Also can you let me go back to the New tab page without opening a new tab? You know, the same way every other page works? The way it used to work?

Agreed. Let them cover the whole screen instead of 2x4 with lots of free space below.

And it would be great if selecting url bar would also allow me to choose one of my collections. Now I have to open a new empty tab first.

Edit: basically what a sibling comment wrote I see