Google’s new Pixel 10 ads made me go ‘wait, WHAT are they trying to sell?’

Ever watch a TV ad and wonder “How did this get approved?” Today, Google has not one but two new ad spots for its six-month-old Pixel 10 phones, and… let’s just say they may not come across as intended.

Google’s new Pixel 10 ads made me go ‘wait, WHAT are they trying to sell?’

I keep hearing the second one in the voice of Joe from You.

First, there’s “With 100x Zoom,” an ad that appears to suggest that if a vacation rental company lies to you about the view from your hotel room, you should lie to all your friends and family, too!

The YouTube description makes Google’s intent fairly clear: “So even if that breathtaking view you were promised turns out to be miles away, now you can zoom your way to a photo that makes it look like you were right there.”

And while we’re on the topic of possibly faking things, Google’s ad admits that what you’re seeing is “simulated,” “for illustrative purposes,” and that “additional hardware” was used.

Next up, there’s “Moving on,” a 30-second spot which is supposed to be from the perspective of… a jilted phone, I guess?

For me, it was all a bit confusing… until I started hearing those same words in the voice of You’s Penn Badgley.

Here, I’ve copied out the script:

From the moment we met, we went everywhere together. Nights out, vacations, everywhere. I thought I was your world. But then you felt I didn’t get you anymore. And you started flirting with the idea of something new. Now, you’re glowing again. You find what you’re drawn to. You’re even showing off to all your friends. You wanted smarter… I’m still trying to process that.

Is the disembodied male voice in Google’s ad really “moving on”? Or is it an AI-powered Joe Goldberg watching this woman through her phone?