Apple Clean Up vs. Google Magic Eraser vs. Samsung Galaxy AI: Which one erases objects better?
We pitted Apple's 'Clean Up' feature against Google and Samsung's similar tools.
Find out which AI-powered object removal tool is better. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The world is full of rivalries, each side convinced that theirs is the best. In this semi-regular series, we pit two competitors against each other to see how they stack up.
Apple’s Clean Up feature, currently available via the iOS 18.1 developer beta, is an Apple Intelligence tool that can remove unwanted objects from photos.
Keep in mind that the operative words here are "developer beta." Clean Up is still in its testing phase — and you really shouldn't download any iOS beta version without backing up your iPhone first. It's a rough-around-the-edges copy that gives some users early access to iOS 18 features before they officially drop later this year.
With that in mind, I wanted to test Apple's new Clean Up utility and pit it against other tools, including Google Magic Eraser and Samsung Galaxy AI. For this face-off, I'll be using the iPhone 15 Pro Max (Clean Up), Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (Magic Eraser), and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Galaxy AI).
Apple Clean Up vs. Magic Eraser vs. Galaxy AI: Test photos
I decided to choose the following three photos for the test. Each one has a specific level of difficulty: easy, medium, and hard.
Easy
This first one, shot in Grenada, features a couple walking along the beach who, sorry to them (I'm sure they're nice people), needs to get removed from the picture.
A beach in grenada Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
This should be easy for AI-powered object removal tools because there's a consistent background pattern and minimal overlap and shadows. Plus, it's got great lighting.
Medium
The red car in this photo is getting the boot.
A red car in a parking lot Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Unfortunately for our AI tools, they've got a nasty little shadow to deal with.
Hard
And finally, the eagle in this photo, shot in the Vanderbilt Museum in Long Island, will be targeted for removal.
Room in the Vanderbilt Museum Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The eagle inside the glass enclosure obstructs a significant part of the image, which means the AI will have to work hard to fill in the void.
Apple's Clean Up
Starting with the couple walking along the coast, I fired up the Clean Up tool on the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the Photos app.
To my surprise, Clean Up auto-selected the couple and highlighted them. In other words, I didn't even have to "tell" the tool which part of the image I wanted removed.
Clean Up tool with Apple Intelligence Credit: Kimberly G
I tapped on the highlighted couple — and it removed the woman. The second tap removed the man. And then, poof! They were gone.
Left: Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Right: Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
There's not a single trace of them left behind. Well done, Apple Intelligence.
Next, let's test the car photo. Again, it pre-selected some options for removal, including the red car.
This one is a little more challenging.