Google Magic Eraser vs Samsung Object Eraser: Which is better?

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Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

The Object Erase feature is one of the coolest features in the smartphone photography space, allowing you to easily remove that photobomber (and more) for a pristine shot.

This is nothing new, as we saw the basic versions of this feature in the early 2010s. But Google and Samsung have both launched next-gen modes in the last couple of years, in the form of the Magic Eraser and Object Eraser, respectively.

So which solution is actually better? We gathered a few photos from our libraries and fed them into Google and Samsung’s object erasure tools on the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra, respectively.

Do you use object eraser tools to enhance your photos?

304 votes

Yes, the one built into my phone.

61%

Yes, but I rely on Photoshop, Lightroom or equally powerful tools.

10%

Yes, I use both, depending on the situation.

8%

NO.

21%

How we tested

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

The Google Pixel 7 Pro mode works by automatically detecting all items that can be erased, then highlighting them and prompting you to erase them all. So that was our first choice, followed by hand circle/brush of a desired subject/object once.

The Samsung tool, on the other hand, tries to automatically detect objects that can be deleted, but does not highlight them. However, you can tap something to quickly erase it if the Samsung tool actually detected it. So this was our preferred method of object removal here. If not, we once again manually circled/brushed a desired element once.

In any case, we didn’t circle/brush an object that wasn’t successfully removed via auto-detect. And we didn’t use repeated brushing on the same item. However, we allowed ourselves to undo a change and try spinning or brushing again.

Basic object removal

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Our first round of testing starts with a pretty standard people wipe in this seaside shot from Deauville. Wouldn’t it be nice if the person you take a photo of in the background disappeared?

Both phones did a great job of stripping the persona, though Samsung’s finished product still holds a little shade. The main differences are in the details, however, and both modes faltered when it came to making the distant background (e.g. the houses and the sand pile) plausible. That said, Samsung’s approach makes the wallpaper look corrupted.

Winner: Close, but Google wins, by a pinch.

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Another relatively simple test at first glance takes place in this cavernous street art gallery. The most obvious target for removal is the person on the right side of the photo.

Both phones delivered good but not perfect results here, with Samsung’s Magic Eraser and Object Eraser leaving a telltale shadow where the person was. Zoom in on both images and you can also notice some blurriness in the edited area, with Samsung faring much worse. Both solutions were also smart enough to replicate lines on the floor, but the Magic Eraser produced sharper results here.

The difference is in the details when it comes to basic object removal.

It’s also worth noting that the Magic Eraser accurately erased the person near the center of the image. Samsung didn’t recognize this person and just asked us to remove them along with a piece of graphics in one go. Additionally, Magic Eraser also suggested removing a portrait of a person in the far background. Needless to say, we opted for neither option.

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Our last basic comparison is an image of a military jet with an airliner flying in the foreground. Neither mode should have trouble identifying the airliner as it is easily distinguishable against the clear sky.

Both phones passed the test with flying colors, though zooming in reveals faint speckles in the edited area of ​​both snaps. But the stain is easier to see on the Samsung version.

Winner: A very, very narrow win for Google’s phone here.

Take a leap in quality

Both modes of object removal did a useful job in the worst case scenario with the above images, but what about the more challenging images?

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Our next round of testing starts with this old photo I took of a bridge over a rock formation. Can Samsung’s Magic Eraser and Object Eraser make it look like no one was there?

Neither phone was really flawless here. Google Magic Eraser tried to add the obscured bridge railings back to the image, but misaligned. However, Samsung’s object removal tool left a fuzzy patch that is visible without zooming in.

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Another medium-weight challenge for erasing objects is this trash can next to a piece of art. More specifically, we wanted to see how each phone handles the intersection of floor tile lines.

Samsung and Google modes did a decent job of making the trash disappear without ghosting or smearing, but we see two very different approaches to the wallpaper. Google’s eraser tool was definitely out of place here, while Samsung really managed to connect the lines formed by the tiles on the floor. However, the area Samsung replaced was quite low-res compared to its surroundings, but I’d rather have a low-res edited wallpaper that looks the part than a high-res junk mess.

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Our next comparison isn’t about removing an object. Instead, we’re removing an unsightly purple light glare that obscures part of the cat.

Magic Eraser was definitely the go-to choice here, doing a great job of filling in the fur under the ear and eliminating all traces of the light glare. The Samsung Object Eraser tool didn’t do a bad job, but the replacement fur certainly looks a bit too long and we can still see some purple hues here. It’s also interesting to see how both phones have taken different approaches to filling in the area to the right of the eye, and both end up looking a bit strange.

Winner: Google, by a whisker.

Removing items on hard mode

The following images are all more significant challenges to today’s smartphone object removal technology.

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Starting with a photo by an artist (Tarja Turunen) partially obscured by a clapping hand, there’s a lot of work in store for Google and Samsung’s object removal modes. Both failed to hit a high note, but in different ways. Google’s object removal mode didn’t do as good a job of guessing the background as Samsung’s tool. And you can still clearly see the outline of the hand in the final result.

In a reversal from previous rounds, Google’s Magic Eraser faltered when it came to the more challenging scenes.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s Object Eraser did a better job of interpreting and filling in the background (check out the area to the left of the player). Samsung’s tool also did a better job of removing the hand, although there’s still a faint outline here. Magic Eraser definitely had the upper hand when it came to filling out the rest of the players body, and she is the subject after all.

Winner: We call it a draw.

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Our penultimate comparison is difficult, because these cars are by no means clearly defined. It also seems that the object erasure modes are meant for people and much smaller objects. Needless to say, I didn’t have high hopes for either mode.

There is no doubt that Samsung is the winner here. Google’s Magic Eraser completely botched this job, replacing the background with a road and road markings. Samsung’s replacement background rocks are far from perfect, as they’re noticeably blurrier than their surroundings. But again, we’d rather have a blurry background than wrong.

Winner: Samsung, by one mile.

Original Google Magic EraserSamsung Object Eraser

Our final comparison shot is this beautiful Parisian cafe decorated with lots of flowers. We’re trying to get rid of people in this shoot. The busy background will definitely complicate things.

The good news is that both phones found these people automatically, with Samsung letting me tap them to remove them and Google letting me one-button erase them all. Google seems to have come off worse, leaving the red baggage unattended in the photo and mistakenly making the left-hand side menu wider than it is (despite the entire menu being clearly visible at the start).

That said, the Samsung Object Eraser still struggled here, with a more noticeable smudge where the leftmost person was, as well as that lower-res, less defined approach to filling in the blanks.

The ultimate winner?

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

Both Google and Samsung have powerful object deletion features on their phones. The feature has evidently gone from a novelty years ago to something you can actually use to fix a variety of photos.

It’s also interesting to see how Google and Samsung vary in their approaches to wallpaper replacement. Magic Eraser appears to aggressively guess what should be there and then draws a detailed replacement. This approach can pay off when it works, but it can also feel horribly weird when it doesn’t.

Google’s Magic Eraser scores more wins than Samsung’s Object Eraser, but both tools are worth using.

On the other hand, Samsung’s approach often feels like a video game that suffers from texture pop-in. That said, it seems that Object Eraser is more adept than Magic Eraser at matching certain types of patterns.

Overall, Google’s object deletion approach was the winner in most of our comparisons here (five to three). However, we were pleasantly surprised to see Samsung keep up and even beat Google in some tough scenarios.

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Google Pixel 7 Pro

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$1,199.99 at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

New 200MP main camera Stunning display S Pen functionality

Frequent questions

How to use Object Eraser on Samsung phones?

To use the Object Eraser on your Galaxy phone, you need to open the desired image in the Gallery app, tap the pencil icon to edit it, then tap the three-dot icon and choose Object eraser.

Which Samsung Phones Have Object Eraser?

Object Eraser is available on a variety of Samsung phones running One UI 3.1 and later, including the Galaxy S10 and new S-series phones, the Galaxy Note 20 series, all Galaxy foldables, and several Galaxy A-series phones.

How to use Magic Eraser on Google Pixel phones?

To use Magic Eraser on your Pixel device, you need to open Google Photos, tap the desired image, then tap Edit > Tools > Magic Eraser.

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