Ben Schoon is a Senior Editor at 9to5Google, working for the publication as one of its primary news writers since 2016.
In 2013, Ben helped start an independent tech publication where he learned the skills used at 9to5Google including writing, product photography, and videography. He is located in the city of Winston-Salem in North Carolina where he lives with his wife Melissa. Ben is an avid disc golf player.
He primarily covers Android products, including Google Pixel devices, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, as well as devices from OnePlus, Oppo, Motorola, and more. Beyond just covering news about these products, Ben also spends time using these products himself, speaking from experience with the articles he writes. Some of Ben’s most recent hands-on reviews include; Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Motorola Razr+, HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, and more.
Ben is also a leading source for information about Google’s Android TV, diving deeply into important parts of the platform including its powerful Operator Tier, explaining future changes to the platform, and reviewing its products such as Chromecast with Google TV, Nvidia Shield TV, and more.
In 2019, Ben leaked one of the first in-person photos of the Pixel 4 before later revealing the Recorder and Pixel Themes apps months ahead of launch. In 2020, Ben also reported on multiple upcoming Pixel devices including Pixel 5a and the first report of Google working on a foldable Pixel smartphone. That same month, he was also the first to correctly report the $49 price point of what became the Chromecast with Google TV.
Ben Schoon is active on Twitter, @nexusben, but can also be found on Instagram and LinkedIn. For questions or tips, you can email him directly, and his portfolio is also available online.
Email: schoon@9to5mac.com | Encrypted Email: benschoon@protonmail.com
Xiaomi has just announced its new 14T series and the global launch of the Mix Flip foldable, and they’re the first devices in an expansion of Circle to Search and Gemini Nano.
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Samsung’s latest flagship tablets have arrived, but with some significant changes including no smaller size and no Snapdragon processors, instead switching to MediaTek.
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Samsung has just unveiled the Galaxy S24 FE, its latest “Fan Edition” smartphone, but with a questionable value proposition for those “fans.”
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Motorola MA1 is the most popular wireless Android Auto adapter, but for the past month it’s been missing in action. Finally, the adapter is back in stock.
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One of the useful new features of the Google TV Streamer is a customizable shortcut button on the bottom that can be used to open apps and quickly access other features. Here’s what you can do with it.
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Today during its Meta Connect event, Meta announced further expansions into augmented and mixed reality through updates to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, a new and more affordable Meta Quest 3S VR headset, and a first look at new “Orion” AR glasses.
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The Samsung Galaxy Store has quietly enacted a new requirement that users have a Samsung account before downloading or even updating apps, but there’s no indication of this until the last minute.
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The new Google Streamer is a big upgrade over the Chromecast it replaces, but the $99 set-top box is already heavily delayed for new orders, with shipments going out no sooner than late October from the Google Store.
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Earlier this year Android’s new “The Bot” mascot got an updated and adorable new mini figure, and now Google has started selling one that glows in the dark.
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One of the long-awaited features debuting with the Google TV Streamer is the ability to get Nest Doorbell notifications up on the big screen. Here’s how that works.
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After three generations that cannot be repaired, Google is finally “thinking” about how to make a Pixel Watch that you don’t have to replace when you break it.
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One of the odd quirks of the Google TV Streamer is that the set-top box doesn’t come with an HDMI cable in the box, but Google will send you $10 off of one in its place.
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The Pixel 9 Pro Fold doesn’t work with all wireless chargers, but the good news is that some do still work. Here’s the best wireless charger I’ve found for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, as well as what you should look for when buying one.
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After four years, Google has finally released a more powerful streaming box for Google TV, but is the $99 Google TV Streamer worth twice the price of Walmart’s Onn Pro? Let’s weigh things out.
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Nothing has launched a first look at its Nothing OS 3.0 update, delivering revamped designs and features, a new Gallery app, and more, with a launch in beta next month.
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Recent updates to Android Auto and Google Assistant appear to have broken support for voice commands with Amazon Music.
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Open-ear headphones have always been alluring to me, but it’s an idea that’s hard to pull off in a pair of earbuds. With the new Nothing Ear (open), though, I’m remarkably impressed with their design and sound quality.
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On the same day the Google TV Streamer starts shipping, Roku has just announced a 2024 refresh to the Roku Ultra which delivers faster performance, a better remote, and more.
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Nothing is launching its first-ever pair of earbuds with an open-ear design in the Nothing Ear (open).
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Alongside the launch of the Google TV Streamer, the platform itself is expanding to new types of devices, as well as a few new countries.
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The Google Home app has quietly updated the UI for seeing information about certain types of devices including TVs, cameras, and certain others.
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Google Maps has long supported the ability to show which lane you should be in, but an update to Android Auto is making lane guidance more obvious and easier to read too.
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After a few years of building out “HarmonyOS,” Huawei’s latest update has finally blocked the ability to install Android apps at all, but that comes as a large library of supported apps has been built.
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The last time Samsung updated the camera in its mainstream Android phones was in 2022’s Galaxy S22, but the company apparently wants to keep using that 50MP for the next two generations.
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