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
Rolling out now in beta, Spotify is launching a new “AI Playlist” feature that uses text prompts to build a playlist based on a user’s description.
Expand Expanding Close
Windows PCs have been due for more efficient ARM-based chips for a while, and it sounds like the Snapdragon X Elite will do just that, delivering better performance than Apple’s M3 and even besting Apple on app emulation.
Expand Expanding Close
Google today revealed that the Find My Device network is going live on Android starting this week, but the best part of the network is a ways off. AirTag-like trackers for Android won’t be coming until May 2024.
Expand Expanding Close
According to a new leak, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 also won’t upgrade the cameras.
Expand Expanding Close
Ahead of their official launch later this month, official-looking renders of Nothing Ear and Ear (a) have leaked alongside price points, and these might explain a previous teaser, too.
Expand Expanding Close
The Google Home app has added a new option to read out your Fitbit stats for the day when using routines on devices with Google Assistant.
Expand Expanding Close
Generative AI models are incredibly impressive, but they’re only as good as the data fed into them. Now, it’s been revealed that OpenAI used YouTube videos to train GPT-4, and YouTube says that was against the platform’s rules.
Expand Expanding Close
After missing the feature at launch, the OnePlus Watch 2 is now rolling out support for the ability to transfer health data.
Expand Expanding Close
For some users, a bug on Android Auto is causing all voice commands for navigation to be routed through Google Maps, regardless of the user’s preferences.
Expand Expanding Close
The past year has seen an explosion of AI tools and software, but over the next couple of months, we’re also going to be seeing a lot more AI hardware. Personally, though, I’m just wondering if any of it will become anything more than novelty.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung is apparently planning a “Galaxy Watch FE” to add to its lineup of smartwatches, which is becoming increasingly Apple-like.
Expand Expanding Close
Last year Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X Elite, an ARM-based CPU for Windows that made big promises. While we’ve yet to see any laptops ship with the chip, things are looking up, and now the “Snapdragon X Plus” looks to be a potentially more affordable version of the chip.
Expand Expanding Close
It’s pretty clear that iMessage for Android is not going to be an easy task, but one of the apps that tried to do it (before we found out that it was a terrible security nightmare), Sunbird, is giving it another shot.
Expand Expanding Close
Following Squarespace’s acquisition of Google Domains last year, the company best known for its website builder is starting to take over controls of domains that customers purchased from Google.
Expand Expanding Close
After teasing an April 18 event earlier this week, Nothing has now officially confirmed plans to launch two new pairs of earbuds – “Nothing Ear” and “Nothing Ear (a).”
Expand Expanding Close
Roku is looking to monetize your TV in a new way, as the company is toying with the idea of placing ads over what’s coming in from an HDMI input.
Expand Expanding Close
Ahead of its launch likely in the next couple of months, the Google Pixel 8a has made an early appearance in an advertisement for Google Fi Wireless.
Expand Expanding Close
Google Podcasts has shut down, and now that also applies to the web app, which lived on for an additional day or so.
e
Google appears to be building out a feature in Android 15 that automatically turns Bluetooth back on every day if you turn it off.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung, for a limited time, is heavily boosting trade-in credits towards the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic. Here’s the full breakdown.
Expand Expanding Close
Google has been working on a desktop mode for Android for quite a while, but it sounds like Android 15 will extend it quite a bit.
Expand Expanding Close
According to a new leak, Samsung won’t be upgrading the battery size of its Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Expand Expanding Close
Nothing, the Carl Pei-owned startup that just launched its third smartphone this year, says it has sold three million products to date.
Expand Expanding Close
Google Wallet can now import passes from Apple Wallet, but it doesn’t work for everything. Here’s what you should know.
Expand Expanding Close