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
Google’s ongoing trial with Epic Games has seen the company in hot water lately due to an internal practice of deleting employee conversations after a certain period of time. Now, a federal judge in the trial believes that Google should see face sanctions.
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Waymo today announced that it is moving towards a fully electric vehicle-powered fleet for its Waymo One ride-hailing service, as the Jaguar I-PACE replaces older vehicles.
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Netflix is reportedly working on the ability to play games on your TV using your smartphone as a controller, a feature that might feel familiar to former Stadia players.
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Samsung has just opened up pre-orders on its latest affordable smartphone, the Galaxy A54, with some excellent offers to sweeten the deal.
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It still feels like foldables are a brand new technology, but it’s been four years since Samsung first launched its Galaxy Fold that pushed the form factor into the mainstream. Now, according to a new report, foldable smartphones are expected to ship over 20 million units in 2023, with even bigger numbers in the future.
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OnePlus is gearing up for the launch of its next mid-range smartphone, and the company is bringing out the teasers in some major ways this week. In an interview today, OnePlus confirmed that the Nord CE 3 Lite will has a 120Hz display and a wild 108MP camera.
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The AI wars are very much ongoing, with Google a bit late to the party. In a new report, Google’s Bard is accused of using ChatGPT responses shared online as training data, but Google denies the claim.
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With its AI reinvention, Microsoft’s Bing has reached new heights in popularity and users. Now Microsoft is preparing to try to drive more traffic to publishers, as well as further monetize the product with more ads.
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It’s been over two months since Google Stadia closed its doors, and now one of the remaining parts of the community, the official Stadia Discord server, is also just days from closing down.
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Nvidia announced earlier this year that it would pull the plug on Gamestream, a tool that allows gamers to stream titles from a Windows PC to other devices, such as Nvidia Shield TV. Now, an update on Shield TV is removing Gamestream and replacing it with GeForce Now.
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Following its debut last Fall, Google has had a handful of deals and promos with the Pixel Watch, but this latest round at Best Buy might be one of the best overall offers to date.
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As the effects of climate change continue to affect global weather conditions, Google is introducing a new feature in Search that shows excessive heat warnings in your area.
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The share sheet in Android has been updated time and time and time again, and Android 14 will be no exception as Google prepares several new tweaks.
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A ruling in India earlier this year was supposed to lead to the unthinkable reality where Google would distribute other Android app stores through the Google Play Store, but in a partial relief of that case, that will no longer be necessary.
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Gaming smartphones have grown in popularity over the past few years, but they’re still a niche in the larger smartphone market. This week, Lenovo confirmed it has thrown in the towel on gaming smartphones, with the “Legion” series no longer available.
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Motorola unveiled its X40 flagship last December as one of the first devices with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and now the company is preparing to bring that package to the global market with the Motorola Edge 40 series and Motorola Edge (2023).
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Eve, a smart home brand, announced last year that it would bring its suite to Android on the back of Matter, and next month that’s finally coming to reality. However, there is a catch.
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Nearly three years after the two companies first announced a partnership, we’re finally seeing Google and ADT debut the product that makes it worth it. “ADT Self Setup” is a new do-it-yourself security system that includes a bunch of new security gear from ADT that deeply integrates with Google Nest products.
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The March 2023 update for Google Pixel devices was delayed for the Pixel 6 series but was finally released last week. For Verizon customers, the March update has just started arriving for the Pixel 6 series.
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If you’ve been using a Fitbit device with an older iPhone, you might be in need of an upgrade, as the fitness tracking suite now requires at least iOS 15.
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OnePlus confirmed an event earlier today to launch a new pair of budget earbuds, but that’s probably not the only device coming at the event. Also leaking over the past couple of days is the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, which might finally address one of our biggest complaints with more affordable OnePlus devices.
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Months after it hit the market, Samsung is finally revealing the details of the Exynos 5300 modem it supplies to Google for the Pixel 7 series, as well as the upcoming Pixel 8.
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Vodafone is pulling the plug on its own RCS implementation in the coming days, with an alert to customers going out now.
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The foldable market is set to see some major expansion in 2023, including the arrival of more devices that adopt the “clamshell” form factor. Apparently, Vivo could be next in line to show off its take on the most popular foldable to date, Galaxy Z Flip 4 from Samsung.
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