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
The latest smartwatches from Samsung and Google lack support for older watch faces that worked on older Wear OS smartwatches. Here’s why.
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Google has started to recruit a group of “Google TV Advisors” to help gather user feedback on the TV experience and new features.
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One of the clever features of Google Pixel has long been “Now Playing,” a feature that can ambiently recognize music, and it appears Google is working on some new additions including the ability to set a default music app.
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Ahead of its launch sometime next year, Google’s Pixel 9a has surfaced again in another hands-on leak that shows off an alleged prototype.
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Samsung’s next big Android update has finally launched in beta with a huge list of changes and, despite early impressions, One UI 7 actually seems good.
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One of the most polarizing changes in One UI 7 is Samsung’s decision to split the notification tray from the Quick Settings panel. It’s a change that many will hate, but Samsung at least deserves credit for doing it the right way.
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Good news. The app drawer in Samsung’s One UI 7 update scrolls vertically now. Bad news. The app drawer also has a new watermark for Samsung Knox which cannot be turned off.
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Google has updated its policy around Android OS updates on its first two generations of Tensor-powered Pixel devices, bringing two more years of updates to Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7 series, and Pixel Fold.
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A regulatory listing seems to reveal more details around the OnePlus Watch 3, with the updated smartwatch being a little bit thinner, but roughly the same overall size despite having a much bigger battery.
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Google is rolling out an update to Quick Share which aims to streamline the sharing experience by adding QR codes, while Google Drive is improving document scans.
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A new update to Google’s Waze app sees Nate Bargatze join as a celebrity voice, ready to crack jokes along your daily commute.
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After years of sticking with an app drawer that uses pages, Samsung is finally bringing a vertically scrolling app drawer to Galaxy smartphones with its new One UI 7 update.
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Months after Android 15’s launch on Pixel, Samsung is now taking its first big step in releasing the update to Galaxy devices with the launch of the One UI 7 beta on the Galaxy S24 series.
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After months of back and forth, Samsung is reportedly planning to launch its first Android 15 beta release tomorrow, December 5.
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The OnePlus 13 is geared up for a global release in the near future and, ahead of its debut, the device has been officially confirmed to lack Qi2 charging, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use MagSafe accessories.
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Matter has been a big deal for the smart home, even if it wasn’t quite as impactful as many were hoping. However, one bright spot has been that Matter made it possible for Eve’s smart home products to work for Android users, and that’s now led to the debut of the first Eve app for Android alongside support for the Eve Thermo.
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After announcing plans to purchase the company in February, Walmart has officially closed on its deal with Vizio, buying out the TV maker for over $2 billion, and it’s all about ads.
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Samsung is reportedly planning on making some changes to its foldables in 2025, with Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 both set to include larger displays.
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The latest wireless Android Auto adapter, AAWireless TWO, has just come back in stock after quickly selling out on its initial launch.
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Over a decade after Google bought Waze, the search giant is finally using reporting data from the crowdsourced navigation app within Google Maps and, as it turns out, that works on Android Auto too.
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Following the Watch 6 last month, Samsung is now bringing its One UI 6 Watch update, with Wear OS 5, to the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch FE.
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Samsung is actively rolling out the November 2024 security update to select Galaxy devices. Here’s which devices have been updated and what’s new in the update.
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Android updates have gotten a lot better over the years, but the frequency still varies from brand to brand. Apparently, Xiaomi will finally be stepping up to a monthly update schedule in 2025 for its Android devices.
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Google’s Android Automotive platform is growing, but one of the things holding it back somewhat has been a lack of compatible apps. Thanks to a clever developer kit, though, it might be a lot easier for more apps to come to Android Automotive going forward.
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