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
Samsung is planning a new pair of earbuds under the name “Galaxy Buds FE,” and apparently, they’ll compete with Pixel Buds A-Series on price.
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While our phones have more storage available than ever before, a big library of apps can still lead to eating up a lot of storage on your device. Android recently added an option to automatically “archive” apps that aren’t being used very often, and now that functionality has been made easily available to all users.
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Google Stadia died a few months ago and, while it’s pretty obvious what killed it, newly revealed comments from former product lead Dov Zimring helps shine a spotlight on what ultimately kept the platform from continuing on.
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The Galaxy Z Flip 5 lacks the “Bespoke” customization that’s been popular on past Flip devices, but there is still some customization to be had. The “FlipSuit” case for Galaxy Z Flip 5 allows users to use cards to change the look of their case, and now there are a lot more options available.
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The OnePlus Pad Go is no secret, but the OnePlus hype machine is now in full swing as we’re now getting an official teaser, some specs, and an alleged release date.
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Apple this week launched the iPhone 15 Pro, its first smartphone made with a titanium frame. That launch will bring the material to the masses, but it also reminds us of 2017’s Essential Phone, the short-lived Android phone that had a premium build that was so far ahead of its time.
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While we know Google is working on a big fully custom Tensor chip for 2025, a new report sheds a bit of light on the stopgap that is Tensor G4, the chipset to show up in 2024’s Pixel 9 series.
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Earlier this year, Google abruptly announced it would shutter Google Domains after nearly a decade, selling the business to popular site builder Squarespace. Now, as the transition goes on, Google has ceased the sale of new domains.
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USB-C in smartphones is nothing new, with Android devices having used the port for the better part of a decade now. But, despite all of that time on Android, it’s the iPhone 15’s switch to USB-C that might finally fix the biggest problem with Android accessories, and Android users will be able to enjoy those benefits while some existing iPhone owners take issue with the change.
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Samsung has been rumored for quite some time to be working on a smart ring, and it seems that the product is quickly approaching its launch as a new update to Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app confirms the “Galaxy Ring” name and a release date window for the device.
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We first reported early this year that Xiaomi was working on a new smartwatch running Wear OS 3, and it seems that watch is finally around the corner.
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Taking notes from some other apps, Discord appears to be adding support for changing the app’s icon as a part of its Nitro subscription.
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In a confirmation of what’s been reasonably obvious for the past year, Google has now directly confirmed that, currently, there is no way to repair a Pixel Watch screen that breaks.
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Credits for the Google Play Store can come from a variety of sources, like gift cards, but if you’re trying to make a purchase right now, you might be left with nothing but an error message.
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Disney has today announced that Hulu, the streaming platform that maybe-probably shouldn’t exist anymore, is launching a new “Top 15 Today” list that will show the most popular shows and movies of a particular day.
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Earlier this year OnePlus entered the tablet market with the OnePlus Pad and, now, the company has started teasing an affordable entry into the segment, the “OnePlus Pad Go.”
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Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Samsung’s emoji design, but the company seems to be trying to improve the look and feel as of late. In One UI 6 Beta 3, Samsung is further refining its emoji.
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This week Sony announced an expansion of PS Remote Play that brings the console streaming app to Android TV OS, but many have been confused on where to actually start playing. So, if you’ve got a Chromecast with Google TV and want to stream your PS5 games, here’s the app you’ll need.
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While we still don’t know when Android 14 will make its formal debut, but Samsung is chugging along with new beta releases for its take on the update, One UI 6. Now, One UI 6 beta 3 is launching for Galaxy S23 devices with a bunch of a bug fixes and a tweak to Android 14’s media player.
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Emoji Kitchen debuted a couple of years ago as a part of Gboard for Android, introducing the truly delightful ability to mash together different emoji into a single sticker. Now, Emoji Kitchen is officially coming to the web (and, in turn, iPhone) by way of direct integration into Google Search.
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For the first time in over 20 years, NFL Sunday Ticket has moved its home from DirecTV to YouTube, and it seems that’s been a good move, as the package already has more subscribers through Google than it did before.
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Sony has just announced a series of new updates for PlayStation 5, including a major update for PS Remote Play which brings official support for streaming a PS5 to Chromecast with Google TV and other devices.
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We store a lot of sensitive information on our smartphones, which is why security is key. A loophole in Android, though, has allowed access to credit card details with the right NFC hardware, but Google is actively delivering a fix.
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It’s no secret that Samsung is working on a super-cheap pair of earbuds called the “Galaxy Buds FE,” but now a new series of renders have appeared showing off the design in detail.
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