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Google's Pixel Pass subscription plan was announced alongside the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro in late 2021 and has received a few updates since the announcement of the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro in October 2022. Pixel Pass now comes with either the Pixel 6a, the Pixel 7, or the Pixel 7 Pro, plus access to several of Google's paid services, all at a discount. It can save you some serious cash over its two-year span, that is, if you want to use all the products it includes. But is it right for you? Let's find out.
What does Pixel Pass include?
If you subscribe to Pixel Pass, you get either the Pixel 6a, the Pixel 7, or the Pixel 7 Pro, as well as the following services:
- YouTube Premium: Watch ad-free and play in the background while using other apps. A $12 per month value.
- YouTube Music Premium: Ad-free, uninterrupted listening, included as part of YouTube Premium.
- Google One: 200GB of cloud storage for full-resolution photos, videos, and other files. It also includes Google Store discounts, automatic phone backups, and more. Usually $3 per month.
- Google Play Pass: Access to hundreds of games and apps that are free of ads and in-app purchases. Separately, Play Pass costs $5 per month.
- Preferred Care Coverage: Hassle-free device repairs and customer support. Outside of Pixel Pass, Preferred Care Coverage costs $7 per month for the Pixel 7 and $9 per month for the Pixel 7 Pro.
These are Google's popular services rolled into one convenient subscription package, although Stadia is absent. The game streaming service will be discontinued in late January 2023. If you go with the Pixel 7, the price is $45 per month for two years, while the Pixel 7 Pro is $10 more at $55 per month. You can also save a bit of money with the Pixel 6a, which only costs $37 per month.
How does Pixel Pass compare to Apple's offering?
Pixel Pass is, in theory, similar to the upgrade subscription experience Apple offers. However, Google's version is a bit simpler. Getting the same deal on an iPhone currently requires a couple of subscriptions.
The first is the iPhone Upgrade Program, which starts at $35.33 a month for an iPhone 13 or $49.91 for the Pro variant, payable over 24 months. This includes AppleCare+ to help cover the costs of any repairs or replacements you might need during that period.
On top of that, you have the Apple One subscription. For the Individual plan, you'll pay $14.95 monthly for Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud Storage. For $29.95 a month, the Premier plan includes the same services but bumps your iCloud Storage to 2TB and adds Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+. A Family plan for $19.95 allows you to share the lesser service package with up to five others.
All in all, you're looking at around $50 a month for an iPhone 13 and the cheapest Apple One plan, which most closely represents what you get from the Google Pixel Pass. For those wanting to max everything out, it'll set you back the better part of $80 a month.
While Apple's equivalent plan requires two separate signups to get everything you're after, the experiences are highly polished. You'll also receive exclusive content from Apple TV+, and Apple Music is better than YouTube Music. It's not a one-for-one replacement, though. With Pixel Pass, you're meant to own your phone after two years. Apple's option is more of a lease, with the option to upgrade every year.
Samsung previously offered a similar program in Samsung Access, which included your choice of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 or Galaxy S21 series of smartphones along with Samsung Care+, 1TB of OneDrive Cloud Storage, and Microsoft 365 Personal for up to five devices, including PCs and Macs. No such offer seems to exist for the Galaxy S22 series, and the Samsung Mobile Upgrade Program isn't available in the U.S.
How to set up Pixel Pass
As with most Google services, getting set up with Pixel Pass is easy and doesn't take more than a few minutes. First, you'll go to the Pixel Pass website to start the subscription and sign in to the Google account that you want it associated with.
Click the big blue Subscribe button — you can't miss it — and you're asked to choose which phone you want to go with your Pixel Pass subscription. The Pixel 6a, the Pixel 7, and the Pixel 7 Pro are currently the only options available in their various colors. Still, it's safe to assume more devices will be available in the future as they are released.
Once you've chosen the phone, the color, and the storage options, you're asked if you want to trade in a current phone. If not, move on to the review page, where you'll handle financing and get approved for monthly payments.
Once you're set up, you have access to all the services listed above and a brand-new Pixel phone on the way. But the real question remains, is all this money for Pixel Pass worth it?
Is Pixel Pass worth the money?
Whether Pixel Pass is worth it depends on how often you use the services included and whether you subscribe to any of them. Depending on your mobile service provider, you may get perks like Google Play Pass included for a limited time, so check with your cellular company before clicking the Order button.
Pixel Pass looks like a sweet deal compared to separate subscriptions for each item. For individual monthly subscriptions to YouTube Premium (which includes YouTube Music), Google One's 200GB option, Google Play Pass, and Preferred Care, you're looking at $26.98 per month for a Pixel 7 and $28.98 for the Pixel 7 Pro. That's without the cost of the phones. When you factor the phone's price into the $45 or $55 monthly Pixel Pass price (or $37 per month for the Pixel 6a), that means you're getting a Pixel 7 for an extra $18 a month ($432 in total) or a Pixel 7 Pro for $29 a month ($696 in total).
This equates to a $168 saving over two years for the Pixel 7 or a saving of $204 for the Pixel 7 Pro, equating to $7 and $8.50 per month, respectively. That sounds pretty good, as long as you wish to use all the services, but the savings become less impressive if you're already paying for those subscriptions annually.
Paying yearly for the subscriptions that allow it (for example, services like Google Play Pass and Google One's 200 GB plan) reduces the savings to the tiniest of monthly margins. You'll then save $75 over two years for a Pixel 7 with Pixel Pass or $186 for the Pixel 7 Pro. Those figures equate to $3.13 and $7.75 on a monthly basis, which can be quickly negated if you have an existing family plan for YouTube Music that multiple people use. With Pixel Pass, you'll have to cancel that family plan and move to a single-user plan. That'll leave your family in a net-negative position financially, which defeats the point of signing up for the service.
Alternatively, Pixel Pass can be purchased through Google Fi, the search giant's phone service provider. You'll receive an additional discount if you go this route. You'll pay $45 or $55 for the Pixel Pass, depending on which phone you go for, plus the price of whichever Fi plan you choose, but you'll get an extra $5 per month discount. This means you can get an Unlimited Google Fi plan and Pixel Pass with a Pixel 7 for $70 a month. This saving could be handy if you're a Google Fi subscriber or plan to switch over to Google's MVNO.
Ultimately, as much as we love the services offered in Google's Pixel Pass, the savings offered here aren't the biggest, especially for those who already subscribe to what they need on the cheapest yearly plans. Still, if you're looking for the convenience of paying everything for your phone in one convenient bill, the subscription could be worth it. We recommend figuring out whether you'll get the most from the savings by considering any existing family plans or whether you're paying annually for one of the services.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are among our favorite Android phones you can get right now, with excellent software features, snappy performance, superb cameras, and strong battery life. They're well worth picking up.
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Google Pixel 7
Google did not reinvent the wheel with the Pixel 7, but there was no need to. With improved cameras, the next-gen Tensor G2 chipset, and Google's wonderfully feature-filled software, the Pixel 7 earns its price tag again this year.
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Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google's Pixel 7 Pro refines the Pixel experience after the 6 Pro's initial stumbles last year, improving stability and taking the camera prowess to new levels with image fusing and 4K60fps video on all cameras. 30W fast charging and Pixel's addictive features like automatic Call screening and Pixel recorder help make the Pixel 7 Pro an alluring phone even as an iterative update.
