THIS WEEK’S UPDATE

What a year! (and my honest thoughts on AI)

As I write, it’s Tuesday, 23rd December, and boy am I ready to take it easier over the next few days. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I head to Las Vegas once again, right at the start of January, to attend CES - the world’s biggest and maddest tech event. 

Secondly, 2025 has been an absolutely insane year for my business. In a very good way.

The keen-eyed among you will notice that I often use the collective term ‘we’ when talking about the content that emerges from the vaults of Mark Ellis Media. That’s because I no longer do this alone, and indeed haven’t done so for about the last three years. Over that time, I’ve built a team which has enabled me to focus on creating content, travel the world attending events, and plan for the future.

Put simply, I couldn’t do this without that team. The rate at which our audience(s) has grown, and our ability to publish content across a wide range of platforms, is the work of a bunch of people - not just one tech creator sitting in front of the camera. I’m hugely proud of what we’re achieving, and of the plan we have for the years ahead.

We’re also operating in an incredibly different space compared to what existed when I began publishing videos on the Mark Ellis Reviews YouTube channel nearly six years ago. The number of creators on the platform has exploded (not a bad thing), and the brands with whom we now have press relations were the stuff of dreams when I first started. As a result, we’re having to work harder to ensure our content is seen and cover everything that’s thrown at us.

AI has also completely changed the landscape of content creation. We use AI to save time behind the scenes in this business, but I absolutely hate what it appears to be doing to human creativity. The movies, TV shows, music, writing, and art I love are all filled with personality, mistakes, and passion. The idea of that being replaced by a few sentences typed into a text box depresses me.

But it excites me, too, because I know there are millions of people out there who feel the same. And this means that, no matter how good AI gets at replicating everything we do, there will always be an audience that wants genuine human connection and the endearingly broken and wonderful things we’re all capable of creating. It’s why we’re not stopping. In fact - and as I’ve always said - it feels like we’re just getting started.

We have so much planned for 2026 and beyond, including the launch of a brand-new music-based community. But, as always, we couldn’t do anything without you. So whether you’ve watched, listened to, or read anything we’ve made this year - thank you. It means the world.

BOXING DAY SALE

Find The Best Deals On Tech At Back Market!

There are loads of Boxing Day sales out there, but if you truly want to find the best value tech deals, there is only one place to look in my eyes, and that is Back Market. From 26th to 28th December, there are limited-time savings on devices across the board.

Looking for an Apple Watch? Well there’s an extra £20 off while stocks last. Or maybe you need a PS5 in time for GTA 6? You can get the digital version for £35 off. Remember, these are savings on top of the already low prices. Make sure to take a look!

MUST-WATCH

iPad Buying Guide 2026 Edition

iPads remain a slightly confusing product category when it comes to choosing one to buy. Especially now that the chips vary between each model. The iPad Pro looks tempting to the untrained eye, but there are much better options…and is the basic iPad even worth buying anymore?

YES, THERE’S MORE…

Most Read Articles Of The Year!

3 - Samsung S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13: Everyone Asked For It!

Turns out that the Samsung S25 Ultra was pretty popular on my website this year. And this comparison was one of the hardest ever to conclude between →

2 - M4 MacBook Air Review: Almost Perfect

Ah, 2025, the year I finally realised that I don’t actually need to be carting around a MacBook Pro everywhere I go. Thanks entirely to the excellent M4 MacBook Air. →

1 - iPhone 16 Pro Max vs S25 Ultra: An Obvious Conclusion

Topping the list of articles in 2025 was this comparison between the ‘big two’. Whilst I thought the conclusion was obvious at the time, it didn’t prove that way over the course of this year… →

TIP OF THE WEEK

Essential Mac App: TickTick 👉
TickTick is like a to-do list but on steroids. In fact, it may be one of the most feature-packed apps I’ve ever used, considering the premise upon which it exists. You can create different lists for whatever you want, so that your personal and professional lives don’t get mixed up. It’s the best task organiser I’ve used!

TOP FINDS

What I Watched On YouTube This Week

👀 Rick Beato Studio Tour 2025! (Rick Beato) - Regular readers of this newsletter will know that I’m a rather big fan of Rick, and this studio tour reveals everything that goes on behind the scenes at one of the best music channels on YouTube.

🚙 Tesla Model 3 (2026) Review - They Fixed It! (The Next Drive) - Shameless plug. And a very divisive review, I’m sure.

⟁ How Were the Pyramids Actually Built? (fern) - I was lucky enough to spend some time in Cairo this month, and I’m now more obsessed than ever with the pyramids.

ON THE ‘GRAM

The Best Phone Of 2025?

Here’s a clip from our podcast, Not PC with Mark and Rob, where we discussed our picks for phone of the year with the wonderful Chris from Tech Spurt. Take a look and see if you agree!

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter and all the newsletters I’ve sent this year. It’s been a pleasure bringing you all the tech coverage this year, and I hope you’ll be joining me in 2026 for more. See you then!

~ Mark