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 still in the earlier days of launching its Android 14 update on Galaxy devices, but some of the new features are already bringing big improvements. One of those new features is better support for screen mirroring to Chromecast with Samsung’s Android 14 update.
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Android Auto has been preparing better support for electric vehicles (EVs) for a while now, and a new change is now coming to Google Maps that will replace the default shortcut to search for gas stations to instead search for charging locations.
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As eSIMs have become more popular on the back of Apple’s decision to go eSIM-only on US iPhones, Android is preparing to better support the feature with a new eSIM transfer feature in the pipeline.
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For the longest time, the Nvidia Shield TV was the only truly good device running on top of Android TV OS, but now there are many. Four years later, the latest-generation Shield TVs are still fantastic but are due for an update.
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Yesterday we reported that the Pixel Watch 2 hit the Google Play Console, which confirmed the specs and more of the upcoming sequel. In that listing was also a picture, but that picture was not the Pixel Watch 2.
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YouTube TV just announced its latest series of updates, including further preparation for NFL Sunday Ticket as well as improvements to video quality and more.
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Two years ago this month, Google rebooted the Nest brand with the debut of the first new hardware in ages, and a reinvented software experience. And, two years later, everyone is still waiting on Google to fix the software issues that continue to hold back Nest cameras, doorbells, and more.
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Google’s second smartwatch is around the corner, and this morning the Pixel Watch 2 passed through the Google Play Console, confirming the use of Snapdragon W5 and Wear OS 4.
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The Search Generative Experience (SGE) that Google is testing out with some users shows an interesting future for the world’s most popular search engine, but one that also wasn’t really showing its source links very clearly at first. Now, though, Google seems to be testing more prominent links in SGE.
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The Google Contacts app is preparing a new redesign to its single-contact widget, bringing a more subtle look and feel.
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RCS is available to every Android user at this point, but that hasn’t ended the messaging headaches that come from iMessage and the lack of RCS on iPhone. But now, the third-party app Beeper can support both Google Messages RCS and Apple iMessage on both Android and iPhone, all within the same app.
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Samsung has today announced a new portable projector, the Freestyle Gen 2, that bundles in the company’s Gaming Hub, which supports a collection of cloud gaming services.
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One of the struggles foldable phones have had so far has been in the camera department, and that’s been especially true of flip phones. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series has had a decent 12MP camera across the whole lineup, but Galaxy Z Flip 6 might bring a genuine upgrade if a new report is to be believed.
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Just a week after their official launch, Samsung is rolling out the first update to its new Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5, with the August security patch in tow.
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Last month a new ad for the Google Pixel Watch revealed a new sporty band for the smartwatch, and now Google is sending that very band to some of its fans, but oddly with no word on whether or not it’s going to be available for purchase.
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Home security has been around for decades and can be very expensive and complicated to set up depending on what you’re trying to get. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been using ADT’s new Self Setup system that launched back in March, a DIY system backed by ADT’s monitoring and Google’s Nest hardware. It’s a solid security system, but a sad reminder of what Google gave up when killing its own hardware.
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Since its acquisition by Elon Musk, a whole lot has changed at Twitter, including its official name which is now “X.” Another change that you might not have noticed is that profiles on Twitter now show posts, formerly known as tweets, as sorted by the count of likes rather than the order in which they were posted.
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The most powerful Wear OS smartwatch, the TicWatch Pro 5, is getting a new color as “Sandstone” arrives for $349.
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NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube and YouTube TV is just weeks away from gametime, and ahead of the launch, YouTube is announcing a few new features for Sunday Ticket includes live chat, monthly payments, Shorts integration, and more.
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As leaks and rumors swirl, an apparent launch date has been set for the Oppo Find N3 Flip, and it’s just a couple of weeks away.
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Alongside the release of Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5, Samsung introduced the new One UI 5.1.1 update which is focused on foldable and big-screen features. Now, that update is extending to older Galaxy foldables and tablets.
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After years of being the lone option, Samsung finally has some foldable competition in the US, and that partially takes the form of Google’s Pixel Fold, which comes in at the same price as Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 5. But after using both devices, there’s a clear better option.
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Medical misinformation is rampant online, and YouTube is making a bigger effort to curb the problem on its platform. In a new blog post, YouTube is laying out an updated policy against medical misinformation which will also target cancer “treatments” that are known to be harmful.
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Just last week Samsung announced the launch of its One UI 6 beta based on Android 14, and now the second update is rolling out with a key fix.
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