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
Increased competition is coming to Samsung’s popular Galaxy Z Flip series, and it appears that Motorola’s next version of the Razr will focus on beating Samsung’s weakest link – the cover display.
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Microsoft announced today a deal with Nvidia, which will see Xbox games available on GeForce Now in the future.
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Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip for Android smartphones is off to a great start, but the next generation is also in development, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may arrive ahead of the usual schedule.
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Amazon is reportedly working with partners on a new Fire TV feature that will show content you’ve been watching in a dedicated homescreen row, much like Google TV.
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If you’ve noticed Waze has been freezing on Android Auto lately, you’re not alone. A new update to Waze aims to fix these freezing issues on Android Auto, but it doesn’t yet deliver some long-awaited functionality.
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The foldable market is heating up in 2023, and as new options debut, it’s supposedly Vivo who will be first to launch a foldable with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in its X Fold 2.
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YouTube TV launched a UI redesign earlier this year for all platforms, but Apple TV users were left out due to some issues. Now, YouTube TV appears to be restarting the rollout while also working to fix an ongoing crashing issue.
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After a soft launch last week, Carl Pei’s Nothing is today officially launching Android 13 for the Nothing Phone (1).
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Android is set to change in some significant ways in the not-too-distant future following a major ruling in India. Here’s what is reportedly set to change.
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OnePlus has all but confirmed it will launch its first foldable smartphones later on this year, with the “OnePlus V Fold” and “OnePlus V Flip” in the pipeline. But, according to a new leak, the “OnePlus V Fold” may not be a copy of the Oppo Find N2 after all.
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It’s been clear for some time that YouTube has its sights set on podcasts, and the company is taking a considerable step in that direction, as a new test offers a soft launch for a suite of podcasting tools on YouTube.
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As the foldable market finally gets some real competition, Samsung is apparently set for some major revisions to its 2023 lineup. According to one new rumor, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will see a big upgrade to its outer cover display.
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This week Samsung launched the Galaxy S23 series and we published our full review. In other news, Android Auto continued its redesign rollout, YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki stepped down, and more.
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Samsung launched its One UI 5.1 update this month and rolled it out to several devices in record time, but the update seems to be causing a lot of problems for some users, as it is riddled with bugs and hurting battery life on older Galaxy smartphones.
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Twitter’s latest move under Elon Musk is to start charging a fee for the use of SMS messages for two-factor authentication. To avoid that charge, here’s how to use Google Authenticator for Twitter two-factor authentication.
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Foldable smartphones have been on the market for the better part of five years now, but they’ve been dominated by just one brand – Samsung. But, finally, competition is coming, and the Oppo Find N2 Flip is just the start of a brighter future for foldables.
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Amazon appears to be imposing a ban on apps that allow users to remap the buttons on Fire TV remotes, and it’s not the first time the company has made this move.
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Smartphone cameras have become incredible over the past several years, to the point where even mid-range phones deliver fairly good results. But in our Galaxy S23 Ultra review this week, we called the 200MP camera “disappointing.” Why? Mainly because Samsung’s processing and shutter lag lets it down.
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At the end of January, YouTube TV abruptly lost access to MLB Network, and now the service is also losing its MLB.TV add-on.
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After being announced earlier this month, the Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra officially launch today, and Samsung says that pre-orders were higher than the predecessor too.
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As Google prepares to launch Bard to the general public, the company is asking its employees to assist in training the AI by rewriting its bad answers.
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In 2020 Samsung debuts the Galaxy S20 FE to a pretty huge success, and followed that up with a somewhat underwhelming Galaxy S21 FE. The company ended up skipping the Galaxy S22 FE – at least thus far – but it seems there may be a comeback with a Galaxy S23 FE reportedly coming later this year.
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Google Assistant devices such as the Nest Hub and Nest Mini are handy for a lot of things, and many folks use them for music above all else. But if you’re trying to use radio stations from services such as Pandora via a Google Home routine or an Assistant command, you may have noticed that the functionality is partially broken.
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Carl Pei’s Nothing is rolling out its long-awaited Android 13 update to the Nothing Phone (1), at least for some users.
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