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 Nest Protect was first released all the way back in 2013, but remains for sale today with its useful smoke detector experience. Even now, there’s still no Nest Protect support in the Google Home app, but it’s apparently still incoming.
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Oppo’s next book-style foldable may arrive with a killer upgrade, as the Oppo Find N3 has been spotted with support for speedy 100W fast charging.
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YouTube TV’s price has more than doubled since Google first debuted the service, but despite that it still offers a compelling experience for live TV streaming. Now, though, new YouTube TV users can get a discount on their first few months.
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Foldable flip phones are the form factor that really seems to be catching on, and the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a near-perfect version of the idea. Or, at least, it would be if the software hadn’t fallen short.
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OnePlus confirmed earlier this year that it would launch its first foldable smartphone in Q3 2023, but it seems that date will be slipping. According to a new report, the OnePlus Open will suffer a delay, but at least for a good reason.
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Hisense continues to roll out new Google TV sets, with the new U8K series now widely available with a high-end panel and a price that’s already discounted.
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Widgets are a core part of the new “Flex Window” cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, but it’s limited out of the box. Thanks to a new update to the third-party project CoverScreen OS, though, you can use any widget out there, and even ahead of the formal release.
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With the Nothing Phone (2), the new “Glyph Composer” was added with support for creating fully custom ringtones, and now, the company is launching a new sound pack built in collaboration with Swedish House Mafia.
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Android Auto is great when it works, but the platform tends to be unstable at times. Seemingly due to a recent update or some other phenomenon, some Google Pixel owners are seeing connection issues with Android Auto as of late.
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Navigation on smartphones has changed over the years, but for the past few years, gestures have become commonplace. Samsung, though, is stubbornly still defaulting to Android’s three-button navigation on even its latest Galaxy smartphones, and that’s not really helping anyone.
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Last week Google announced that it would delay its Find My Device network for the foreseeable future for the sake of iPhone users, but it seems work is still ongoing, as the settings for the network are just waiting to go live.
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When you look at Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 in the context of the past couple of foldable releases, they’re really boring, but that isn’t a bad thing, at least for now.
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We’ve reported that Google is set to debut a Pixel Watch 2 this year with a new chip and updated hardware. Now, a new leak is offering a look at new watch faces coming to Google’s smartwatch sequel.
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Like Telegram, Meta’s WhatsApp is now adding support for quick video messages that can be sent on the fly.
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Samsung has been struggling over the past few months, and in Q2 2023, the company faced a 95% drop in profits for the second quarter in a row.
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Google has implemented earthquake notifications within Android for the past few years and they’ve worked well in many cases, but those precious few seconds of warning apparently failed ahead of the devastating earthquake in Turkey early this year.
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When Google announced the new Find My Device network at I/O 2023 back in May, some tracker brands were quick to jump on board. Chipolo and Pebblebee have had pre-orders open for quite some time now for Android trackers that work with Google’s network, but with that network now delayed, what happens next?
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Android is struggling to keep its market share in the United States, as Apple continues to take over in the market. But, despite Android as a whole losing ground, Google Pixel phones are becoming a bigger slice of the US market.
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The Galaxy Watch 6 series brings the first update to Samsung’s smartwatch chip in a few years, and now the company is detailing what’s new on the Exynos W930.
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The Google Maps app for Android has, for years now, had the same old voice input that’s slow and not as accurate as Google’s latest offerings. Finally that’s changing, as Google Maps is rolling out a new voice input experience powered by Google Assistant.
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If you were hoping for some additional software flexibility on Google’s new Pixel Tablet, you’re in luck as LineageOS support has just been added.
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Google Maps is preparing two updates including an Android Auto redesign that’s rolling out now.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 is about as iterative as it gets with a smartphone upgrade, but one of the biggest changes actually comes from the accessories. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 still doesn’t have a built-in S Pen, but the new case and stylus design split the difference quite well.
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Mobile payments have become pretty much commonplace, but if you were hoping to use Google Wallet on the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s new “Flex Window” cover display, we regret to inform you that Samsung completely blocks the app from opening.
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