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
With the release of Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 today, Google has made a tweak to the Easter egg that seems to signal the incoming Android 15 release that should be right around the corner.
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Android 14 debuted in late 2023, but Google is already testing the next mid-cycle update in Android 14 QPR3. Here’s how to install the latest Android 14 Beta on Google Pixel devices.
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While its latest Galaxy S24 series will get updates for the better part of a decade, Samsung is currently saying goodbye to some of its older Android products, with software support and updates now ending for the Galaxy A51 and others.
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Microsoft Copilot is the new name of the company’s AI assistant, and ahead of a big advertising campaign at the Super Bowl, Microsoft is giving the mobile apps for Copilot a redesign.
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Android 14 has been available on some devices for a few months now, but the update is now widely available for the OnePlus Pad.
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YouTube TV can stream some channels at up to 4K, but quality can always get better. Currently, YouTube TV is rolling out support for “1080p Enhanced” across many channels.
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Google added support for weather apps on Android Auto in 2023, and new options just keep coming. This week, “MyRadar” is launching on Android Auto with live radar and more.
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Android tablets and Chromebooks picked up hte super-powerful video editor LumaFusion last year, and this week a new update to the app is rolling out with “Scopes” and other new features.
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Samsung’s One UI is incredibly feature-rich, and that includes the multitasking view which is full of big improvements on top of Android. One of those options is the ability to run apps in floating windows, and Samsung is making that a lot easier in its latest update.
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Google launched its first foldable, the Pixel Fold, at Google I/O last May. For the “Pixel Fold 2,” though, it’s now claimed that Google will skip a chipset generation and launch the device with Tensor G4.
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AI has been the main discussion around 2024 smartphones thus far, and while the OnePlus 12 launched without much of that, it seems that will change soon.
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The Xiaomi 14 series made its debut in China late last year but, a few months later, is finally confirmed to make a global launch.
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Following the Google Pixel 8 series, Samsung matches the new industry-leading 7 years of Android updates on its Galaxy S24 series, but OnePlus says that “completely misses the point.”
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Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 Ultra has a pretty stunning display, but for some users, the colors haven’t felt as vibrant and are described as “washed out.” Samsung, though, says that’s intended.
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Android has long given apps the option to display content underneath the navigation bar and status bar by making those transparent, but with Android 15, that might be mandatory.
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Asus made a name for itself in the premium smartphone space by offering some of the smallest Android phones on the market, but new leaks suggest the Zenfone 11 “Ultra” will ditch that, instead shipping with a display that nears 7 inches.
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The Galaxy S24 Ultra is an excellent, if expensive smartphone, but the high price tag does buy the latest and greatest components. As a teardown has revealed, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is using a newer ultrasonic fingerprint sensor from Qualcomm.
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Over the years, Samsung has made huge improvements to its Android skin, but there’s one thing that’s still pretty awful. Samsung Keyboard is very bad, and it’s honestly a bit impressive just how bad it is in the year 2024.
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Earlier this year Google Maps on Android Auto started showing buildings in 3D while driving. Now, that functionality is rolling out more widely, and we’ve got a few more details on it as well.
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Google Bard is in for a big shakeup in the next few days, as an early changelog reveals that the “Gemini” rebrand is coming next week with a new Android app and more.
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The Google Store has offered its own financing option for years now, but recently, Google has implemented a minimum purchase amount to use the line of credit.
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Android Auto is quite literally a reason to buy a car for many folks, but Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 series is apparently having some early issues with the platform.
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About 10 years ago, OnePlus hit the scene with the OnePlus One. A device that blew most folks away for its clean software, excellent hardware, and dirt cheap price. Over the decade since, a lot has changed. The brand has delivered a lot of memorable devices, and made plenty of mistakes, but it really seems like things have finally hit their stride, with the OnePlus 12 bringing all the good, and the bad, of a OnePlus device, but finally with the core issue fixed, and all for a fantastic price.
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Samsung integrated Google Assistant into its TVs back in 2020, but now, that whole project is dead.
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