If Google wants the Pixel 10 to beat the iPhone 17, I think it should bring back its best-ever feature
It’s almost time for the next generation of Google Pixel phones – this year’s Made by Google event is scheduled for August 20, and we’re expecting full reveals for the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold (the latter of which was teased in a recent video).
The Pixel 10 series is slated to come with a handful of decent upgrades, some of which could push Google’s phones ahead of big-name rivals. Specifically, we’re expecting 60W fast charging for all models, a telephoto camera for the base Pixel 10, and maybe even an IP68 resistance rating for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
But just how long will Google’s smartphone lead last? With Apple likely to reveal the iPhone 17 series in the first half of September, the Pixel 10 spark could fizzle out quickly. With that said, I have an idea for how the Google Pixel 10 can stay in the conversation once the iPhone 17 series lands – and it involves looking to the past to revive the Google Pixel’s best-ever feature.
The very first Google Pixel phones, released in 2016, came with unlimited full-resolution Google Photos storage for your photos and videos.
Just picture it: all of your photos and videos backed up, for free, forever. This offer, unusual even for its time, helped to give the then-new Google Pixel series momentum, and remains one of the best bundled features in smartphone history.
Subsequent Google Pixel models then offered the same deal as other Android phones at the time – unlimited photo storage, but compressed down to 16MP for stills and 1080p for videos; still a solid offer considering it came at no monthly cost.
Sadly, Google ended this service in June 2021 and began counting Google Photos libraries against Google Drive storage, which tops out at 15GB unless you pay up for a Google One subscription.
For a bit of perspective, Apple’s iCloud service comes with just 5GB of storage for free, and costs about the same as Google One. So, Google’s current offer is still the better of the two (by a long way), but wouldn’t it be great if the Pixel 10 took us back in time?
Admittedly, it’s pretty wishful thinking to hope that Google might bring back unlimited photo storage, given that Google One subscriptions are surely a valuable source of revenue for the company. There are also no rumors suggesting that this might happen, so I’m really banking on the power of hope for this one.
But at this point, 10 generations into the Google Pixel series, Google needs to be thinking about ways to gain concrete advantages over the iPhone if it’s to ever be seen as a true competitor. Unlimited Photos storage would make the Google Pixel 10 totally unignorable, even as Apple takes over the airwaves in September and beyond.
What else could Google offer?
But let’s get real. If the return of unlimited Photos storage seems very unlikely, what, if any, perks can we expect to see bundled with the Google Pixel 10 series?
Well, last year’s Google Pixel 9 Pro, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold all came with a year’s subscription to Gemini Advanced at no extra cost (normally a part of the Google One AI Pro plan, $19.99 / £18.99 / AU$32.99 monthly).
Google needs to be thinking about ways to gain concrete advantages over the iPhone if it’s to ever be seen as a true competitor.
For one thing, Google should bring this perk to the base model Google Pixel 10 – the fact that the standard Google Pixel 9 didn’t get the same free access to Gemini Advanced was a pain point in our Google Pixel 9 review.
Apple Intelligence is lagging behind the competition, and so Google giving customers advanced Gemini AI at the $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 price point could really turn some heads.
What do you think? Should Google bring back unlimited Photos storage, or is there a better way to one-up the rumored iPhone 17? Let us know in the comments below.
