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 Pixel Watch 2 is set to launch in a week, and the leaks just keep coming. In the latest batch, we’re getting a better look at Fitbit improvements coming to Pixel Watch 2.
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New leaks of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series have hit the web, giving us a first look at the design and its tweaked look, while new display information reveals that Samsung will challenge Apple’s new edge-to-edge iPhone 15 Pro displays.
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OnePlus is shutting down an app, Clipt, that allowed users to sync the same copy/paste clipboard between their Android phone and a Windows PC or Mac.
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As the October 4 launch event approaches, more leaks are detailing Google’s upcoming Pixel 8 series and Pixel Watch 2, with the latest leak including more specs and battery sizes.
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Google’s Pixel phones still largely make up a small portion of the smartphone market, but slowly the devices are growing in popularity. A new report details that Google Pixel phones continue to grow in Japan, and have been taking market share from the iPhone.
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Meta has announced the Meta Quest 3, the successor to the VR headset that launched as Oculus Quest 2. The Android-based headset brings a much faster chip, updated hardware, and also cloud gaming support.
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The Google Pixel 8 has leaked countless times at this point, and this afternoon we’re getting yet another look at the upcoming device. But, through these leaks, one color of the Pixel 8 has really had us scratching our heads, as it looks look a dull grey in some shots, but slightly green in others.
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Google’s first entry into the smartwatch game, the Pixel Watch, is perhaps the one I’ve loved more than any other smartwatch. A year later, I still love it, but I also have a few things I’d like to see the Pixel Watch 2 improve on.
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Google is the default search experience on many devices, and that’s in part because the company quite aggressively bids to be that default provider. In an ongoing antitrust trial, it’s been shown just how hard Google has pushed to remain the default search engine on Apple and Samsung devices.
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While Google Pixel remains an ultimately pretty small player in the smartphone market, it’s clear that Google is gaining traction. Case in point, in Q2 of 2023, Google Pixel was the only brand that experienced growth in the North American market.
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YouTube Premium offers quite a bit, but its biggest attraction is ad-free videos. That’s what made YouTube “Premium Lite” attractive, as it brought ad-free viewing for less money. However, the tier is now shutting down in some countries.
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Watch faces are the part of Wear OS that really lets you express yourself, and now a new custom watch face maker from an iconic Android developer promises to really put you in the driver’s seat of watch face creation.
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The leaks just keep coming ahead of Google’s Pixel launch event, with two more Pixel 8 leaks today showing off the Pro’s matte glass back, as well as a carrier confirming the release date for both devices.
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Spotify is launching a new collaboration feature in “Jam” which allows up to 32 people control a music playlist in real-time from their own devices.
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Carl Pei’s Nothing has created some earbuds and smartphones that have garnered high praise thanks to their solid quality and excellent software, but they’ve always come at a cost that’s not particularly low. Now, Nothing is fully launching its budget-focused CMF brand which is debuting a new smartwatch, earbuds, and charger that are launching starting today.
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Apple ditched leather accessories with its latest lineup and instead moved to a new “FineWoven” fabric material for iPhone 15. But, after some time using it, FineWoven just reminds me how good Google’s old fabric cases for Pixel were.
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In its first big update in quite a while, Google Earth is rolling out a redesigned Android app that adds overdue support for Projects, while also stripping away an old feature.
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Samsung might be moving up the release date of its next flagship, the Galaxy S24 series, to January of next year.
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The Nest x Yale lock first made its debut in 2018 and, five years later, it’s effectively been ignored for a while in Google’s updated smart home ecosystem. Without a proper sequel on the horizon, we’ve been looking at Yale’s new Matter-enabled smart lock which should be a good stand-in for Google’s overdue sequel, but instead, shows Matter’s limits yet again.
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According to a leaked advertisement, the Google Pixel Watch 2 might end up being a freebie for users who pre-order the Pixel 8 Pro, reviving a deal we’ve seen previously.
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Google has quietly announced that it will pull the plug on the basic HTML version of Gmail starting in 2024.
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Android phones are often among the most affordable options for many customers, but in Mexico, Motorola has been dealing with issues with high volumes of its phones being sold through unauthorized sellers. Over the past couple of months, the company has taken the drastic measure of disabling those phones entirely.
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Samsung has one more big release in store for 2023, with “Fan Edition” devices set to make their debut. The Galaxy S23 FE seems to be a relatively basic device, but it may be attractive on its price, which reportedly matches the Google Pixel 7 in the United States.
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Google released the first beta to Android 14 QPR1 last night for Pixel phones, but eager testers should be aware that Google Wallet isn’t currently functional.
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