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
The OnePlus Open is an absolutely stellar foldable, but stylus support is one area where Samsung supposedly still held a lead. However, thanks to an existing accessory, the OnePlus Open does indeed have stylus support.
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Meta has provided yet another welcome up to its Twitter competitor, Threads, with users now able to access a GIF picker and polls. However, the app still blocks Android keyboards from inserting GIFs.
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Qualcomm this week unveiled the next flagship chip for Android, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Just on paper, the chip already looking compelling, but some early Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmarks show that the new chip even rivals Apple’s 3nm chip in the iPhone 15 Pro.
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Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 FE has launched this week, but the company is charging a higher price for its new “Fan Edition” device than it previously said.
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OnePlus has, despite its “Never Settle” tagline, always struggled a bit with cameras. While there have been improvements, I’ve never been super happy with the brand’s efforts, but the OnePlus Open finally changes that with a camera that’s capable of some truly stunning shots.
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The powerful smart home automation tool Home Assistant is now picking up better support for Android, with integration on the native “Device Controls” feature now available in an improved panel view.
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Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 just this week as Android’s next flagship chipset, and now Xiaomi is already announcing the first smartphone series using the chip in its new Xiaomi 14 series.
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The Meta Quest 3 is getting a new update which brings an option to improve battery life at the expense of graphic performances, as well as bringing support for YouTube Live Chat.
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Google’s Pixel 8 Pro has, at least for now, the brightest display on a traditional smartphone sold in the United States. And according to a deeper test, that display is also drastically more power efficient compared to Google’s prior release.
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YouTube TV is currently rolling out 5.1 surround sound support to the Disney-owned ESPN networks.
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Wireless charging was, years ago, a niche feature that was rarely found or used. But in 2023, the feature is now equipped on almost every major smartphone release, and has picked up widespread placement in many areas of modern life. But according to some folks, “No one uses wireless charging.” Do you?
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Almost a year ago to the day, YouTube launched “Ambient Mode,” a new feature that would have colors spill out of the video and into YouTube’s interface. Now, fullscreen YouTube videos on Android and iOS are showing those ambient colors on the sides of the display.
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Google is currently rolling out a new update to Android Auto with version 10.7, but it only hints at a future where you’ll be able to have your car match your phone’s wallpaper.
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Samsung is currently rolling out another beta for its Android 14 release, with this marking the ninth beta build sent out to Galaxy S23 owners.
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Foldable smartphones have mostly settled into book-style and flip phone form factors, but Motorola is still toying around with new ideas, including an “adaptive” foldable that can, among other things, be worn on your wrist.
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The OnePlus 12 is expected to make its debut in December, and now we’ve got an early reveal that has confirmed the display, as well as the return of a long-lost favorite feature, the IR blaster.
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Android 14 launched for Google Pixel devices on October 4, but it’s been pretty quiet in regards to a formal release from other brands. Samsung has been working on Android 14 in beta for a few months, and the stable release should be coming pretty much any time now.
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The Nothing Phone (2) made its debut over the Summer but was only sold in the United States through the company’s online store. Now, though, Nothing Phone (2) is available for purchase at Amazon.
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Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro launched to the public just over a week ago, but a controversy has been stirred up around benchmark apps having been blocked via the Play Store ahead of launch.
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Google has been working on improving Android’s emergency features for a while now, but that’s not been without some problems. After authorities asked Google to make changes following an influx of false emergency calls, the company has applied a fix in Android that adds a small barrier before a 911 call is made.
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According to reliable leakers, the OnePlus 12 will apparently revive wireless charging, even though the company’s new foldable still lacks it.
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Google’s Pixel lineup has struggled with a random issue where some apps will appear to have scrolling issues. With the new Pixel 8 series, that janky, stuttering scrolling is still around, but it’s still not affecting users consistently.
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The Samsung Messages app has been partially replaced by Google Messages for many Galaxy users, but it’s still installed on many devices. Recently, though, a lot of folks noticed that Samsung Messages was flagged as a “harmful” app by Google, as was the Samsung Wallet app.
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OnePlus and Realme are primarily known for their smartphones, but both have also been making smart TVs powered by Google TV for a while now. But soon that will apparently come to an end, at least in India.
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