This Week at Mark Ellis Reviews

👋 An exciting week here! I launched a new YouTube channel called The Next Drive, where I’ll be diving into the world of cars with co-host Alistair Charlton. Check it out! I also released a new eBook which you can download for free in this newsletter. To top it all off, WWDC is now imminent and I’m especially interested this year. But I fear it might be derailed…more on that below. Plus two Android product reviews, enjoy!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The big iOS problem no one is talking about

Cast your mind back to 2013. That’s when Apple launched iOS 7, which represented the first big redesign of the iPhone’s operating system. Apple’s then-head of design, Jony Ive, was tasked with the visual overhaul, which he referred to as “profound and enduring beauty in simplicity”.

Reactions to iOS 7 were mixed. I remember being immediately impressed by it - literally as soon as the opening shots of the flatter icons and fancy new slide-to-unlock design were revealed, such was my undying love of Apple at the time. I was fully enveloped in Jobs’ Reality Distortion Field back then; it didn’t matter that Ive had, on further inspection, made iOS far more cumbersome to use at the expense of a contemporary design language. I just loved it.

Next week, we’ll be treated to the opening keynote for WWDC 2025, and pressure on Apple to do something is mounting. We’re expecting big, sweeping changes to the entire operating system lineup, and a move away from Apple’s traditional consecutive version numbering. What would have been iOS 19 will, allegedly, become iOS 26, as Apple joins many of its contemporaries by adopting the year of release (kinda) for its operating system version number.

Numbers aside, what really matters here is the fact that we’re going to hopefully see some fairly big changes to the way iOS looks and operates. You know - just like in 2013 and the switch to iOS 7. The problem is that the focus for everyone watching - and certainly the tech press - will be the fallout from Apple Intelligence. Will Apple apologise for the delayed - and still unconfirmed - launch of the advanced Siri features? Will it even be acknowledged at all? Any time spent on an iOS redesign will be seen as a tactical diversion.

This is such a shame. I’m rather done with Apple Intelligence and consumer-focused AI features in general. I’d love to go back to simpler times when big interface changes to iOS were big news. That was far more interesting, wasn’t it?

FREE EBOOK

100+ iPhone Tricks

BYTE-SIZED NEWS

This Week’s Top Tech Headlines

😬 Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge Sales Rumoured To Be On The Slim Side
Is this a surprise considering the price tag of the Edge?

™️ Apple’s ‘homeOS’ May Be Imminent as Trademark Filings Surface Ahead of WWDC
A potentially new operating system is now added to the WWDC list of expectations.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Unsurprisingly, last week’s poll gave us this result:

Lots of you (I imagine mainly Apple users) value ecosystem integrations, like I do. And unsurprisingly, no one voted for AI. It makes you wonder just why we’re being served AI thing after AI thing with tech releases when hardly anyone wants it. In that spirit, I give you this week’s question:

ICYMI

Razr 60 ultra 2 weeks later - The Best Flip Phone?

Lots of people want small form factor smartphones these days and flip phones definitely tick that box, but a fair number of people still seem unconvinced. If there’s one company that can convince the non-believers though, it’s Motorola, which has a long history of making flip phones. Is the Razr 60 Ultra the best one I’ve ever used? Watch to find out!

OnePlus Pad 3 review - Is The iPad In Trouble?

I used to be of the opinion that iPads were the only tablets worth buying. And I think I was justified in that opinion up until about two years ago. That’s when Android tablets really started to up their game, especially from the likes of Honor and Huawei. But I think I might have a new favourite iPad alternative now….

NEED TO KNOW

Tip Of The Week

👉 iOS tip: Quickly select multiple items with two fingers. Want to clear out your inbox or notes fast? Just place two fingers on the screen and swipe down — this will instantly select multiple messages, emails, or reminders at once. It works in Apple’s apps like Messages, Mail, Notes, and Reminders, and even in some third-party apps like Telegram (though not in Gmail yet).

Remember, there are over 100 of these kinds of lesser-known but highly useful tips in my eBook above!

TOP FINDS

What I Watched On YouTube This Week

As I mentioned at the top of this newsletter, I launched a new YouTube channel covering cars this week! Here’s a very short overview:

🏎️ Tesla Model Y review (2025) - THE BEST EV EXPERIENCE? (The Next Drive) - Oof, talk about self-promotion, eh? Yes, this is my new YouTube channel, on which I’ll be joined regularly by a lovely chap called Alistair Charlton. We’ve opened with my review of the new Tesla Model Y, and you’re going to want to subscribe if you have any interest in cars - we’ve got so much cool stuff on the way.

🌶️ Will Smith Can't See While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones (First We Feast) - What happens at the Ellis household when people visit and we run out of stuff to watch on TV? We put on Hot Ones. Obviously.

♻️ Changing My Porsche 911 S/T! (Mat Watson Cars) - I can’t remember if I’ve ever shared Mat Watson of Carwow fame’s own YouTube channel, but I’ll do so anyway, because it’s great.

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. I’ll be dissecting all of the fallout from WWDC next week so stay tuned, hopefully we get something juicy!

~ Mark