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 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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Following some leaks and a teaser last week, OnePlus has officially announced that it will launch the OnePlus 11 in a special new “Jupiter Rock” edition later this week.
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Following an announcement earlier this year, Fitbit has today pulled the plug on challenges and open groups, two longtime features of its app.
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Oppo and OnePlus may stop selling smartphones and other devices in some major markets in Europe.
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For quite some time now Microsoft has offered a $1 trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which granted new players access to the full library, including cloud gaming, for a fraction of the usual price. But now, that offer is done.
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With ChatGPT and Microsoft’s AI push with the new Bing catching the attention of many, the arrival of Google’s Bard has been anticipated, and this week early access to Google Bard finally opened. For many, Bard is now just a URL away, and early impressions have been quite something.
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Microsoft today passed a major hurdle in completing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with the UK’s CMA providing preliminary approval of the deal, and that signals some great things for the future of cloud gaming.
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Google’s Pixel Watch has great-looking hardware, but its display is not all that difficult to damage. If you’ve already scratched your Pixel Watch, or want to prevent scratches in the future, this helpful screen protector is an affordable and excellent addition, and doesn’t ruin the look of the watch.
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Passkeys are slowly making their way to more apps and services, and now PayPal is bringing support for passkeys to Android.
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In an unexpected turn of events, Asus has just announced an April 13 launch event that will unveil the Asus ROG Phone 7, well ahead of schedule.
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Qualcomm’s flagship chipsets for Android smartphones have been getting better and better, and we’re now getting some early details on what’s set to arrive with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 later this year.
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Months after launch, Twitter has now announced that the new Twitter Blue is available globally and that the company will pull checkmarks from “legacy” verified accounts on April 1.
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Microsoft bet big on AI with the “new Bing,” and it seems the gamble succeeded, with Bing gaining new users as Google sees a slight decline.
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OpenAI is opening the floodgates on what ChatGPT is capable of, with the addition of plugins which allow the chatbot to interact with the internet and various services.
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The first games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season are right around the corner, but where to watch has been shaken up for those using YouTube TV. FuboTV is stepping up to the plate, adding MLB.TV support to its service.
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Over the past few years, it’s become very common for YouTube channels small and large to fall victim to hacks that end up taking over the channel with crypto scams. Today, that practice has hit one of YouTube’s most popular channels, Linus Tech Tips.
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If you’re in the market for a new Android phone, these are the best options available as of March 2023.
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The Pixel Watch finally arrived last year with mixed opinions, but overall it’s been a success. However, the band situation on the Pixel Watch hasn’t really changed a whole lot since launch, at least when it comes to official options, but we have had plenty of time to see how the bands hold up, and figure out where Google needs to expand its catalog for the future.
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The OnePlus 11 came in the same two colors as its predecessor, but it seems there is another interesting option on the horizon.
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The Google Nest Hub is a useful device and, with its second generation, it’s also a great option for playing music. But lately, Google seems to have tweaked the Nest Hub and several other smart speakers to be considerably louder when playing at lower volume settings.
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Switching smartphones can be a hassle for a lot of reasons, but it’s even worse when you’re switching between brands. In China, some of the biggest smartphone brands in Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo are teaming up to make this process easier.
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It’s been roughly a year since Amazon Luna first launched its cloud gaming service to everyone, and to celebrate its anniversary, the service is expanding to three new regions – the UK, Germany, and Canada.
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Android Auto’s “Coolwalk” dashboard update has been around for a couple of months now, but Google’s own navigation app, Waze, has lacked support for the platform refresh, but it seems like things are progressing.
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Apple TV users have had it a bit rough with YouTube TV as of late, but a new update is on its way that fixes a couple of long-standing issues, including HDR handling.
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