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
Apple has made plenty of sly digs at Android over the years, but an internal presentation that has now surfaced sees the company proclaiming that Android is “a massive tracking device.”
Expand Expanding Close
The Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel 8 are big improvements over their predecessors in a lot of ways, but as with basically even Google hardware product, they haven’t been without some hiccups in the weeks after launch. As more folks get their hands on Google’s new hardware, some Pixel Watch 2 owners are noting charging issues, while Pixel 8 owners are apparently seeing very bad battery life on mobile data.
Expand Expanding Close
Earlier this week, Samsung announced its Android 14 update and confirmed a list of devices that would be updated. Surprisingly, the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series were included on that list, but they’ve since been removed, confirming they likely won’t get Android 14 after all.
Expand Expanding Close
YouTube is cracking down on ad blockers, which leaves users with a choice of how they want to use the product, if at all. But, if you could name your price to block ads on YouTube, what would that be?
Expand Expanding Close
The Google Pixel Watch 2 has been suffering from heavy shipping delays at the Google Store since its launch, and it’s still taking weeks for the smartwatch to ship. But at Best Buy, all Pixel Watch 2 models are shipping pretty much immediately.
Expand Expanding Close
OnePlus has historically struggled with cameras, but the OnePlus Open has really changed the game. As it turns out, the OnePlus 12 will be using a better version of the sensor that makes the foldable’s camera so good, and we’re getting a first look too.
Expand Expanding Close
It’s not hard to find out what search queries are trending on Google, but it’s rare we get a peek into what searches drive the most ad dollars. Coming out from the ongoing antitrust trial, new documents have unveiled some of the highest-revenue search queries on Google, and a lot of them are about the iPhone.
Expand Expanding Close
Available starting today, Visible is expanding its free eSIM-based trials to Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones after previously barring Android users from the offer and only supporting iPhones.
Expand Expanding Close
YouTube’s NFL Sunday Ticket deal has added new features and way more availability to football fans, but it’s done that at a pretty steep price. Through the rest of the current NFL season, though, YouTube is offering Sunday Ticket with a huge price cut.
Expand Expanding Close
Google has, over the past several years, built out a pretty compelling list of safety features on Google Pixel devices, even if they often go unnoticed until other brands copy them. One of the best is Car Crash Detection, which Google is now expanding to Pixel phones in a few more countries.
Expand Expanding Close
The ongoing antitrust trial with Google is revealing plenty of secrets, including how much the company pays to remain the default search engine on Apple products. Another interesting tidbit that’s also come out that is Google has been using its revenue sharing program to push Android partners to actually get push updates.
Expand Expanding Close
Shortly after launch, it was revealed that the always-on display on Pixel 8 Pro had an unfortunate quirk where text would appear discolored, often in pink. Now, Google has confirmed a fix is coming.
Expand Expanding Close
Qualcomm just announced its new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset last week, and it’s looking impressive with incredible raw power and some crazy AI features, but what phones will use it? Here’s a list of every device we know that’s coming.
Expand Expanding Close
Android Auto users who drive electric vehicles (EV) are getting a useful new app, as “Fastned” is launching on the platform with Google Maps and Waze integration.
Expand Expanding Close
Earlier today Samsung officially announced that its Android 14 update is now rolling out to the Galaxy S23 series, and the company has also confirmed the first few Galaxy smartphones that will be eligible for Android 14 in the coming months.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung is launching a special edition of its Galaxy Z Flip 5, with the “Retro” edition paying tribute to one of the company’s most popular flip phones.
Expand Expanding Close
Porsche has announced a collaboration with Google which will bring Android Automotive to the carmaker’s future vehicles.
Expand Expanding Close
Huawei phones have been unable to officially offer Google apps for the past few years, but now customers who have manually installed the official Google app on their devices are being warned that the app is a virus.
Expand Expanding Close
The modern reinvention of NFL Sunday Ticket has proven a hit so far, but when issues strike, the question quickly comes up on how to refund NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. Here’s what you need to know.
Expand Expanding Close
Available now, a new “Premium+” subscripton on Twitter/X will provide an ad-free experience among a few other perks for $16 per month, and the platform is also launching a “Basic” subscription that lowers the cost of getting the edit button down to $3.
Expand Expanding Close
The Kingdom Hearts series is adding a new entry on mobile devices with “Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link” coming to Android and iOS “soon.”
Expand Expanding Close
The Tensor G3 chipset in the Pixel 8 series is a considerable step up from past iterations of Google’s Samsung-made custom chip, and amid rumors that the company will eventually move to TSMC, a new report says that Tensor G4 will be once again produced by Samsung, but on an updated process.
Expand Expanding Close
Meta has today announced a new subscription for Facebook and Instagram that will allow both platforms to go ad-free for a shared cost, but the subscription is only launching in Europe for now.
Expand Expanding Close
After over two months of beta testing, Samsung has today officially started rolling out Android 14 to the Galaxy S23 series in the form of One UI 6, but the update is only available in select regions to start, with the US not yet included.
Expand Expanding Close