It’s a little sad to be sure, but the
Pixel 8 Pro knows inside that his days are numbered and it is time to pass the baton to the
Pixel 9 Pro. That’s the plot hidden in the latest #BestPhonesForever ad campaign that has captivated many phone enthusiasts. Using stop-action animation, which is how Gumby and Pokey came to life, iPhone, and Pixel have had an interesting friendship even though Pixel typically tells iPhone about some features Pixel has that iPhone doesn’t.
The new 60-second video is fittingly titled “Pass the Baton.” The iPhone and Pixel are in a bar with the Olympics playing on the television set in the background. It seems that iPhone can’t figure out why, in a relay race, the runner with the baton gives it up for the next runner waiting to take his turn. Pixel explains it perfectly. He says that the guy with the baton takes it as far as he can go before giving it up to someone fresher and faster with more energy who can keep the current pace going.
Guys, gals, if you ever need to explain to your spouse or significant other why you must upgrade to a new phone every year, this might be the story to tell them. You simply need to pass the baton to a new phone that is fresher and faster. There’s no guarantee that this will work, but it beats trying to explain to your spouse or significant other that you need a phone with more RAM and a better application processor. But we digress.
As Pixel points out, keeping the baton without handing it off to the next guy will make the team slower and let everyone down. And continuing this great metaphor for the phone market, Pixel says that if you hold on to the baton, you’ll lose the race against all the other new runners who have come along. In other words, if the
Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t turn over the baton to the
Pixel 9 XL, the Pixel line won’t be able to compete with the new phones coming out later this year and early next year.
Of course, this being a Google ad, iPhone says that he is keeping his baton and tells Pixel to get his own. Pixel says, “iPhone, I’m starting to feel like this isn’t about a baton.” Google then hits us with a backdrop that reads, “Get ready for something new,” and we see the camera bar and the rear panel for the Pixel 9 Pro. We are then reminded that the Made by Google event is coming on August 13th.
On that date, Google will unveil the
Pixel 9,
Pixel 9 Pro,
Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the
Pixel 9 Pro Fold. We should also see the
Pixel Watch 3 and possibly the
Pixel Tablet 2. Stay tuned. And don’t drop your baton!
