Apple is embarking on its own AI revolution with the broader release of Apple Intelligence in conjunction with this week’s official iOS 18.1 release. This update includes a feature called Cleanup in the Photos app. This feature uses AI to intelligently analyze your photos and remove unwanted subjects from them. All intuitive and easy to do. My colleague Richard Priday was impressed with Clean Up’s performance when he tested it.
This ability to remove objects from photos is not new. Because some of the best phones with the Google Photos app are available with Google’s version called Magic Eraser. I’ve come to rely on Magic Eraser over the past few years, as it first appeared on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro and has undergone several updates since then.
But now that Apple has finally entered this space, I want to see for myself whether Apple Intelligence can legitimately do a better job of cleaning up my photos than Magic Eraser. We took the same set of photos we had previously taken using different devices and used each of their AI-assisted photo editing features to see which ones worked best. This is what I found.
cat on the bed
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My beloved cat Andy was playing with my belt on my bed, so I used my Galaxy Z Fold 6 to take an adorable photo of him tangled up in it. What’s notable here is how intuitive it is to use. When you run Clean on your iPhone 15 Pro, your belt will be highlighted and intelligently removed with a simple gesture. Magic Eraser didn’t allow you to make a selection in one passthrough. So I had to make my selections piecemeal before removing the belt completely.
There are things I like and dislike about both types of photo editing. First of all, the cleanup completely removes the bedside lamp from its location, but there is a strange pattern on the bedsheet just to Andy’s left. Magic Eraser, on the other hand, took a long time to remove the belt. Doing so distorts Andy’s ears in a weird way, but at least the area of Andy’s face that was covered by the belt doesn’t become soft.
Nevertheless, the photos edited with Magic Eraser look a little more convincing overall.
winner: magic eraser
Acura ZDX by the Beach
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I love testing the best electric cars, and just a few weeks ago I spent a day driving the new Acura ZDX Type S and took a photo of it on the block at the entrance to the beach. As is often the case on other sunny days, there were other people in the parking lot crowding around to photograph me. Luckily, both AI-assisted photo editing tools came in handy.
Even though the black pickup truck was parked on the left side, which produced some strange artifacts, Apple Intelligence’s cleanup feature removed even small details like the wooden plinth under the Acura ZDX. You can easily select the subject you want to delete. Magic Eraser can better fill in the deleted areas, but doing so will distort the back bumper/
This is another difficult question, but this time we choose cleanup.
winner: cleaning
Selfie with EcoFlow Power Hat
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A few weeks ago, I was testing the EcoFlow Power Hat, which charges my Galaxy S24 Plus using only solar power. Although the beach was mostly deserted, there were still some things in the background that I wanted to remove in my selfie shot.
For some reason I had a little trouble recreating the horizon in cleanup after making the selection. Again, this was much more intuitive, but it looked more like being in a desert than a beach. In fact, the background looks more like sand dunes than anything else.
That’s why I like Magic Eraser’s way of flattening the horizon without distorting nearby clouds. However, it took longer to get these results because the selections had to be made again piecemeal.
winner: magic eraser
Once the world’s largest garden gnome
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During a test drive in upstate New York in the Honda Prologue, my colleague Marcus Cooper and I stopped to check out what was once the world’s largest garden gnome in Kerhonkson, New York. I captured this candid shot of Marcus taking a video of a gnome statue with his DJI Pocket 3, then used AI to remove him.
I was impressed with how each AI-assisted photo editing tool removed him from the frame, so this one is close. I still can’t stress enough how quickly and easily this can be done using Apple Intelligence’s cleanup features. Because the visible end result takes less than a few seconds and allows you to realistically blend grass and shadows.
Google’s Magic Eraser also produces convincing edits, but again we had to make numerous choices before removing Marcus. For this reason, I continue to use Creap Up for ease of use and precise configuration.
winner: cleaning
jet ski on the hudson river
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Just last month, as I was tearing through the Hudson River on a jet ski to test out the new GoPro Hero 13 Black, I decided to take a photo of the Statue of Liberty with my iPhone. There were so many of us there that my best friend Ray Wong drifted into my shot, finding it a bit difficult to keep the jet ski in one place.
Luckily, both Clean Up and Magic Eraser can easily remove him. When I draw a circle with Ray’s finger on the jet skit in one quick motion, Apple Intelligence knows exactly what I’m trying to delete and deletes it for me. You get a convincing shot, but the dark shadow of the jet ski remains there. This isn’t a big deal, but it doesn’t mesh with the rest of the shot.
In comparison, Magic Eraser is much better at hiding it. Even though I had to make many painful choices to get them all. It takes time, but the most important thing here is the end result.
winner: magic eraser
verdict
The comparison between Clean Up and Magic Eraser is in Google’s favor, but we know it’s only a matter of time before Apple’s AI-assisted photo editing tool surpasses it. Don’t get me wrong. The way Apple Intelligence recognizes what I’m trying to select is already more advanced than Magic Editor. Additionally, a more intuitive implementation would also help.
But Apple still has a long way to go before it can catch up to Google’s level. Why is that? Google’s AI-assisted features do more than just remove objects from your photos. Magic Editor uses generative AI to fill in blank spaces when subjects are moved or reframed within a shot. Meanwhile, other AI features like Best Take and Add Me show how AI is adapting to the way you take photos on Pixel 9 Pro and 9. Pro XL.
Apple is working hard to diversify the capabilities of Apple Intelligence. For example, the latest iOS 18.2 developer beta finally unlocks visual intelligence to rival Google Gemini. Either way, know that AI is here to change the way we use our phones.
