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
T-Mobile caused a panic over the past few weeks as customers heard of an upcoming forced migration to newer plans, which would have massively raised prices as well. Now, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert is claiming that these price hikes and migrations were only a “very small test.”
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Google has today announced that, starting next year, it will begin manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India.
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Netflix has announced another price hike that, effective immediately, will ask a whopping $23 per month just so you can stream content in 4K.
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After we spotted it in development earlier this year, Google has rolled out a new tile for Google Assistant that allows for custom shortcuts on Wear OS.
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Xiaomi yesterday announced a “new operating system” for its phones in HyperOS. But, as a surprise to no one, the new update basically looks identical to MIUI.
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On Google’s Pixel Watch series, the Wear OS 4 upgrade is now showing that the platform has a built-in internet browser, but it’s actually a bit more complicated than that.
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Google added a native QR code scanner tool to Android a while back, and it’s been a quick and simple way to reliably scan codes. Now, Google is taking things up a notch, by letting Android’s QR code scanner automatically zoom in on the codes it finds.
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The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are more expensive, which means good trade-in values are more important than ever. But, after some underwhelming initial trade-in values, the Google Store and Best Buy have only further lowered how much you’ll get toward a shiny new Pixel 8.
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The first foldable from OnePlus, the OnePlus Open, is confirmed to arrive later this week, and now a series of leaks reveal the foldable’s full design and more of its specs.
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Ecobee has today launched its first video doorbell, the “Smart Doorbell Camera,” which has a neat feature that lets you view the camera feed live on your thermostat.
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Google’s new “Actua” displays on the Pixel 8 series are fantastic and industry-leading in the US market, but that may change next year as Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series and the OnePlus 12 edge past the Pixel 8 Pro – but only just barely.
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Xiaomi is today announcing that it will ditch its Android skin of the past decade, MIUI, and instead begin shipping phones with “HyperOS.”
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Android 14 is a solid update to Google’s smartphone OS, but the update does seem to be causing some significant issues regarding user profiles on Pixel 6 series devices.
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There are smartphones that can charge at crazy speeds, but Google’s Pixel phones aren’t really known for their fast charging. With the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google has upgraded the wired charging speeds, and a new test dive shows that there’s even more of an improvement than we see on paper.
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Following a dive into mobile games over the past couple of years, Netflix is now testing support for game streaming on TV platforms and the web, all powered by a remote controller on your smartphone.
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The Pixel 8 Pro’s display is incredibly good, but some users are reporting a weird little issue with the always-on display that is causing text to appear in pink or yellow.
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A weird bug on Wear OS 4 for Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch models is causing Google’s keyboard, Gboard, to disappear when it’s needed.
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Earlier this month, some Android Auto users ran into an issue that removed the crucial navigation bar. That’s now been fixed, but a new bug is preventing some Pixel 8 owners from using Android Auto.
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The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are now in the hands of early buyers, but if you were holding out for reviews, keep in mind that today ends the best deals for Google’s new hardware.
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Google has confirmed that the Pixel 8 series will soon support lossless audio over USB-C, but that same port can’t (officially) be used for video out.
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The Google Pixel Fold launched over the Summer to mixed opinions, but now that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have launched, they really make me wish that Google had just waited a little bit longer to debut its first foldable.
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Google raised prices on the Pixel 8 series this year, but Mint Mobile is offering to give you a discount that more than negates that while also giving you a free Pixel Watch 2 and a few months of free service.
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Google’s second Pixel Watch is way better than its first, but some early buyers are seeing that the Pixel Watch 2 is struggling to get through the setup process. Thankfully, Google is aware of the problem.
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Nvidia GeForce Now is perhaps the best cloud gaming service in the wake of Google Stadia’s death (and even before that), but the platform is soon seeing price increases in some regions.
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