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
While AMOLED displays have come a long way since the days of bad burn-in, protections are still needed. That’s why it was confusing that Samsung’s One UI 6 update broke burn-in protection for many devices, but a coming update will apparently fix that on the Galaxy S23 series.
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Google Assistant takes up the role of being your default assistant app across Android smartphones, but the platform has long supported using other apps for that functionality. Now, as LLMs take over, the ChatGPT app seems to be working on support for being an Android assistant app.
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The OnePlus 12R is confirmed to come to the US and other markets as a more affordable option, and now the reveal of the Chinese version of the device has revealed one cost-cutting measure will be the use of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
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X, the platform better known as Twitter, removed headlines from posts with links a few months ago, but is now bringing them back in a new format.
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An issue with Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app has broken Galaxy Watch support for many Google Pixel owners as well as some Samsung owners too.
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Google Bard is preparing a huge suite of new features going into 2024, with custom bots, tasks, shared queries, “Power Ups,” and a paid “Advanced” tier on the way.
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Microsoft is all-in on AI, and that’s now spearheaded by Copilot. Starting this year, Microsoft is adding a new key to Windows keyboards, with a dedicated key for launching Copilot.
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Google’s Pixel Watch 2 is making its first regional expansion since launch, with the smartwatch now officially available in Singapore.
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Google Maps has supported showing buildings in 3D for quite a while, but now the app is testing out the ability to show those 3D buildings while in navigation on the mobile app as well as on Android Auto.
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When buying a new car, it’s become almost a requirement to support Android Auto and CarPlay among buyers. So, it equally makes sense that a smartphone without that support would also be a relatively tough sell. That’s why it’s great news that GrapheneOS, a privacy-focused version of Android, is adding support for Android Auto.
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Roku has just announced, ahead of CES 2024, that it will launch a new series of self-branded “Roku Pro” TV sets over the coming months.
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Cell phones have gone through several distinct eras over the years, and Samsung has played a big role in shaping what we all carry today. Now, ahead of its Unpacked event, Samsung is teasing that AI on the Galaxy S24 will usher in a “new era of mobile” and compares it to the arrival of groundbreaking devices such as Galaxy Note and foldables.
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Microsoft Edge is a solid, if slightly feature-bloated browser. But, now, Microsoft is calling Edge an “AI Browser” in its latest push for adding AI to everything.
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Best Buy has started to accept trade-ins of Wear OS smartwatches for the first time including the original Pixel Watch and select models from Fossil.
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Samsung has just officially announced a January 17 Unpacked event which is expected to deliver the Galaxy S24 series among other releases, and also opened up reservations with a bonus credit.
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An official Samsung account has just confirmed the launch date of the Galaxy S24 series and the event’s very heavy focus on “Galaxy AI.”
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After being teased officially for other markets, new information is coming out regarding the new “OnePlus Buds 3,” which might be more affordable than expected.
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Telegram is rolling out a new update, version 10.5.0, which delivers a new look and feel for voice and video calls, as well as a revamped delete animation that’s now available on Android.
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Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S24 series is barely two weeks away from launch at this point, and more and more details continue to leak out. To ring in the new year, a couple of new leaks include an impressive new option for video, as well as some pre-order perks for the Galaxy S24 series.
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If your Spotify app is constantly crashing on Android lately, you’re not alone. The latest beta update for Spotify on Android is causing the app to crash before it even fully opens.
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2023 saw Google’s first push into bigger screens in its Pixel lineup and with that, some growing pains. As 2024 beings, it’s the Pixel Tablet that Google has the most room for improvement on out of its current lineup, and arguably the one that needs it the most.
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As Samsung’s launch event for the Galaxy S24 series approaches, more new details are coming out. In the latest series of leaks, new high-quality images have surfaced as well as details on a few key AI features of the Galaxy S24 series, including a clone of Google’s Magic Editor tool from Pixel 8.
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Samsung has started rolling out support for hosting a digital copy of your driver’s license in the Samsung Wallet app in the State of Arizona.
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The OnePlus 12 has already debuted in China, but the global release is still about a month away. Now, new leaks reveal that, on the global market, the OnePlus 12 will upgrade to offer at least 12GB of RAM while its budget-conscious companion will stick at 8GB.
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