Google held its Made by Google event last night, where it unveiled its latest smartphone series, the Pixel 10 lineup, along with other products. The launch stood out not only for the devices themselves but also for the confident tone Google brought to the stage. Throughout the event, the company openly threw jokes and playful digs at Apple while presenting new features and updates.
The event was hosted by Jimmy Fallon, which added a lighthearted element to the show. Right from the start, Google executives highlighted the company’s position in the market while making clear comparisons with Apple. Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of devices and services, wasted no time in addressing delays with Apple Intelligence, saying: “There has been a lot of hype about this, and frankly, a lot of broken promises too. But Gemini is the real deal. We’ve got the best models, we’ve got the best AI assistant, and it means this can just unlock so much helpfulness on your phone.”
Osterloh also reminded the audience that Google was first to introduce Car Crash Detection back in 2019, years before Apple added it.
Later, Fallon goes through Google’s new lineup with SVP Adrienne Lofton. Lofton continued the playful tone, taking a swipe at Apple’s closed system by saying that Android is “the most open platform that’s built for true freedom of choice.” She also highlighted that the Pixel 10 series would “work perfectly fine with all of your Apple MagSafe accessories,” which prompted Fallon to joke about the use of “the A-word.” Lofton responded confidently, adding: “We love everybody in the game so we can say anyone’s name we want on this stage.”
The discussion eventually shifted to messaging, where Lofton called the long-running “green bubble” debate “tired” in a world that now has RCS. “RCS simply means there is now one text standard for all. And what you should know is that Android has been using RCS for many many years, but Apple recently adopted it as well. What does that mean? It means that now when you’re chatting with your i-friends, you can say goodbye to blurry photos and videos, you can react with all the cute emojis to the text messages, and finally the group chat is for the whole group,” she said. “I want to say, personally, the green/blue bubble battle is silly, and it’s tired. And at Google we’re done with that conversation.”
With its confident tone and direct comparisons, the Pixel 10 launch showed Google ready to challenge Apple more openly than ever.