Comparing AI Photo Editing on Apple, Google, and Samsung
Today, I have Apple Photos on iOS 17 on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google Photos on the Pixel 8 Pro XL, and Samsung Gallery on the S23 Ultra. I will compare the latest and greatest AI features offered by each company in their native gallery apps to see which one is the best AI editing tool for your photos and videos. So, without further ado, let’s jump in.
Comparison Focus and Conditions
First things first, this comparison is focused on the latest AI features. I did another comparison between the same apps covering the rest of the editing tools back in July 2023; you can find the link in the description below. Either way, it doesn’t matter which OS version I use on the Pixel as long as Google Photos is up to date.
Points System
When it comes to the point system:
- If the feature is available on all three phones, the one with the best outcome will take a point, the second place will take half a point, and zero points for the third.
- If it’s only available on two phones, the winner will take a point and half a point for the second place.
- If it’s only available on one phone, it will be the only one that takes the point.
Transformative AI Features
I will start the comparison with transformative AI features, or in other words, the features that transform your images into something else.
Removing People and Objects
The first comparison is to test which app is better at removing people and objects from photos. I will use Magic Editor on the Pixel, Photo Assist on the S23 Ultra, and the Cleanup tool on the iPhone. I will try three different photos before declaring a winner.
First Test: Removing a Building in the Background
In the first shot, I want to remove the short building at the front to see which one will better generate the missing part of the other building. It was fairly easy to make my selection on all three, but the main difference here is Google and Samsung use generative AI that requires cloud processing, while Apple uses on-device models. The older Magic Editor of Google Photos works locally on-device, the same as Apple Photos, but I chose Magic Editor to compare the latest and greatest features offered by each company.
Results:
- The first attempt by the S23 Ultra is hilarious. I don’t know why it decided to replace the building with this big black “L,” even though I chose to erase, not replace. So, I decided to give it another try just in case the AI hallucinated, but unfortunately, it did the same thing again. This time, it added another random object and a tree. Yes, it generated a part of the back building in high quality without any artifacts, but I’m stuck with these unwanted items, so it defeats the purpose.
- Moving to Apple Photos, it did what I asked for but with low quality—there are a lot of smudges and artifacts in the building, plus it messed up a part that wasn’t even covered in the first place. So, I don’t think the outcome is usable.
- Lastly, Google Photos did the best here. It only messed up the lower part, which I can easily crop and get a high-quality photo to share on social media. Plus, only Google Photos gives multiple options to choose from with the ability to regenerate an unlimited number of photos if needed.
Scoring: One point to Google Photos, and I will call it a draw between Samsung and Apple with half a point each, as both generated unusable images.
Second Test: Removing Background Elements in a Portrait
The second test is a portrait where I want to remove a wire and a person sitting in the background without affecting the blur effect.
Results:
- Apple Photos did the best—it removed the person and the wire while keeping the same natural look of the image.
- Google Photos and Samsung Gallery couldn’t remove the person; I even tried to regenerate more results on the Pixel but with no success. Overall, Google Photos was slightly better than Samsung Gallery.
Scoring: Apple Photos comes first with one point, followed by Google Photos with half a point, and no points to Samsung Gallery.
Third Test: Removing People Passing By
The last photo in this category is to remove people passing by to get a less distracting image.
Results:
- Apple Photos did the selection for me, which is nice, while Google Photos and Samsung Gallery require manual selection. Google Photos was the best as it generated a proper couch with cushions, blending nicely with the overall look.
- Samsung Gallery and Apple Photos both removed the top part of the metal bar even though it wasn’t selected, and they added random objects to cover the missing part.
Scoring: One point to Google Photos, half a point to Samsung Gallery, and zero points to Apple Photos.
Overall Scoring for Transformative Features: Google Photos leads with 2.5 points, followed by Apple Photos with 1.5 points, and Samsung Gallery with 1 point.
Repositioning and Replacing Subjects
Next, let’s compare the ability to reposition the subject, which is available only on Google Photos and Samsung Gallery.
Repositioning Test
In the first shot, I want to center and move myself further away from the camera.
Results:
- Google Photos generated the missing part of my legs perfectly, while Samsung Gallery made me look like a sticker.
Scoring: Google Photos wins for quality.
My Opinion
By this, I compared all the AI editing features on all apps, which brings us to the final results. As expected, Google Photos leads with 6.5 points, Samsung Gallery follows with 4 points, and Apple Photos lags behind with only 3 points, making Google Photos the best AI editing tool.