This Week at Mark Ellis Reviews

👉 The most significant Android smartphone battle in recent memory, the new Powerbeats Pro 2 came storming back and more about my huge upcoming giveaway!

TOP STORY

Samsung S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13: A Huge Android Battle

This may be one of the biggest Android smartphone showdowns of the last five years. It feels like there is a lot of momentum behind the OnePlus 13 and could be a turning point. As usual, though, I think choosing between the two boils largely down to personal preference. Here are my two cents in brief:

• I very marginally prefer the camera on the S25 Ultra

• Both UIs are great, but I prefer One UI 7

• OnePlus 13 has better battery life and faster charging

These are both great phones. But there is one thing that really sets them apart; the price. The OnePlus 13 is significantly cheaper but pretty much just as good as the S25 Ultra. And for that reason, I imagine it will be very popular.

Powerbeats Pro 2 review: Apple’s New Secret Weapon?

The Powerbeats Pro hadn’t been updated for nearly five years until this week. Now we have the Powerbeats Pro 2 which feature all the mod cons like active noise cancelling and transparency mode as well as Apple’s H2 chip.

All of this adds up to a big update from Beats (and therefore Apple). These earbuds no longer feature the boomy Beats sound of old, but instead have a much more dynamic and refined sound profile. Combined with the high levels of comfort, these make for a formidable pair of exercise earbuds. They are simply great!

Nothing Ear (open) review: bass you wouldn’t believe from an open ear design

This week, Max also reviewed the Nothing Ear (open) earbuds. Open earbuds have become increasingly popular in recent years and most companies sell a pair, although Samsung and Apple are noticeably absent. That leaves the void open for other brands to fill like Nothing. By Max’s conclusions, they’ve done a damn good job!

• Great bass considering the open-ear design

• Brilliant pinch control system

• The fit can be troublesome for some. You need to fiddle around a bit to find the right position.

Essential Tech News

OPINION

A romantic week with the BYD Seal

Hands-up - I’ve just shoehorned a Valentine’s reference into the heading above. Sorry. But it was quite a nice week with a rather nice electric car from the Chinese battery maker. So nice, in fact, that I decided to publish a review of the BYD Seal on my Tech Diary YouTube channel, which you can check out below.

It’s a weird time for EVs in the UK at the moment. This year, the government will be imposing standard vehicle tax rates on electric cars - the absence of which was always a big draw for people looking to leave the world of the internal combustion engine behind.

I’m in two minds about this; I’m an EV owner myself, but I also own a petrol-guzzling Range Rover Sport (hence the ‘two minds’ thing). I’m aware of how unfairly irritating EVs can be to some people; just three days ago I was subjected to a disapproving look from a guy in a van whose route I was momentarily blocking while reversing into a charging bay.

Despite this, I also know how interesting and mesmerising EVs are - particularly when you experience driving one for the first time. Just like our BMW iX1, and the various other EVs I’ve driven, the Seal is mind-bendingly quick off the line; it would smoke most supercars in those first few hundred yards.

Things get rather less impressive after that initial, instant wave of torque and leave-your-bum-behind acceleration, but when it comes to nipping around town and flying across back roads, EVs take some beating. It’s addictive, elastic performance - computer game-like, even.

If you’re thinking about diving into the world of the EV - beyond doing your sums and making sure that it is actually more economical - I highly recommend checking out what BYD is doing. They’re probably not at the top of your list (or on it at all), but they should be. The Seal is a great example of a Tesla Model 3 alternative that offers quite a bit more for the money. It looks better, too.

TOP FINDS

What Had Me Glued to YouTube…

I’ll be straight with you - I’ve not watched much YouTube this week because our filming schedule has been bonkers. I’ll do better next time. I promise.

📸 I tracked my habits for 300 days and it changed my life (Peter McKinnon) - I haven’t actually watched this yet, but it’s on my list for tonight. Mr McKinnon has been very inconsistent over the last twelve months, and, just like so many creators in his niche, appears to be moving steadily away from camera reviews. Fair enough.

🔺 I Spent 100 Hours Inside The Pyramids! (MrBeast) - I managed about five minutes of this before the relentless shouting became too much. But beyond my own videos (cringe), it’s the only other thing in my YouTube history that’s worth sharing (kinda). I will do better next week. Promise.

‘GRAM OF THE WEEK

S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 maximum zoom test

Which do you prefer? Swipe to zoom! More on this in my video which you can watch here!

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. Next week, we are launching a huge 200k subscriber giveaway. And when I say huge, I mean it. This isn’t just a chance to offload some leftover phone accessories (although there are some of those included!). The giveaway is made up of a selection of devices totalling just under $2000/£2000 in value. We’ve partnered with Back Market who are hooking us up with professionally refurbished tech to make this happen!

And you, my loyal newsletter readers, will be the first to hear about the prizes and how to enter in a special email early next week, so stay tuned!

Until then,

~ Mark