{"id":697856,"date":"2026-06-11T14:23:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/697856\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T14:23:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:23:28","slug":"i-pitted-ios-27-clean-up-vs-galaxy-ai-in-a-7-round-eraser-showdown-apple-makes-it-close-but-heres-where-it-stumbles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/697856\/","title":{"rendered":"I pitted iOS 27 Clean Up vs Galaxy AI in a 7-round eraser showdown \u2014 Apple makes it close, but here’s where it stumbles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around this time last year, I put the AI-assisted photo erasing tools<\/a> on some of the best phones<\/a> to the test to see which one performed best. While Apple\u2019s Clean Up<\/a> feature was intuitive to use, it wasn\u2019t as good as Google\u2019s Magic Eraser<\/a> \u2014 and nowhere near the impressive results delivered by Samsung\u2019s Galaxy AI Photo Assist<\/a>. But now, Apple has given its version a much-needed upgrade in iOS 27<\/a>, backed by what it calls \u201cbetter quality and more realistic infill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, I wanted to see how well this latest version of Clean Up performs compared to Samsung\u2019s offering. For this iPhone Photo Cleanup vs. Galaxy AI Photo Assist test, I\u2019m running the iOS 27 developer beta<\/a> on my iPhone 17 Pro<\/a> and One UI 8.5 on the Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>. I then took photos I had previously captured on different phones and ran them through each device\u2019s respective AI erasing tools. Can Apple finally prove it\u2019s as capable as Samsung at removing unwanted objects? Here\u2019s what I found.<\/p>\n

Ray-Ban Meta glasses<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"AppleOriginal.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple \/ Samsung)\"AppleApple iOS 27 Photo Clean Up.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple)\"AppleSamsung Galaxy AI Photo Assist.(Image credit: John Velasco \/. Tom’s Guide \/ Samsung Galaxy AI)<\/p>\n

So, the first thing I wanted to test was how well they can fill voids in a photo. I think the results above of me at Bryant Park wearing my Ray-Ban Meta<\/a> smart glasses clearly show which one is better.<\/p>\n

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Even though I was able to circle the glasses on my face with ease, Apple\u2019s Clean Up tool makes me look like a creation from a Hellraiser movie. Terrifying? Absolutely, but this is something that I\u2019ve experienced Clean Up struggling with.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Photo Assist does a better job at actually removing the glasses \u2014 but it makes my eyes smaller in the process. It\u2019s not perfect, but I\u2019ll take it.<\/p>\n

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Chevrolet Corvette<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"AppleOriginal.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple \/ Samsung)\"AppleApple iOS 27 Photo Clean Up.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple)\"AppleSamsung Galaxy AI Photo Assist.(Image credit: John Velasco \/. Tom’s Guide \/ Samsung Galaxy AI)<\/p>\n

Ironically, I parked close to another Chevrolet Corvette<\/a> when I was testing the E-Ray a couple of months back. This time around, Apple\u2019s Clean Up clearly identified the yellow Corvette and removed it with ease \u2014 just like the Samsung shot.<\/p>\n

Looking closer at the photo, I think both did an excellent job of using generative AI to fill the void. For example, they recreated the fence, trees, and stone path behind the car.<\/p>\n

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Crowds by Bryant Park<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"AppleOriginal.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple \/ Samsung)\"AppleApple iOS 27 Photo Clean Up.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple)\"AppleSamsung Galaxy AI Photo Assist.(Image credit: John Velasco \/. Tom’s Guide \/ Samsung Galaxy AI)<\/p>\n

Looking at a selfie shot I captured near Bryant Park, it took me a couple of attempts to circle the people in the background with both phones. I can\u2019t say why Clean Up missed the selection of the man walking on the right side of the frame, but otherwise, I think it does a good job of removing people.<\/p>\n

What I like more about Photo Assist on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is that it again manages to analyze the scene to deliver a more realistic generation. If you look at the left with all the bikers in the bike lane, it manages to keep the lines straight \u2014 whereas Clean Up warps the lines a bit.<\/p>\n

Cat mess<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"AppleOriginal.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple \/ Samsung)\"AppleApple iOS 27 Photo Clean Up.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple)\"AppleSamsung Galaxy AI Photo Assist.(Image credit: John Velasco \/. Tom’s Guide \/ Samsung Galaxy AI)<\/p>\n

This next shot is much busier, so I wasn\u2019t surprised that it took me a bit longer to manually select the objects I wanted removed. Neither phone managed to erase everything I wanted from the coffee table with one of my cats on it, but I\u2019d give this round to Apple. That\u2019s because it successfully removed the cat tree in the far background.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s nothing terribly wrong with the Photo Assist result either, since it removes more of the nearby clutter and accurately generates my cat\u2019s paws back into the frame.<\/p>\n

Panos Panay<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"AppleOriginal.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple \/ Samsung)\"AppleApple iOS 27 Photo Clean Up.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple)\"AppleSamsung Galaxy AI Photo Assist.(Image credit: John Velasco \/. Tom’s Guide \/ Samsung Galaxy AI)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another shot that I used in my previous test to see how well Apple\u2019s Clean Up performed against Galaxy AI\u2019s Photo Assist. Amazon<\/a>\u2019s Panos Panay looks much better this time around thanks to Clean Up\u2019s improved performance because, in my previous attempt last year, it failed to remove the crowd and the phone in front of him.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s AI tool also performs well here by carefully removing those distractions, but I\u2019m not convinced by the jacket pocket it generated because it doesn\u2019t look uniform. That said, I do like how it appears to have added cufflinks to his shirt.<\/p>\n

Freedom Tower<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"AppleOriginal.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple \/ Samsung)\"AppleApple iOS 27 Photo Clean Up.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple)\"AppleSamsung Galaxy AI Photo Assist.(Image credit: John Velasco \/. Tom’s Guide \/ Samsung Galaxy AI)<\/p>\n

I took a photo from a balcony on a nearby building with the Freedom Tower centered in the frame, but the adjacent buildings around it were overwhelming the shot. That\u2019s why I tried removing them with both AI tools, and you can immediately see which one handled it better.<\/p>\n

Despite making all the selections, Apple\u2019s Clean Up didn\u2019t seem to understand that I wanted those buildings removed. Instead, it only removed a small portion and distorted the rest. Photo Assist didn\u2019t erase everything either, but it does remove enough clutter to make the image feel less busy and helps the Freedom Tower stand out more prominently.<\/p>\n

EcoFlow Power Hat<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"AppleOriginal.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple \/ Samsung)\"AppleApple iOS 27 Photo Clean Up.(Image credit: John Velasco \/ Tom’s Guide \/ Apple)\"AppleSamsung Galaxy AI Photo Assist.(Image credit: John Velasco \/. Tom’s Guide \/ Samsung Galaxy AI)<\/p>\n

For my last test, I again wanted to see their generative performance by taking another shot of me wearing the EcoFlow Power Hat<\/a>. If you\u2019ve checked out my previous comparison story<\/a>, you\u2019ll know how Clean Up failed miserably.<\/p>\n

Well, the result this time is a bit better because it manages to remove the solar-powered hat from the top of my head \u2014 but it then generates a cap that makes me look like I\u2019m part of the clergy. It\u2019s also weird that the cap isn\u2019t clearly defined, which makes it look like the top of my head is slowly disappearing into thin air.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m equally shocked by Photo Assist, which makes me feel a bit self-conscious by aging me with thinning hair and a receding hairline. But despite this, it\u2019s still the better of the two.<\/p>\n

Bottom line<\/p>\n

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\"iOS\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

So far, I can say that Apple\u2019s Clean Up tool’s performance has improved over what it was originally, but there\u2019s still work needed to match the level of realism and accuracy that Samsung\u2019s Photo Assist offers. Removing objects outside of your main subject is a breeze for Clean Up, which is pretty apparent in shots like the Corvette and my selfie captured near Bryant Park.<\/p>\n

It continues to have trouble with more detailed requests, like removing my Ray-Ban Meta<\/a> glasses from my face and the EcoFlow Power Hat from my head. Then again, I\u2019m running the iOS 27 developer beta, and there could very well be more improvements made to it before iOS 27 officially launches later this fall.<\/p>\n

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

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