arguments, the situation is more complicated. The camera bar idea is not unique at all, and with the advancement of technology, similar solutions tend to appear on different brands.
Nevertheless, Google's advert appeals to a more profound marketing approach: to strengthen Pixel as the trendsetter and Apple as the imitator.
It's not a matter of who invented the design first, but who does the better sales pitch—and currently, Google's embracing its underdog image with confidence and humor.
Apple vs Google: The Battle for Smartphone Supremacy Continues
Apple die-hard fans are not fazed by Google's roast, while Android enthusiasts bask in glory. Whatever the case, this much is certain: the smartphone war is no longer merely a battle of specs; it's a battle of brand identity, narrative, and public perception.
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