Which Object Eraser Is Better?

Despite this latest crazy move, the use of artificial intelligence in smartphones is still limited. Currently, the option to remove unwanted objects from images is one of the most common and popular. To see which solution did a better job, I compared Apple’s cleanup feature on the iPhone to Google’s Magic Editor.

Google Magic Editor vs. Apple Clean Up: On-device photo editing showdown

Since the launch of the Google Pixel 6 series in 2021, the popularity of the Object Eraser photo editing tool has grown significantly. Major smartphone brands like Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, and even services like Canva now offer this feature. Actually, Magic Editor is accessible on any device Use the Google Photos app. However, most implementations rely on cloud-based artificial intelligence, and uploading photos to the cloud understandably raises privacy concerns.

A prominent feature of both is Google Pixel 9 series (our review) Unlike the Apple iPhone 16 series, they offer this feature on the device. Google’s Magic Editor and Apple’s Clean Up work offline, meaning your photos never leave your device. My findings below are an up-to-date comparison using these devices.

It is worth noting that although Apple Intelligence improved in iOS 18.2this feature is still in beta. For comparison, though, I used the same version of Apple Clean Up available in the latest iOS 18.2 stable release.

Scene 1: Remove the fire extinguisher behind the Christmas stall

First, I started with something simple: a scene from a Christmas market in Mumbai, India, with a stall selling Christmas-themed ice cream. However, a fire extinguisher in the background spoils the festive atmosphere. I used Magic Editor and Clean Up to remove the out-of-focus fire extinguisher, and I’d say Google’s Magic Eraser performed better.

The Magic Editor effectively removed the fire extinguisher while retaining the shadows and detail of the wooden wall. In contrast, the “cleaning” work was difficult, integrating parts of the concrete floor into the wooden wall area.

Scenario 2: Remove the main subject from the image

These object removal tools are typically used to remove side or unnecessary objects from a frame, but what if you need to remove major objects? This demonstration explores this scenario. In this image, I placed an owl-like figurine on a white couch with a pink cushion in the background, then removed the owl. The results with Magic Editor and Apple Clean Up are interesting.

In this case, I think Apple’s cleaning tool performs better. The removal is cleaner, blending is better, and there are fewer visible artifacts, although it does retain some shadows on the left side. The Magic Editor, on the other hand, struggled, leaving a smudged, messy effect on the cushions and the area where the owl sat.

In this shot of a boat on a lake, the Magic Editor provides significantly better results. While Apple Clean Up successfully removed the boat, Magic Editor not only removed it, but also seamlessly blended the area and removed the shadows in the lake.

Scene 3: Clear the people in front of the church

This photo, taken in the streets of Pescara, Italy, shows the architecture of a historic church. The original image depicts a slightly busy street with a few people standing at the entrance, a few people standing next to it, and a few bicycles. After comparing the results, I think Magic Editor performs better here.

While the iPhone produced cleaner results, it missed some key details, such as completely removing the stairs at the front of the church, leaving the man on the left, and cutting off the base of the streetlight on the right. The magic editor also struggled up the stairs, but kept the street light at the bottom and removed the one on the left.

Considering every situation, Google Magic Editor comes out on top. While Apple’s cleanup tool is slightly easier to use—you’ll need to dig into the photo editor’s tools section in Google Photos to find the Magic Editor—and generally produces beautiful results, its accuracy isn’t always consistent.

I generally find that the Magic Editor produces better results (and am often surprised at how well it deletes objects) because it takes into account the surroundings of the deleted object. That said, for a beta tool, Apple Clean Up performs very well. It’s impressive how quickly Apple has caught up and is already delivering results of this quality on its devices.

However, like most AI tools, the object removal tool is still finicky—every time I used Clean Up or Magic Editor on two devices, the results were different. But most importantly, it’s amazing that these tools are at our fingertips – something that would have been completely unimaginable not so long ago.