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
One of the best parts of a smartwatch is the ability to change your watch face on the fly, keeping it constantly ready to suit your outfit or whatever you’re doing. And, on Pixel Watch, there’s a useful favorites row that not only stores your favorite faces, but also multiple variations of that same design.
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Video Boost on the Pixel 8 Pro promises better quality for your recordings thanks to processing up in the cloud. Here’s how to turn on the feature and how to switch between recordings.
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The Epic vs Google court battle has come to a verdict, with a jury unanimously voting in Epic’s favor, and declaring that Google has an “illegal monopoly” with the Play Store and Google Play billing.
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Google Chrome is rolling out a new look for bookmarks on Android, with big image previews for the links you’ve saved.
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Just days after its debut, Beeper Mini was seemingly killed by Apple. Now, the iMessage app for Android is back, but how long will it last this time?
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The OnePlus 12 launched in China earlier this month with some incredible specs, and while some software bugs are always expected with a new phone launch, one buyer’s OnePlus 12 had an actual dead insect inside of it.
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Cellular smartwatches can be super useful for a new of reasons, particularly for staying connected while exercising and leaving your phone behind. Now, Verizon is adding support for cellular smartwatches on its prepaid plans starting at $10/month.
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Generative AI has taken the world, and Google’s products by storm over the past year. Now, Google Chrome is preparing a new feature that creates custom themes for the browser using AI.
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As Google TV has taken over for Google Play Movies & TV, the brand will be fully going away in January as apps on Android TV, select cable boxes, and the web will be replaced with other means of access.
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Samsung’s next big Android update, One UI 6.1, will add new features on top of Android 14, and it seems a big focus will be on AI features. According to newly leaked images, that includes Samsung using Google’s generative AI wallpapers that debuted on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, except on Galaxy phones.
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Over the past few years, the problem of getting major Android updates out to users has become faster than ever, but at the same time, it’s felt like the rollouts have become more sporadic and random than ever before. Is that actually a problem? Let’s discuss.
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After just a few days, Beeper Mini, the most impressive iMessage client on Android to date, has seemingly stopped working, and the app has now taken the step to deregister Android phone numbers on behalf of its users.
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Beeper Mini launched on Tuesday with the promise of bringing secure iMessage to Android, and indeed it worked wonderfully. However, less than a week later, the app seems to be broken.
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After a long wait, Meta is finally set to launch Threads in Europe this month, with the company now showing a teaser of the launch to users in the region.
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Samsung is allegedly bringing some big improvements to its next batch of foldables, with a new rumor suggesting a new aspect ratio for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 outer display, as well as thinner bezels on the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
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Emergency calls on Android can now send additional information to an operator, as support is rolling out to allow health information to be sent to emergency services when calling 911.
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Google this week launched Gemini, it’s new AI model that powers Bard and will do a whole lot more in the future. And, to show of the capabilities of Gemini, Google produced a truly impressive demo that, really was too good to be true. And, well, it was, but Google is showing off exactly how it was made.
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Rolling out now, Meta’s Twitter competitor, Threads, is adding support for “Tags,” a simplified version of hashtags. Here’s what you should know.
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Google’s Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold are the first big-screen devices in the company’s lineup and, as such, the first that had to deal with Android apps that aren’t optimized for big screens. The solution? Black boxes along the sides. However, the Twitter/X app has now added the bare minimum of tablet optimization for Google Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold.
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The Motorola Razr+ was one of the best foldables of 2023, and now it’s getting a new color option. Available now, the Motorola Razr+ is launching in Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year, “Peach Fuzz.”
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Meta is now rolling out support for end-to-end encryption in Facebook Messenger, which is enabled by default, as well as new features such as message editing.
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Broadcast delay is an inherent part of any “traditional” TV service, but YouTube TV is now adding a way to lessen that latency on demand.
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Google Maps for Android Auto is picking up a useful new trick with the ability to save your parking location when you arrive at your destination.
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In November, a bug with Google Drive’s desktop app left many users with missing files, and Google is now detailing how to recover those files now that the issue has been fixed.
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