Monument 2 Review: Personal AI Photo Storage That Respects Privacy

Thanks to the rise of smartphones with high-end camera technology, billions of people across the world are taking more photos than ever before.

They need somewhere to store them all, safely and reliably, and the Monument 2 – an AI photo storage solution from Monument Labs – aims to fulfill that need.

Following on from the successful Monument 1, Monument 2 introduces upgraded AI-powered features, resulting in a privacy-focused smart photo storage solution that has a lot going for it.

It even compares favorably to cloud storage solutions from tech giants like Google and Apple.

But is it as good as it claims, and can this device truly compete with or even replace big brand services, such as Google Photos or iCloud?

I wanted to find out, so I put the Monument 2 to the test and wrote this review to tell you all you need to know.

What Is the Monument 2?

Before getting into the tech specs and nitty-gritty details of how this device works, I want to first take a moment to introduce the Monument 2, as it’s quite a unique proposition compared to other photo storage solutions on the market.

In a nutshell, it’s a physical photo storage device with a built-in, replaceable SSD and high-speed CPU. It’s capable of backing up and organizing all your photos and videos from various personal devices.

The Monument 2 strives to keep all your data private and secure, handling everything locally rather than on remote cloud servers.

The company behind the Monument 2, Monument Labs, describes the device as “the most secure photo backup solution.”

It’s designed to work in a similar way to cloud-based storage solutions like Google Photos, but entirely owned by the user and without recurring monthly fees.

It offers advanced photo organization features, password protection, end-to-end encryption for your data, and a range of other helpful features to deliver one of the most intuitive and straightforward photo storage solutions I’ve ever used.

Technical Specifications

Processor:

• 9 GHz quad-core ARM
• 2 TOPS NPU

Storage:

• Built-in models: 1TB/2TB M.2 2280 Form Factor, SATA SSD
• Diskless models: External USB drive

Connectivity:

• Wi-Fi 6 – 802.11 ax
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE)

Ports:

• USB 3.0 x2
• SD card x1
• 4K TV out (HDMI) x1

Intelligence:

• Pet detection
• Image recognition
• Face detection/recognition

Applications:

• iOS (iOS 11 or newer)
• Android (Android 5 or newer)
• macOS
• Windows
• Linux

Dimensions:

• Width: 5.2” (134mm)
• Length: 5.2” (134mm)
• Height: 1.4” (36mm)

Design and Build Quality

As far as design goes, the Monument 2 is a sleek, compact product, not even 1.5 inches in height and barely five inches around its edges.

It’s small enough to easily slot on a shelf, desk, or almost anywhere else around the house without being in the way or standing out.

You can also easily slot it into a carry case or bag to take with you, wherever you go, so it’s always ready to sync up and save your latest snaps.

It’s not the kind of device that feels unnecessarily heavy or bulky, and it has a simple yet pleasant shape, with soft corners and rounded edges.

The Monument 2 is also surprisingly durable, despite its gentle appearance. Monument Labs calls it one of the most durable photo storage devices in existence today, and it lives up to that promise.

I carried mine around to offices, photo studios, and other locations without it suffering any dents or scuffs to speak of, and it feels like the kind of item you can put in your photo case or backpack without having to worry about it.

Performance

Performance is where the Monument 2 really shines, especially when compared to its predecessor.

I tried the Monument 1 before testing this product, and I was blown away by how much faster, smarter, and more advanced the Monument 2 feels, thanks to its advanced AI features and high-speed CPU.

While some photo storage solutions and external hard drives can be slow to configure and even slower when it comes to transferring photos and files, the Monument 2 is remarkably rapid.

You can add entire sessions’ worth of photos to your device in a matter of minutes, and it automatically uses built-in processing power to sort through them, identify faces or even pets, and organize your images in a way that’s quick and easy for you to look through later on.

The Monument 2 is designed to be always-on, so it’s ready to receive new data as and when you need it.

Plus, it comes with full support for all major operating systems (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux) and high-speed connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet.

During my time with the device, I experienced no major issues whatsoever. It ran smoothly, it always processed new photos quickly, and the AI did a near-magical job of identifying faces and sorting photos appropriately and effectively, saving me a lot of time and hard work.

Storage Capacity and Organization

The amount of storage you get with your Monument 2 depends on how much you’re willing to spend (which I’ll get into in more detail later on).

There’s a 1TB version and a 2TB version, as well as a diskless version that requires you to connect to another external hard drive or Monument’s cloud service to use.

I went with the 2TB version, as that’s plenty of room to store literally hundreds of thousands of photos in JPEG and similar formats, or tens of thousands of very high-quality RAW files.

Another benefit is that the SSD is replaceable, so once yours eventually fills up, you can swap in other storage devices.

Monument didn’t skimp on quality when it comes to the storage. The SSDs they use are of the highest quality and exceptionally reliable, so there’s minimal risk of them letting you down, and transfer times are far faster than a usual USB drive or standard external hard drive.

In terms of organization, the Monument 2 scans everything you put onto it and can automatically eliminate duplicates and organize files in different folders or categories, identifying people, faces, and animals with remarkable accuracy.

It can even differentiate between different locations, letting you sort or search through your photos via basic keywords like “city” or “forest.”

You can also take control manually, creating and naming your own albums, sorting your files the way you want, sharing access with up to five family or friends, and setting up automatic backups.

Security

One of the big question marks when it comes to photo storage solutions is security.

I always like to look into what kind of encryption (if any) a service or product uses before I put any personal data or images onto it, especially nowadays, with the ever-increasing threats of cyberattacks and data leaks.

Thankfully, I’m glad to report that security and privacy are two issues that Monument Labs takes very seriously, and the Monument 2 was clearly made with these elements in mind.

All data transferred to and from your Monument 2 enjoys the protection of 256-bit AES and SSL/TLS encryption, making it almost impossible for any attackers to intercept and steal your data.

Not only that, but the Monument 2 also offers the ability to secure your photos and albums with your own custom password. So even if someone else got access to your device, they wouldn’t be able to access your files unless they managed to crack your password.

In addition, all your data is stored locally on the device itself, not on random cloud servers halfway around the world, and all AI processes – like face recognition and photo sorting – are carried out locally, too, which again decreases the surface area for possible cyberattacks.

Thanks to this, you can enjoy complete peace of mind when using the Monument 2, knowing your photos are as secure as possible.

Price and Value for Money

Price-wise, there are three versions of the Monument 2 you can buy today:

• The diskless variant costs US$199.
• A 1TB SSD model is available for US$399.
• The biggest storage solution, with a 2TB built-in SSD, costs US$499.

The SSD models both come with quite high price tags, but they’re largely aligned with the going rate for high-quality SSDs.

It’s worth reiterating, too, that these are just one-off fees; unlike so many other photo storage solutions, you can pay once for the Monument 2 and not have to worry about paying again.

There is a cloud storage service available that currently costs US$49.99 for the first year and US$99.90 for subsequent years and provides 4TB of cloud storage. But there’s no need to pay for that if you don’t want to, as you can still enjoy the full functionality of your Monument 2 without the cloud subscription.

So, as far as value for money goes, this is a very appealing option.

It will cost a lot upfront, especially if you want the 2TB model – which is best for those who have large numbers of photos to store – but you can get years of use out of your Monument 2.

So, if you treat it as a long-term investment, it’s not quite the big expense it may first appear to be.

Monument 2 vs. Monument 1

Compared to its predecessor, the Monument 1, the Monument 2 is faster, more reliable, and better in almost all measurable metrics.

• Speed: Built on brand new architecture, the Monument 2 is 10 times faster than the first Monument.
• Intelligence: The Monument 2 introduces superior software for more accurate face recognition results and better organization of your images.
• Hardware: The Monument 2 comes with a more powerful processor than its predecessor, capable of carrying out all tasks, but especially AI-related processes, more quickly and accurately than before. It also delivers built-in SSD storage, which was absent from the first model.
• Connectivity: The Monument 2 introduces USB 3.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, and 4K video output.
• Security: Both Monuments offer end-to-end encryption, but the Monument 2 also adds password protection as an additional layer of security for your files.
• Key features: Many features have been improved on the Monument 2, and it also offers some functions that were missing from the first model, like pet detection, AI hardware acceleration, inner albums, a dark mode, and a slideshow mode when viewing your pictures.

Alternatives to the Monument 2

Despite its many benefits, the Monument 2 isn’t for everyone. You may want to consider an alternative, with options including:

• Apple iCloud Photos/Google Photos: Cloud photo storage solutions like these are largely regarded as reliable and secure, though costs can add up if you have a lot of files to store.
• Immich: Immich is a DIY solution that lets you set up your own server to host your photos and other files, though this does require a certain level of technical expertise.
• External Hard Drives: You can use branded external hard drives as simple storage options for your excess photos, but they won’t offer the AI organization features of the Monument 2.

Final Verdict

Overall, I’m highly impressed with the Monument 2.

It builds on the solid foundations established by the Monument 1, but it feels like a true successor rather than just an incremental iteration, as it introduces multiple new features, AI technology, and the all-important addition of SSD storage inside the device itself.

For people who are concerned about the safety or privacy of their files, or those who don’t want to pay monthly fees to store their photos on cloud solutions, Monument 2 is a great choice.

It can appeal to everyone from casual users wanting to store photos of their family and friends to professional photographers, and there’s almost no other device on the market quite like it.

It takes the reliability and security of an external hard drive and combines it with the flexibility and advanced technology of a cloud storage service.

So, if it ever feels like your photos are getting out of control and that you never have enough space to store them all, the Monument 2 is worth considering.