PANELS: What is so bad about tech reviewer, Marques Brownlee’s $11 wallpaper app?

Marques Brownlee announced Monday the launch of his new iPhone wallpaper app, Panels. 

“And now – I’m so pumped to be launching this app! People have asked where I get wallpapers FOREVER, so this is the answer, now and forever: PANELS!” Marques, popularly known as MKBHD, wrote on X. 

Since then, he has been under heavy fire online with people talking about the $11 monthly subscription, considering there are a thousand apps on app stores that offer free wallpapers. In fact, smartphones now come with thousands and thousands of pre-loaded wallpapers.

Don’t also forget that there are wallpaper threads on X every other weekend. 

Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD is a popular American tech YouTuber with 20 million subscribers, best known for his in-depth tech reviews, particularly on consumer electronics like smartphones, laptops, and gadgets. 

He is renowned for his direct and strident comments about gadgets, apps and other startups in his previous reviews. Because of this, he has been called out for tanking companies and products with his negative reviews. 

What is Panels? 

On PlayStore, Panels is said to be the “ultimate wallpaper app that transforms your device with hundreds of high-quality, full-resolution art pieces for your smartphone.” The pieces are said to be from renowned digital artists, and he has called for other artists to sign up to have their work on the app.

The signup form does not explicitly state if they’d be paid, but MKBHD says profit will be shared 50/50 with the artists.  

Some of its features include its ability to work with any smartphone, crystal clear wallpapers, easy navigation and unique wallpaper collections. 

Why are users criticising Panels? 

This writer has used the app and it is grossly underwhelming. You would expect to see high-grade, significantly unique wallpaper options on the app, just like the Monkey NFTs that drew the world’s attention. 

Let’s take you through it. 

Signing up is a breeze – just use your Gmail account, no unnecessary requests for personal info, aside from what Google already shares. You might want to skim through the terms and conditions when you have some free time. 

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Once inside, you’ll find the wallpapers, but then comes the question: Is it my phone’s resolution, or are the wallpapers themselves low quality? Curiosity might push you to switch between mobile data and Wi-Fi – because, well, it’s Nigeria and the rainy season – but sadly, the resolution won’t improve.

That said, navigation remains smooth and hassle-free up to this point.

But here’s where it gets more interesting.

To download and use a wallpaper, you have two options: either watch an ad or pay an annual fee of ₦81,500 ($50) or a monthly fee of ₦19,500. Pick your poison.

The price tag goes against MKBHD’s previous tweets insisting that platforms should not charge for what was previously free. 

He even mentioned it is for future reference. 

What’s the other catch? The app bombards you with ads and tracks your location in real-time—even though I never provided my location during sign-up.

On the iOS version of Panels, there are some privacy concerns. The app asks to track your activity across other websites and apps and also appears to use location data. 

This user tried the free version of the app, which required watching ads to access wallpapers, only to discover that the low-resolution images offered were of disappointing quality. 

Despite the effort of watching ads, the wallpapers appeared pixelated and poorly formatted, failing to fit properly on most smartphone screens. The result is a frustrating experience with wallpapers that lacked sharpness and did not scale correctly, making them unsuitable for the user’s device. 

Maybe the wallpapers’ quality gets better when you subscribe. 

You can try, and let us know. 

Marques Brownlee responds to criticism

He wrote on X: “Part of building in public is getting mass feedback immediately, which is pretty dope. Almost exactly like publishing a YouTube video. Brownlee acknowledged that the target market for a subscription-based wallpaper app is “insanely small.”

He also said that the app is “starting as a wallpaper app now,” and will “be pretty consistently improving over time.”

See his statement below:

“First thing we're doing is fixing the excessive data disclosures, as people rightfully brought up. For transparency, we'd never actually ask for your location, internet history, etc. The data disclosures (that everyone is screenshotting) is likely too broad, and largely driven by what the ad networks suggest. Working to fix that ASAP.

“As far as pricing, I hear you! It's our own personal challenge to work to deliver that kind of value for the premium version. (Weekly Friday drops are already starting) I'll also be dialling back ad frequency for the free experience 👍🏾

“Much more to come. I appreciate you all.”