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 efforts to take over the living room have grown considerably over the past several years, and it seems the platform is continuing to pick up steam. According to a new report, Android TV and Google TV have doubled shipments in Europe over the past three years.
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YouTube Shorts has been a resounding success so far in becoming a clone of TikTok, and now YouTube is really opening the floodgates. Soon, YouTube Shorts will join the Partner Program, making monetization of the short-form video easy for creators.
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Android 13 launched for Pixel phones just last month, but it’s already on its way to more smartphones, as Oppo is launching Android 13 to the Find X5 series.
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ChromeOS has long looked to Google’s own hardware as its trendsetter, an example of “the best” the platform had to offer. But in 2022, Google is mostly absent from its own platform. The last Pixelbook was the “Go” model released in 2019, which was mostly underwhelming. Now, though, HP has reinvigorated that flame with the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook – a Pixelbook reborn.
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The first of Samsung’s “mainstream” foldable series, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 debuted in 2020 with a hefty $1,999 price tag an Android 10 out of the box. Now, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is picking up an update to Android 12L.
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The former team from Essential had been working on the OSOM OV1 for a while, but that was abruptly swapped out earlier this year for the “Solana Saga,” a phone built for Web3. Luckily, the Solana Saga won’t require any interaction with Web3 or crypto features if you don’t want to use them.
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While it still feels like Samsung’s latest smartphone launch was just a few days ago, we’re now entering leak season for the company’s next flagship. The Galaxy S23 series is due out in February if last year’s pattern holds true, and the timing of a new battery certification hints that that release schedule is on track.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 has only been on the market for a few weeks, but it’s already getting its second update which brings “performance improvements.”
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In 2018, the European Union ruled that Google’s app bundling with Android, essentially forcing its partners to include a long list of Google apps with their phones, was illegal. Google appealed that ruling, but the EU has just announced that it will uphold the decision, despite lowering the fine.
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The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro were polarizing phones for many, in part because of the physical size that these devices bring to the table. According to a new rumor, though, Google might be working on a “small-screen” Pixel phone.
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Voice-to-text might not be the first feature you think of on your smartphone, but it’s one that can really enhance how useful your device really is. With its Pixel 6 last year, Google debuted a new speech-to-text experience that blew away everything before it, and now, it’s time for that experience to come to other Android phones.
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Emoji have become a core part of how we communicate, and today, Google has a few announcements, including Unicode 15 emoji additions, animated versions of Android’s emoji, and more.
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Do you have a Samsung Galaxy device with a broken screen? For a limited time, Samsung Galaxy screen repairs are discounted heavily at uBreakiFix. Here’s what you need to know.
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Curved monitors are not uncommon for gaming, but they don’t always feel necessary. With its new Odyssey Ark, though, Samsung is offering a 55-inch curved monitor that is clearly meant for the ultimate PC gaming experience. And, the Odyssey Ark also happens to be the perfect hub for cloud gaming services.
Update: Samsung has officially opened up Odyssey Ark sales after pre-orders, more details below.
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Over the past week, Samsung has finally launched Android 12L for its foldables and tablets, several months after the update was first launched by Google. Now, the Galaxy Tab S7 is getting its first taste of Android 12L.
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Google Stadia launched with high hopes and big promises, but three years later, the service is full of more unknowns than actual games.
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The battle for the living room continues, as Roku, Google TV, and other platforms work to provide the best possible experience. Today, Roku has debuted Roku OS 11.5, which adopts some features that Google TV has long offered, such as “Continue Watching” and more.
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Google’s Wear OS was a forgotten platform in the greater smartwatch market when looking at what people were actually buying, but things are quickly turning around. On Samsung’s back, Wear OS continues to grow, as Q2 2022 saw another big jump from the Galaxy Watch 4.
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Google Pixel production has moved back and forth between China and Vietnam over the past few years, but it appears the company is eyeing a new location. According to a new report, a portion of Google Pixel production could be moving to India.
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We’ve been hearing for months about the cheaper version of the Chromecast with Google TV, and now a fresh leak is revealing new software details, specs, and even the apparent “Chromecast HD” branding.
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Android 12L’s key feature for tablets and foldables is the taskbar, but there’s a quirk on Samsung devices that disables the taskbar when using a third-party launcher.
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Google Stadia this week picked up confirmation of four new games on the way, as well as being one of the most easily accessible ways to play the new Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, Phantom Liberty.
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In case you hadn’t heard, Google is working on a new, cheaper version of its Chromecast with Google TV streaming device, and it’s due for release pretty soon. Now, we’re getting a closer look at the hardware, which appears mostly unchanged.
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We’re still a few months out from the debut of the Galaxy S23 series, but rumor has it things won’t be changing much from the existing Galaxy S22 series. According to a fairly reliable tipster, the Galaxy S23 will carry forward with the same screen size and display resolution across the lineup.
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