I just spent $100 on Google Photos for a ridiculous reason

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Hi, my sanction is Joe, and I person a unreality retention problem.

It each happened this past Saturday. It was a rainy and chilly autumn afternoon, I was getting fresh to meet up pinch immoderate friends for drinks, and location I was — sitting astatine my Mac mini, signing up for a 2TB Google One scheme truthful I could shop each of my pictures successful Google Photos.

So far, this doesn’t sound each that bad. But nan problem is that I really didn’t need to do this. But I did truthful anyway, and now I get to stock my (potentially) idiotic acquisition pinch each of you.

Why this acquisition was truthful stupid

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Let maine beryllium clear: connected their own, Google One plans are a really bully value. Spending $20 a twelvemonth gets you 100GB of retention for Google Photos, Google Drive, Gmail, and instrumentality backups. You besides get acheronian web monitoring, a VPN, and much editing devices successful Google Photos. Spending much money connected much costly plans gets you further retention and immoderate other perks.

I’ve been connected nan basal 100GB scheme for a agelong time, but connected Saturday, I decided it was clip to upgrade to nan 2TB scheme for $100 a year. That’s a large upgrade connected its own, but what makes it absurd is that I’m already paying $33 each period for an Apple One Premier plan. That scheme gives maine 2TB of iCloud storage, and it’s really I’m keeping my 13,000-plus photos and videos backed up to Apple Photos.

Apple Photos has been a perfectly good work for lodging my integer library, and I really don’t person immoderate qualms pinch it. But present I am, now signed up for another 2TB retention scheme for another place to shop my thousands of pictures.

Why nan hellhole did I do this?

It’s each nan Google Pixel 8 Pro’s fault

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The reply is simple: I blasted each of this connected nan Google Pixel 8 Pro.

I’ve been utilizing nan Pixel 8 Pro arsenic 1 of nan phones I transportation regular pinch maine (alongside nan iPhone 15 Pro Max), and I’ve enjoyed each 2nd pinch it. The creation is lovely, the Tensor G3 processor is amazingly good, and its Android 14 package is simply a joyousness to use. But what’s really kept maine hooked to nan Pixel 8 Pro is its cameras.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro takes incredible photos. You tin safely expect that immoderate $1,000 telephone these days will person high-quality cameras, but thing astir nan Pixel 8 Pro has made it particularly nosy to sprout with. Maybe it’s because nan telephone is still caller and I’m lingering successful nan honeymoon phase. But I deliberation nan bigger logic is that its cameras really are that damn good.

This was reinforced complete nan play erstwhile I took nan Pixel 8 Pro pinch maine to a section cider mill, a pumpkin patch, a mates of bars, and a quality trail. In each of these settings, nan telephone captured nan scenes arsenic good arsenic I could person asked for.

But it’s not conscionable nan value of nan photos aft you property nan shutter button. I’ve besides go amazingly willing successful the Pixel 8 Pro’s various AI editing tools — each of which require that you person your pictures backed up to Google Photos. Best Take has already travel successful useful a mates of times for immoderate group photos, and while I’m not wholly sold on Magic Editor, it’s amazingly nosy to play astir pinch — moreover if nan extremity consequence isn’t ever great.

I’m besides really looking guardant to Zoom Enhance — a Pixel 8 Pro characteristic that’s “coming later.” In theory, you’ll beryllium capable to pinch-to-zoom connected immoderate photograph backed up to Google Photos and digitally heighten nan value pinch AI. If it useful arsenic good arsenic Google’s demo of nan feature, it could be really powerful.

Whether it’s Best Take, Magic Editor, Zoom Enhance, or different features for illustration Magic Eraser, each of these editing devices activity on any picture you person successful Google Photos — not conscionable ones you took pinch nan Pixel 8 Pro.

Google is dragging maine in

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Therein laic my dilemma. I scheme connected continuing to usage nan Google Pixel 8 Pro arsenic 1 of my regular smartphones — and apt my camera of prime for nan foreseeable future. I want to person easy entree to nan photos I return pinch it alongside my thousands of different images, and I want to messiness pinch Google Photo’s increasing editing devices connected those years and years of aged pictures.

Because nan Pixel 8 Pro’s camera is truthful bully and because Google Photos is suckering maine successful pinch its editing suite, I’m now nan proprietor of a 2TB Google One scheme contempt not really needing one.

Part of maine is looking guardant to transferring my Apple Photos room to Google Photos and having 2 reliable places for each of my pictures, but different portion of maine dreads nan thought of having to negociate 2 abstracted unreality photograph libraries.

Is location a civilized to this story? Is this simply maine trying to warrant spending $100 I didn’t request to spend? I yet deliberation it’s a testament to conscionable really awesome nan Google Pixel camera acquisition is. From nan infinitesimal you property nan shutter fastener to nan countless edits you tin make to your photos afterward, nary different telephone offers a picture-taking acquisition for illustration a Google Pixel does. And arsenic personification who places a batch of worth successful that, I deliberation my $100 whitethorn person been good spent.

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