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
Major OS updates aren’t as common as they should be on Android TV, but every once in a while we see a major update roll out. This week, Xiaomi has opened up Android TV 12 to an older version of the Mi Box S streaming box, but users may want to take caution in installing it.
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Google appears to be working on a new Gmail feature that would let users react to their inbox with emoji through at least the Android and iOS mobile apps.
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Google Pixel phones have long been lauded in part for their speedy updates, but the length of support is becoming increasingly less of an attraction. After Samsung beat Google Pixel’s update policy a couple of years ago, Xiaomi is also now upping its support timeline on at least one device.
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The OnePlus 12 is set to make its debut later this year in what’s expected to be a familiar overall design, but new renders suggest that the camera module could look even more similar to the brand’s previous releases.
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Google is toying around with some nice quality-of-life tweaks on ChromeOS, including some launcher updates and the overdue ability to hide profile pictures on the lockscreen.
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Google’s Pixel 8 series is set to launch in just under a month and if new leaks are to be believed, they could arrive with a considerable price hike.
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Google’s Gboard is a great keyboard option for Android, and there are a lot of new features based on generative AI in the pipeline. As of today, Gboard is starting to roll out a “Proofread” option for beta users.
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Samsung has been massively improving its support timelines over the past few years, but older devices haven’t all gotten the same level of extended updates. As such, Samsung has just officially cut off the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+, with updates ending as of this month.
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Google Maps is picking up a handy new trick for organizing your favorite places, as locations in your Saved Places lists can now be marked with emoji.
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The Wear OS 4 update isn’t particularly major, but it does include some nice quality of life changes. On Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series, One UI 5 Watch includes the ability to create app folders within the app drawer.
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We’ve already seen the Pixel 8 Pro on a couple of occasions, but as we start counting down the days to Google’s October 4 event, the leaks keep coming, now with a new, pretty high-res look at the upcoming flagship.
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NFL Sunday Ticket is one of the biggest deals in sports, and the fact that it’s available on YouTube and YouTube TV is great for customers. However, in the lead up to the first games, YouTube is being more than a little pushy in advertising NFL Sunday Ticket in its apps.
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A bug with Android Auto is causing users to see audio quality for music muffled and otherwise cut down drastically following the use of Google Assistant, phone calls, and other features.
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The OnePlus Pad made its debut earlier this year as the company’s first Android tablet, but there may be another, more affordable option in the pipeline.
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Apple is apparently set to ditch leather cases on the iPhone 15 series and, in its place, adopt a new “woven” fabric case as 9to5Mac reports. That’s a style of case that Google Pixel users are quite familiar with, so here are a few things to keep in mind as Apple prepares to revive the cases Google never should have killed off.
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WhatsApp is the biggest messaging service on the planet, but also one that’s had effectively the same visual look for several years now. Soon, though, WhatsApp may get a shockingly major redesign.
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Google’s Pixel Buds Pro first launched in mid-2022, and later this year we’re expecting a new update to the hardware by way of some new colors. But that has the question circulating: Should Google be releasing a “Pixel Buds Pro 2” sequel?
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TVs have gotten incredibly affordable in recent years, but not every option is worth the cost savings. TCL, though, has built much of its success on affordable sets, and the 2023 TCL S Class S4 with Google TV is a testament to just how good of a TV you can get for an affordable price tag.
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Following up on the debut of the functionality early this year, Roku appears to be testing a new homescreen layout which brings the “Continue Watching” row to the forefront.
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Just a week after the update landed on Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung is now rolling out its One UI 5 Watch update to the Galaxy Watch 4 series with Wear OS 4 in tow.
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This week, Google announced that it would discontinue its Pixel Pass subscription service after less than two years – before subscribers could actually reap some of the benefits of the subscription they thought they had been paying for.
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Google is preparing to add two new colors to its Pixel Buds Pro, with “Porcelain” and “Sky Blue” set to join the lineup alongside Pixel 8 this Fall.
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Google announced early this year that Wear OS and Android would launch a new “Watch Unlock” feature that would allow smartwatches to keep your connected phone unlocked. In its latest update to Wear OS 4, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 series seems to gain support for the upcoming feature, which, several months later, still has not launched.
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Instagram is one of the most popular social platforms in the world, but it has long missed out on a UI for tablets and other bigger displays. That’s finally changing…
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