Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
I’m in the market for a new phone, and while I told myself I wouldn’t spend more than $500 on it, I’m a tech nerd and have to say that the latest Pixels look very appealing. I prefer smaller phones, and the entry-level Pixel 10 has all the features I want and need, and then some. I don’t see myself spending an extra $200 on the similarly sized Pro model, as the price difference isn’t worth it for me.
But here’s the kicker: The Pixel 10 Pro is actually cheaper for me in the long run. So, if I were to buy one of Google’s new phones, the Pixel 10 Pro makes the most financial sense.
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Wait, what?
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
You’re probably thinking this doesn’t make sense, but it does for my personal situation. I’m subscribed to the Google AI Pro plan, which gives me 2TB of cloud storage, access to Gemini 2.5, and a bunch of other benefits. I’ve been on this plan for almost a year because I need the extra space in Drive and use Gemini daily for both work and personal tasks.
If I buy the Pixel 10 Pro, I get a yearly subscription to this plan for free. The plan costs $20 per month, which means this included perk is valued at $240. This same perk is not included with the standard Pixel 10, which only comes with a six-month subscription to Google’s One 2TB plan, which doesn’t provide me with the value I need.
The price difference between the two phones is $200, and the value of the included yearly plan is $240 if paid on a monthly basis. This means that, technically speaking, I’m better off buying the Pro model when you factor in the cost of the Google AI Pro plan. While the Pixel 10 Pro costs more upfront, I’d actually spend more in the first year with the Pixel 10 since I would have to pay $240 for the subscription.
To break it down with numbers, here is a simple comparison of the first-year costs:
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