Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, is a tech-focused content creator with nearly 20 million YouTube subscribers who is known for his reviews of the latest gadgets.
He has raved about products like the Humane Ai Pin and Rabbit R1, earning titles like “worst product I’ve ever reviewed” and “almost impossible to review,” but has praised the Apple Vision Pro (despite calling it flawed), OnePlus 12, and other products.
However, the experienced and well-respected technology critic recently released a new wallpaper app called Panels. If X (formerly Twitter) is anything to go by (and Apple App Store reviews), response to the app has been poor.
Even Jesse Lyu, the CEO behind Rabbit R1, seems to be showing some gloat Facing a wave of criticism online, Brownlee shared the following meme with his followers.
Tweet may have been deleted
The meme depicts Brownlee as the Grim Reaper and mocks some critics who view the YouTuber’s candid comments as a “startup killer.” (For example, when Brownlee commented that “humanity loves to fight,” there was some discussion about whether his harshness would hinder the development of small electronics manufacturers.)
Memes show Humane Ai Pin co-founder Imran Chaudhri, Lyu and Apple CEO Tim Cook as victims of Brownlee’s vitriol. Interestingly, the last person in the lineup is Brownlee himself, which means the YouTuber’s latest venture deserves his own brutal criticism.
MKBHD’s new panel app gets bad reviews
However, it’s not just Liu who has been pranking Brownlee. The Panels app, revealed in Brownlee’s new iPhone 16 review video, is designed to provide an artist-curated collection of high-resolution wallpapers.
Credit: Apple
“I’m so excited to launch this app!” Brownlee said in a Sept. 23 X post. “People ask me all the time where they can get wallpaper, so here’s the answer, now and forever: panels!”
However, the responses to Brownlee’s post didn’t seem to match his enthusiasm.
Mix and match speed of light
“Very disappointed about this,” Ian Zerbo said. “Not as polished/designed as I expected. Seems like it’s already on the App Store and you put your name on it. There are ads everywhere and it feels like a money grab to me”
“This app is garbage, you can get better high-resolution wallpapers for free here and on many other accounts on X,” said Corbin Williams.
“It hurts your brand,” Alex Kyle said. “It’s crazy that the #1 tech reviewer known for championing quality and usefulness would release a money-grabbing subscription app with a poorly designed UI, filled with ads, and mediocre wallpapers.”
“Delete this crap and pretend it’s a joke,” bl0rq suggested.
As The Verge points out, based on responses, users appear to be unhappy with the iOS panel asking if user activity can be tracked. One of the data points it reportedly monitors is location. (Though, as you’ll read later, Brownlee refutes this claim.)
On top of that, the app requires users to sign up for a $49.99 annual subscription or a $11.99 monthly membership. You can access some wallpapers for free, but only a few – and they’re standard definition (not high-resolution). But first, to access them, users must watch two ads.
“$50 a year for wallpapers?! And not a free downloadable high-res wallpaper with ads? Love the MKBHD team, etc., but this is crazy,” Nevan said.
cometcalls said: “Half of your comments are ‘ugh, it’s expensive and doesn’t do anything’ haha, you should do some self-examination.”
MKBHD responds to feedback
Based on the feedback, Brownlee posted a tweet on Sept. 24 that read, in part, “I hear you!”
In response to privacy concerns, Brownlee said: “The first thing we’re going to do is address the issue of excessive data leakage, as people have rightfully raised it. In the interest of transparency, we’re not actually going to ask you about your location, your network Road history, etc.
In terms of pricing, Brownlee said that providing value for the premium version is a personal challenge, and he plans to reduce the frequency of ads for the free experience and roll out more updates.
The Panels app is not MKBHD’s first foray into entrepreneurship. Brownlee, for example, has launched a line of sneakers in partnership with Atoms and accessory maker Ridge.
The future of Brownlee’s panel app seems uncertain, but with a loyal following and the promise of improvement, there’s still hope for redemption.
