Made the stop off at the local hobby shop to see if the new stuff was in. It was. Bought a couple jumbo packs of Topps and a couple hobby packs of Upper Deck. Here’s the first card I saw from each release:
Advantage: Upper Deck
First thoughts: I like Topps photo choices better so far, but I had a lot more of them to choose, so maybe that’s unfair. Whatever the reason, it’s a clear upgrade from last year’s effort.
As far as design goes, I know early consensus seems to be in Upper Deck’s favor, but I really don’t care much for it. That gold bar at the bottom is flat out ugly, and the design reminds me of the handful of UD Documentary cards that I have from last year.
I’m at work now, but I scanned those two on the way out the door. I’ll have more in the morning when I get home, but I must say I’m picking Topps in the early returns, no matter how lucky I was with my two random Upper Deck packs.
Hand Collated 
The more I see of Upper Deck, the less I like it.