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
Google’s Gemini AI models aren’t just for the company’s own services, and they’re starting to be used more and more by other brands. Today, Opera has announced that it will use Gemini to power the browser’s AI features.
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The Find My Device app on Android may soon be getting a big upgrade, as it prepares support for biometric unlock.
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This week, Google is launching the next batch of Chromebook Plus machines from Acer, Asus, and HP and, alongside more AI, they also bring Intel Core Ultra chips to some machines.
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Getting an official Pixel Watch band is usually not cheap, but some retailers are currently offering discounts, including a Best Buy deal that takes one band down to just $10.
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Google first started rolling out the Find My Device network for Android back in April, but not everyone has it. Do you?
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If you’ve got an old smartwatch that’s no longer useful, Samsung is handing out at least $100 if you trade towards a Galaxy Watch 6.
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After a lengthy delay, Android’s Find My Device network is finally here and, with it, AirTag-like trackers for Android. As shipping begins, we’ve just had a chance to set up Chipolo’s new One Point and Card Point trackers for the Android Find My Device network – here’s how they work.
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According to a reliable source, Samsung plans to bring a considerable upgrade to the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera array, delivering better secondary sensors.
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After a year-long wait, trackers for Android’s Find My Device network are set to start shipping this week. However, if you’ve been waiting to place an order for Chipolo’s Find My Device trackers, the Android-compatible options won’t be shipping new orders until July.
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AirTag-like trackers are coming to Android thanks to the wider rollout of the Find My Device network, and as devices start shipping this coming week, Pebblebee now says that new orders will ship within 2-4 weeks.
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Google announced Wear OS 5 at I/O earlier this month and, as per usual, the update is likely to make its debut on Galaxy smartwatches first. And, right on schedule, there are signs of life for Wear OS 5 on Galaxy Watch popping up ahead of a One UI Watch 6 beta program.
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AI Overviews have barely been out for a week and things are already going off the rails. And, the painful part of it all is that Google has already shown that it knows how to make AI in Search truly helpful, it’s just not doing that with AI Overviews.
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Smart speakers aren’t as exciting as they once were, but every once in a while there’s a notable release. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been using the JBL Authentics 500, a high-end smart speaker that, to me, is just the Google Home Max replacement I’ve been waiting for.
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Examples of Google’s AI Overviews going off the rails have quickly gone viral as the update has rolled out to the public, but while the company has had to disable AI on some particularly viral queries, Google reiterates that the “vast majority” of AI results are “high-quality.”
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According to a leaked contract, Samsung has been requiring third-party repair shops to share customer data with Samsung.
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Google Pixel has been growing over the years, but it seems things might be stalling a bit, as smartphone shipments from Google reportedly shrunk between the end of 2023 and Q1 2024.
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Google launched its AI Overview experience in Search to the general public last week and, already, results are going off the rails. Google, though, says that these are just “isolated examples.”
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Samsung is gearing up to launch three different versions of its upcoming Galaxy Watch 7, and that apparently includes a “Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra” with a very different new design.
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The OnePlus Open is one of the best foldables available today, but its sequel is apparently delayed. Will it be worth the wait? That’s hard to say, but apparently the “OnePlus Open 2” will further improve the display crease.
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Clicks is a neat keyboard case for the latest iPhone models that adds a functional physical keyboard to the device. Clicks is, for now, not bringing its keyboard case to Android, but at least one Android phone does work with it.
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If you’ve noticed recently that Chrome for Android is showing blank tabs, Google is both aware and rolling out a fix for the problem.
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We’ve been hearing for a while now that Google is aiming to manufacture Pixel devices in India, but a new report is offering some more details on where manufacturing will take place.
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Spotify has just announced that Car Thing, its discontinued car display, is dying. As in, the company will be killing any remaining units later this year.
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E-ink displays on devices like the Amazon Kindle have proved wonderful for reading and other still-image use cases for years now, but they’ve also been steadily improving with time. Today, “Daylight” is showing off its new Android tablet that has a display that is similar to e-ink, but is much, much faster.
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