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 appears to be preparing a new feature for Android that would allow your smartwatch to control the audio output setting on your smartphone.
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At its I/O conference in 2019, Google announced that it would be adding augmented reality objects to Search. Over the years since, Google has added a bunch of 3D animals and objects you can view in Google Search using AR — here’s the full list that we’re constantly updating.
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Google’s Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro are well-designed smartphones, but the polished metal finish around the camera module is often easy to scratch and not the best look. Now, though, one Pixel 8 Pro owner took it upon themselves to manually give the metal a brushed look, and it’s really quite nice.
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Google’s Wear OS spent years on the back burner, barely holding on with the help of a couple of brands. But the platform has seen renewed focus over the past couple of years and, now, that’s paying off, as Wear OS is set to make up just shy of 30% of the smartwatch market this year.
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Huawei this week revealed its super interesting new flagship smartphone, but around the corner still is the new “Watch Fit 3,” which does nothing to hide the fact that it’s a clear clone of the Apple Watch.
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The Google Phone app is picking up a new trick, with the app now rolling out “Audio Emoji” to some users.
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Another fresh leak of the Pixel 8a has revealed more images of the device, as well as the pricing in the US which, contrary to past rumors, may not be getting a price hike after all.
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Google is testing out a new AI-powered “speaking practice” tool in Search that helps users to improve their skills in speaking the English language.
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Samsung is offering a great deal on its Galaxy Tab S9 series right now, with solid trade-in offers and an automatic 50% off its keyboard case.
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If you’re looking for a spare band for your Google Pixel Watch or Pixel Watch 2, a deal over at Best Buy can get you the official Active Band for a mere $10.
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Earlier this year YouTube TV started rolling out a new “1080p Enhanced” tier with better picture quality, but the option to turn that on disappeared for users quickly after it was introduced. Now, the option appears to be coming back for some users.
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Samsung debuted Galaxy AI with its latest smartphones and a big focus of the whole suite is translation and, now, Samsung is adding support for Canadian French.
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Roku has plans to put video ads on the home screen, the company confirmed in a recent earnings call.
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The latest Google Contacts update is preparing a change for adding a new contact, which simplifies the design considerably to make the process faster and easier.
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The Nothing Phone (2a) just launched a couple of months ago and it’s now getting it’s first special release in a new blue colorway.
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The Find My Device network is currently rolling out to Android devices and, next month, it will support a handful of AirTag-like trackers. Here’s what the setup process for one of those Find My Device trackers will look like.
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A new Chromecast is coming. If you look around at what folks want from it, it’s all about performance and speed. Basically, a lot of folks want a high-end Chromecast, but it doesn’t seem like Google is planning for that, and it seems unlikely they ever will.
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The Pixel Tablet is finally getting an official keyboard and, while that’s potentially exciting, Google set a high bar for tablet keyboards nearly a decade ago, and one that Pixel Tablet likely won’t reach.
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The Android Find My Device network is now rolling out, and AirTag-like trackers are on their way too. Anker’s Eufy is among those coming to the Find My Device network, and Eufy has confirmed that its SmartTrack lineup will add Android trackers in June.
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A loophole in Android TV OS left a backdoor open for users to access a TV owner’s Gmail inbox among other things, but Google is rolling out a fix, and the company has now confirmed what that fix is.
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The idea of AR glasses has been tried time and time again with minimal success. In a new interview, though, Meta is teasing that its upcoming “full” AR glasses will be super impressive, invoking a reaction similar to the original Oculus Rift.
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The iPhone is the best-selling smartphone on the planet and, in the US especially, it’s clearly a dominant force. I’m an Android person by choice, but once in a while, I spend time with the latest iPhone to take a peek inside of Apple’s garden, trying not to get trapped within its walls. Over the past several months, I’ve been using the iPhone 15 Pro off and on and, well, I’ve got thoughts.
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Dark mode finally solidified itself a few years back, but there are a bunch of apps – looking at you Fitbit – that still ignore the feature. With Android 15, though, it seems like there will be a better option for forcing dark mode on apps.
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The Nothing Ear and Ear (a) are already among the best earbuds you can buy today, and now they’re confirmed to be getting a boost to transparency mode.
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