{"id":538665,"date":"2026-03-22T13:55:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T13:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/538665\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T13:55:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T13:55:22","slug":"i-tested-galaxy-s26-ultra-photo-assist-vs-pixel-10-pro-xl-ask-photos-heres-the-better-ai-photo-editor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/538665\/","title":{"rendered":"I tested Galaxy S26 Ultra Photo Assist vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL Ask Photos \u2014 here’s the better AI photo editor"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve said it countless times before: Google makes the best AI tools and features around. When it debuted on the Pixel 10 Pro XL<\/a> last fall, I was utterly blown away by the performance of Ask Photos<\/a> \u2014 a tool that lets me tell the AI exactly what edits I want to make.<\/p>\n

But now that the Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a> has arrived, it brings much-needed competition with a similar tool in its Photo Assist suite. Much like Google\u2019s offering, Photo Assist leverages generative AI to perform complex edits. From swapping backgrounds to generating new objects to add to a scene, it does it all through a simple text prompt.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019m putting the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Galaxy S26 Ultra to the test \u2014 to find out which one actually delivers the best results. Here\u2019s what I found.<\/p>\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Galaxy S26 Photo Assist vs Pixel 10 Pro XL Ask Photos: What you need to know<\/p>\n

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\"Galaxy\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)<\/p>\n

For this test, I\u2019m taking five photos I\u2019ve captured and editing them with their respective AI tools \u2014 all while using the same prompts. This allows me to determine which AI photo editing tool better takes my commands and delivers the most accurate results.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that Google\u2019s Ask Photos feature isn\u2019t exclusive to the Pixel 10 Pro XL anymore, as it is now integrated into the Google Photos app<\/a>. This means you can access this helpful tool on any phone through the Google Photos app \u2014 including iPhones.<\/p>\n

Prompt 1: Business casual transformation<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"PhotoOriginal(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoGalaxy S26 Ultra Photo Assist(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoPixel 10 Pro XL Ask Photos(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Just like in my previous test with Ask Photos, the first thing I want to evaluate is how well each AI tool generates elements for an existing shot. In this case, I asked them to add a top hat and put me in a blazer.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s AI editor didn\u2019t follow the latter set of directions; I\u2019m clearly still wearing my zip-up hoodie instead of a blazer. However, I will say that the top hat looks realistic enough.<\/p>\n

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On the flip side, Google\u2019s Ask Photos managed to do everything I requested \u2014 including the blazer, sort of. I know the angle of the selfie is tough, but it\u2019s still odd that it couldn\u2019t remove my hoodie entirely. And when I look closer at the top hat, I notice parts of my hair protruding from the side. Even though it\u2019s not perfect, Ask Photos delivered on more of my requests.<\/p>\n

Winner: Ask Photos<\/p>\n

Prompt 2: King Kong in the Big Apple<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"PhotoOriginal(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoGalaxy S26 Ultra Photo Assist(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoPixel 10 Pro XL Ask Photos(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Since I recently snapped a photo of the Empire State Building, I thought it would be neat to recreate a classic movie scene. For this test, I asked each AI editor to add King Kong to the scene fighting off jet fighters.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately for Samsung\u2019s Photo Assist, it repeatedly returned a message stating it couldn’t generate the request \u2014 which I suspect was due to the specific character. I switched the prompt to a generic giant monkey, but even that failed because the AI seemed to have an issue with the Empire State Building itself. Eventually, I had to make the prompt as generic as possible to get a result.<\/p>\n

Although it took three attempts, I really dig the realistic Kong atop the Empire State Building. Not only does the fur look natural, his hand is perfectly positioned at the spire \u2014 but it’s missing the fighter jets.<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s Ask Photos experience was much smoother, delivering several options within seconds. While it technically addressed every part of my prompt, Kong himself looked like a poor Photoshop attempt in every variation. Despite the lower image quality, I\u2019m still giving the win to Google for actually following the instructions on the first try.<\/p>\n

Winner: Ask Photos<\/p>\n

Prompt 3: Pedestrian-free walkway<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"PhotoOriginal(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoGalaxy S26 Ultra Photo Assist(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoPixel 10 Pro XL Ask Photos(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

When it comes to removing pedestrians from a busy walkway near Midtown, these two AI photo editors have a habit of approaching it differently. Both use generative AI to change the scene in a substantial way compared to the original, but they at least succeed in removing every person.<\/p>\n

Ask Photos is probably more true-to-life here because the pavement still shows the debris from the original shot. However, it does some weird things like generating illegible text. In the far background, details become quite speckled \u2014 though it\u2019s hard to notice when looking at the image as a whole.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Samsung\u2019s Photo Assist does a lot of cleaning up, almost to the point of altering the scene too much. I can\u2019t recall ever seeing a New York City street or sidewalk looking as pristine as the shot above, and it also mashes a truck and van together in a very odd way. Similarly, it suffers from heavy artifacting that becomes much more pronounced when I zoom in.<\/p>\n

Winner: Ask Photos<\/p>\n

Prompt 4: Upping the contrast<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"PhotoOriginal(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoGalaxy S26 Ultra Photo Assist(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoPixel 10 Pro XL Ask Photos(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

One problem I often face when editing photos is that exposure can vary across different parts of a shot. To test this, I asked each AI photo editor to up the contrast specifically for the buildings in shadow with this landscape shot. I really like the original image, but I felt the buildings on the left and in the middle could pop more, similar to the one on the right.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s Photo Assist totally botched my request. It didn’t add the contrast I wanted for the buildings in shadow. Instead, it dulled the exposure to the point where the entire image looks flat.<\/p>\n

I expected Google\u2019s Ask Photos to perform better with this prompt, but in my opinion, it butchered the shot even worse. It heavily altered the buildings in the middle and on the right \u2014 in fact, the one on the right now looks like it\u2019s been burned out and condemned for years. The craziest part is that the original, unedited shot still looks the best.<\/p>\n

Winner: none<\/p>\n

Prompt 5: Super car<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"PhotoOriginal(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoGalaxy S26 Ultra Photo Assist(Image credit: Future)\"PhotoPixel 10 Pro XL Ask Photos(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Finally, I took a photo of the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette I\u2019m driving this weekend and asked each AI to simply give it a new paint job.<\/p>\n

Although both AI photo editors managed to fulfill my request, Ask Photos was again too aggressive, generating additional elements that were not part of the original shot. As a result, the image looks messy. My intent was to preserve the distinguishable look of the Corvette while simply changing the color and adding racing stripes.<\/p>\n

If you look closely, Ask Photos recreated entirely different side mirrors, and the air vents around the bumper also changed. In comparison, Samsung\u2019s Photo Assist didn\u2019t make nearly as many dramatic alterations, keeping the car’s actual design intact.<\/p>\n

Winner: Photo Assist<\/p>\n

Photo Assist vs. Ask Photos: Verdict<\/p>\n

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\"Galaxy\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)<\/p>\n

This face-off ultimately goes to the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Google\u2019s Ask Photos. Nearly every prompt I gave it resulted in an accurate edit, and I also prefer this AI photo editor because it provides a handful of options to choose from before I finalize and save the image.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s Photo Assist on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is an excellent choice as well, and I suspect it will only improve over time. While it still has its work cut out for it to deliver on every request, I really like that it isn\u2019t as aggressive when altering the original photo.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\"Google\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

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