The speed is probably not a strong indicator in my opinion. But you are right that it is a huge pleasure to get this gratification. And getting it fast is of cause nice.
One issue though. If you upload a bunch of such high quality images in a session over an hour or so, subsequent photos that get featured do not result in the same notifications.
I made it a habit to manually check how many of my recently photos get featured. This is super helpful if you want to better understand what photos the photo selection AI prefers. And how to get many photo views on Google Maps.
I have shared some posts on this:
https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t/make-your-shots-look-brighter-and-better/387754
https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t/make-your-photos-pop-lets-discuss/394737
Also, there is an upcoming virtual event about this in December. Please see
https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t/virtual-india-december-13-ghumakkad-gossip-v2-smart-photography-for-google-maps-make-your-photos-pop/494667/24
Please join us if you like.