One of the main draws with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is the unlimited photo and video storage on Google Photos. Whereas all other phones get unlimited high-quality uploads, Google offers unlimited storage for original-quality photos and 4K videos for all media uploaded through the Pixels. With the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Google is guaranteeing unlimited photo and video uploads for the life of the devices, which translates to the end of 2020.
Tucked away at the bottom of the Pixel 2 product page is the following:
Free, unlimited original-quality storage for photos and videos taken with Pixel through the end of 2020, and free, unlimited high-quality storage for photos taken with Pixel afterwards.
The cut-off date varies slightly by region. In Canada and India, where the Pixels are debuting later this month, the date is listed as January 15, 2021, but you broadly get three years of unlimited uncompressed photo and video uploads before Google reverts to high-quality.
The photos and videos that you upload in that time will continue to remain in original quality, but following the 2020 deadline, you'll only get the standard high-quality upload option if you don't want your photos to get counted against your data quota. There isn't similar limitation for the first-gen Pixels, but we've reached out to the company just the same and will update the post once we know more.
