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 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.
For the last decade, I’ve been a diehard Android user, with the only iOS device really in my personal lineup being an iPad Pro. But, this week, I took delivery of an iPhone 15 Pro, and after a day using it, I’ve got… well, a whole lot of thoughts.
Google is set to launch the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro on October 4, and through a huge series of leaks, we’ve seen a ton of information come out. Now, we’ve learned the US price for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and it’s going up a bit.
The focus of Google’s Pixel phones has always been on the camera, and it seems there’s a lot of new stuff coming with the Pixel 8 series, as a new leaked ad reveals manual camera controls, new features, and a whole bunch of AI in the pipeline.
The Nest app is slowly on its way out, as Google puts all of its smart home efforts into the Google Home app. And now, you can bring old Nest Cam units into the Google Home app with a simple transfer process – here’s how it works.
Google Maps directions are generally considered fairly reliable, but occasionally you’ll find the app putting you down a road that’s not traversable. For one man, Google Maps allegedly sent him down a road with a bridge that had collapsed, leading to his death.
Amazon Prime Video isn’t usually anyone’s first thought when it comes to a streaming service, but it’s an absolute juggernaut thanks to its inclusion in Amazon Prime. But, now, Amazon Prime Video is getting ads unless you pay extra.
Meta’s Threads is rolling out the much-needed ability to easily switch between accounts while evidence suggests that an edit button could also be coming soon.
We’ve seen a lot of Google Pixel 8 leaks thus far, and even a full reveal from Google, but another leak today is offering a better look at all of the colors Google is launching this year.
After launching the Phantom V Fold earlier this year, Tecno is today launching the Phantom V Flip as its first flip phone, and, like its big brother, the device has an impressive price tag.
TikTok has taken the world’s attention in a big way, and for younger audiences, the app has almost become a go-to for all information, including for searches. Now, TikTok is start to integrate Google Search results in “some markets.”
Ahead of and through the last of the Galaxy Watch 6 series, a typo in one of Samsung’s new watch faces misspelled “April” as “Arril” and, finally, that’s been fixed.
Google’s first big-screen Android devices in ages arrived this year with the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet, but both devices forced many apps such as Instagram into annoying letterboxed windows. Soon, though, Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet users will be able to force apps to go fullscreen all of the time.
Well, it’s happening already. With just a couple of weeks to go before the Pixel 8 makes its debut, an unexpectedly early leak of what’s claimed to be the Google Pixel 8a has already hit the web.
Google just launched the first beta of Android 14 QPR1 today, and within it, there are some key changes and upgrades, including support for battery charge cycle counts on Pixel phones.
Google’s Pixel Tablet is a fun mix between a smart display and a tablet, with a dock that gives the tablet power and better speakers. However, the included dock is limited in a handful of ways, including locking the Pixel Tablet into a single viewing angle. Thankfully, though, an official “Made for Google” accessory fixes that.
Arlo has been a Google Nest alternative for quite some time, and in our experience, the hardware is generally quite good. Today, Arlo is launching a new series of cameras, as well as a clever little tag for disarming your security system that feels it’s trying to replace what Nest Secure tried to do.
Android apps, for a while, were adopting their own custom sharing menus, but that’s slowly going back to the way it should be. Android 14 revamps the share menu, and Google Photos seems to be preparing to replace its custom option with the system default.
Android smartphones have enjoyed the ability for years now to use a USB-C cable to charge other devices using the battery on their own phone, something that’s handy in a pinch. And, thanks to the iPhone 15 series finally adopting USB-C, Android phones and iPhones will finally be able to share their power with one another.
The road to the first OnePlus foldable has been long, but the device is finally around the corner following a recent delay. According to a reliable tipster, the OnePlus Open will see a release date a few weeks after Google unveils its new Pixel phones.
Google Play Movies & TV is dead, but the libraries of purchases that users have made still exist throughout other Google products. However, in a frustrating twist of fate, the Google TV experience that’s partially so appealing for its deep integration with content you own, is much worse at showing that library compared to the latest Android TV updates, which have a simple tweak we’ve been asking Google to make for years.
As a part of Google’s attempts to salvage Stadia before its shutdown earlier this year, the company pivoted the service to offer game developers a way to provide demos of their games based on Stadia tech. That white-label service caught the attention of Microsoft, which has been working on the ability to stream PC games through the cloud in the same fashion Stadia was trying to do.
Baldur’s Gate 3 graduated from early access recently and became essentially an overnight hit, but when Microsoft was looking at the title for Xbox Game Pass at one point, but the company didn’t seem all that thrilled with it, with execs calling the game a “second-run Stadia PC RPG.”