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
For the past few years a lawsuit has been hanging over Google’s head regarding Chrome’s Incognito mode. Recently, it was revealed that Google will settle the lawsuit, and now the Chrome browser is preparing a revised disclaimer as a result.
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Samsung has long been the biggest smartphone maker in the world, but it’s officially lost that title as, in 2023, Samsung shipped fewer phones than Apple did.
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YouTube’s crackdown on ad blockers has had a lot of effects for users, but according to YouTube, the latest wave of browser slowdowns aren’t actually a result of the company’s actions after all.
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We’re in the final few hours before Samsung Unpacked where the company will launch its Galaxy S24 series, and these last few hours are also your final chance to score a $50 credit to go along with your pre-order, totally for free.
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After teasing the announcement recently, Google has today announced a new partnership with SoulCycle that will give Fitbit and Pixel Watch owners two free SoulCycle classes and more.
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AI is dominating the conversation going into 2024, and there’s potentially no better example of that than the Galaxy S24 series. Samsung’s new phones are apparently filled to the brim with AI features, and that’s the entire marketing campaign around them too. But, apparently, you might have to pay for them.
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Samsung is preparing its next big update, One UI 6.1, which will debut on the Galaxy S24 series. But, ahead of that launch, new leaks showcase some features of One UI 6.1 as we’re also getting an initial list of devices that will get the update.
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GPS makes it possible to navigate the globe with relative ease, but tunnels have long been a sore spot for apps like Google Maps. But, widely available now, Google Maps now supports Bluetooth beacons to fill in the gap left by tunnels.
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OnePlus has confirmed that it will launch the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R globally later this month, and we’ve been able to use them both for about a week so far. We can’t really tell you anything yet, but if you’ve got questions, we’ll answer them in the upcoming reviews.
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Foldable smartphones aren’t “new” at this point, but 2023 was easily the most impactful year yet for the form factor. Two devices in particular stand out amongst the new releases – the OnePlus Open and the Google Pixel Fold.
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Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series is less than a week from launch, and a huge set of new leaks reveal some of the new features as well as Samsung’s boosted update promise.
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At CES 2024 Google announced that, finally, Fast Pair is coming to Google TV next month, but the company didn’t mention that a new audio switcher is also coming to the platform for swapping between headphones and speakers.
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At CES 2024 Xgimi showed off its new IMAX Enhanced Horizon Max projector, but the one that really caught my eye was the incredibly clever ceiling-mounted “Aladdin.”
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Earlier this week, OpenAI launched the GPT Store for custom experiences built on its platform, and the ChatGPT app on Android has the useful ability to launch these custom GPTs directly from the homescreen.
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As traditional cable TV bleeds subscribers and more and more folks sign up for online streaming options, Fubo TV has announced recently that it will raise its subscription price for all subscribers very soon.
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After launching globally last year and briefly appearing in the US earlier this month, Samsung has officially, but quietly launched the Galaxy Tab A9+ in the US with a starting price of $219.
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One of the biggest selling points of a Pixel device is the (usual) cadence at which Google releases new software updates and, apparently, Tensor-powered Pixels are about to get a rare software update that updates the kernel used behind the scenes.
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Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S24 series is set to launch on January 17 and we’ve already seen a lot of what the device will have to offer, including some display upgrades. Among those display tweaks, Samsung is apparently working on faster touch response too.
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Samsung has gotten way better about rolling out major Android updates, but it seems a problem is ongoing with Google Play system updates, as some Galaxy devices haven’t been updated in months.
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At CES 2024, we’ve had a quick chance to get our hands on an early model of AAWireless 2 to see how the wireless Android Auto adapter has changed since the original.
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At CES 2024 Lenovo is showing off a bunch of new hardware, but perhaps the most interesting new idea is a hybrid laptop that runs Windows when used as a laptop, but Android when you take off the display.
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Qi2 is going to bring MagSafe-style accessories to Android phones in the years to come, but we haven’t heard much about what Android phones will be adopting it. The Galaxy S24 series comes out soon, and it seems like it probably won’t have the feature, despite some speculating it will based on a recent Samsung video.
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Samsung is set to announce the Galaxy S24 series at an Unpacked event on January 17, and starting that same day you’ll be able to try the phone and its new AI features in person.
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The Beeper Mini saga resulted in the company’s promise of iMessage for Android ultimately being blocked by Apple, and now the app isn’t available through the Play Store any longer. However, Beeper isn’t done with the app.
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