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’s new series of smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, are making their debut in just over a month, and today, an official-looking set of images is showing off what to expect.
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Google is pushing along with Android 14 for Pixel phones, with the third beta out. But, soon, Samsung might join in on the fun, with a new report claiming the company’s first Android 14 beta could arrive in late July.
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Yesterday we reported that Chamberlain’s MyQ integration with Google Assistant is breaking for some users and, now, the company has further confirmed that it has officially discontinued the integration because, well, no one actually liked it.
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The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is set to bring the biggest cover display yet on Samsung’s flip phone foldable, and in a new image, we’re getting our best look yet at that design.
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Google is about to start shipping its first Android tablet in years, the Pixel Tablet. But, all the way back in 2015, Google launched the Pixel C, an Android tablet that was way ahead of its time. Let’s take a look back on it.
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We’re still over a month away from Samsung’s new batch of foldables, but today a new official-looking image of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 gives us our best look to date at the foldable, including its new hinge and blue colorway.
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Smart garage door openers are incredibly useful, but like any other smart home product, they’re only as good as the support behind them. Following several issues in years past, Chamberlain’s MyQ garage door openers are currently telling some users that Google Assistant support is “no longer available,” and it might just be Chamberlain’s fault.
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Samsung just unexpectedly released a new update for its very first Galaxy Watch, the one released in 2018, two full years after support was technically supposed to end.
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WhatsApp has lately been addressing some of the biggest complaints about the super-popular messaging service, such as the recent ability to run your account on multiple phones. Now, WhatsApp seems to be preparing support for using multiple accounts on a single smartphone.
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The Motorola Razr+ is a foldable flip phone that seems exceptionally promising, and pre-orders are now open. Ahead of our full review, what do you still want to know?
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After announcing expansions at I/O, Google has today confirmed that the Immersive View feature in Google Maps is picking up support for four new cities across the globe.
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The new Google Home automation Script Editor has some serious power, and Google has announced today that the tool is already available to all users through the web app.
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Cloud gaming has seen some rocky developments over the past year or so, but also some big positives. Through it all, though, Sony has been surprisingly quiet about the technology, but as efforts internally push for improved cloud gaming, the company has today announced that PlayStation 5 games will soon be available through the cloud.
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Last month Google expanded its generative AI chatbot, Bard, to over 180 countries across the globe, but that excluded the whole of the European Union. Now, a new report claims Bard won’t come to the EU anytime soon over privacy concerns.
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Google’s dominance over the online ad market has been scrutinized time and time again, and this week the European Union is expressing its concerns that Google has breached the EU’s antitrust laws, and that the company should break up its ad business.
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For its third-generation book-style foldable, the Find N3, Oppo is apparently set to right a wrong with wireless charging and also improve the camera experience.
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Announced today, UK carrier Vodafone and Three have reached a deal that will see the two merge into one carrier with a goal to create “one of Europe’s leading 5G networks.”
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In a new announcement this week, Samsung has officially confirmed that it has a new smartwatch coming later this year (which we know as the Galaxy Watch 6), and it will be the first to pack support for AFib notifications.
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Reddit is one of the most useful websites on the planet for getting information from a large group of actual people, which makes various subreddits key to the internet as a whole. Now, as the result of protests over Reddit’s upcoming API changes, some of the most useful subreddits for Android have “gone dark.”
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Google Home automation routines are super useful, and now, they’re coming to the web too.
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After being teased earlier this year, Pocket Casts has made its debut on Wear OS smartwatches with an official app, though only in beta for now.
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The Motorola Razr+ was announced earlier this month and is set to launch for pre-orders later this week, but the best deal for the new foldable has already been confirmed to be coming from AT&T.
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With the launch of the Nothing Phone (2), the Carl Pei-owned company is also set to launch a new version of its Android skin, “Nothing OS.” Today, it’s been confirmed that Nothing Phone (1) will get that update sometime in August.
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As it continues to bolster its smart home experience, the Google Home app is adding support for a “Script Editor” that supports more advanced automation routines. The functionality is rolling out this week, and we’ve had an early chance to try it out.
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