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
Nvidia has just announced that GeForce Now is picking up support for 120fps gameplay on all Android smartphones, after previously limiting the functionality to only a few select models.
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Yesterday Samsung officially confirmed an August 10 event to launch its next batch of foldable smartphones. Now, as has become tradition, Samsung’s TM Roh is teasing what’s to come from that event while also touting the millions of foldables Samsung sold in the last year.
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Samsung is the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world, and much of that success lies on the back of the Galaxy A series. According to a new report, future Samsung Galaxy A series will be ditching the “depth” camera, in a bid to focus on meaningful improvements over numbers.
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Despite still being the biggest streaming platform out there, Netflix is in a tough spot right now. Today, as the latest numbers reveal how badly Netflix is bleeding subscribers, the company also confirmed that its ad-supported tier won’t have access to the full catalog.
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Samsung’s “Fan Edition” started with a bang in 2020, but just a year later, the sequel felt like an unnecessary device. Now, after a handful of rumors hinting at its death, a new report seems to seal the Galaxy S22 FE’s fate.
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Wear OS has seen a lot of brands come and go over the years, but Mobvoi has stuck it out with the Ticwatch lineup. Now, Mobvoi is teasing its next Ticwatch which is powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1.
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Google Stadia has had trouble picking up big games over the past year, but the platform is getting a boost today. EA has officially confirmed that FIFA 23 is coming to Google Stadia.
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Google’s Android Auto platform has put out a few updates recently, and with them have come some tweaks to music and media apps. Here’s what’s changed.
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Google’s Wear OS platform has long been the laughing stock of the wearable community, but tides are finally shifting. After years of neglect, Wear OS is finally getting a fair shot.
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Things are slowly gearing up for the next generation of major Android smartphones. This week, Qualcomm has officially confirmed that Snapdragon Summit 2022 will take place in November.
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Smart lighting can breathe new life into your home, and one of our favorite options is Philips Hue. It’s recently been uncovered that Hue is preparing a new “Natural Light” mode which is designed to mimic real outdoor lighting conditions, and it looks pretty sweet.
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The Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 is a huge leap forward for Wear OS smartwatches in terms of both performance and efficiency, and Qualcomm is making huge claims for battery life.
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Qualcomm today announced its most important chip for wearables ever in the Snapdragon W5+. It looks like a genuinely impressive chip, and we already know where it will arrive first. The Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 will show up first in Wear OS smartwatches from a familiar face.
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Netflix has made it clear that the company is going after the millions of users who share their account with friends or family outside of their home, with the goal to get those users to pay. Now, Netflix is showing off what paid account sharing will look like.
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The Microsoft Surface Duo is a unique dual-screen smartphone that has really never managed to stick the landing. But as it turns out, there was a third model in the pipeline, a mid-range Surface Duo that was built from plastic and popped up on eBay to give us a look at what could have been.
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Nova Launcher is by far the most popular launcher for Android, and it now it’s under new management. Branch, a company that provides analytical data and metrics among other things, has acquired Nova Launcher.
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Last Friday, several Google products saw outages, but the company’s ad products were among the most hard hit with reporting delays for several hours. Now, Google has confirmed another reporting outage for AdSense, Google Ads, and some other products.
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With just a few weeks to go before the official launch event, it was only a matter of time until we started getting better looks at the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. Now, the floodgates have opened.
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Small businesses, especially ones that only operate in a local area, can live or die based on their reputation. Lately, that very reputation has been the target of scammers, as one-star reviews left on Google products demand payment in gift cards to take down the reviews. If you own an affected business, Google is on the case.
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Amazon Prime Video may be one of the biggest streaming services out there, but its interface has also long lagged behind the competition when it comes to usability. Now, the Amazon Prime Video app is getting a massive redesign on Google TV and other platforms.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 have been shaping up to be welcome upgrades to the company’s foldable range, but the exact release date has been mostly a mystery… up until now. According to Evan Blass, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 are set to arrive at an Unpacked event less than a month away.
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Last week we reported on a problem with the Galaxy Wearable app affecting Galaxy Watch 4 owners, which saw the app crashing continuously. Beyond that smartwatch, though, the same crashing problem is affecting Samsung’s earbuds, with a message saying that the “Galaxy Buds manager keeps stopping” or is “not responding.”
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The hit web game Wordle took the world by storm over the past year, and now it’s about to get a huge upgrade. Now, Wordle will support the ability to sync your progress across multiple devices.
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If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartwatch, there’s a good chance you’re due for an update. This week, Samsung has released plugin updates for the Galaxy Watch 4 and several other Samsung Galaxy Watch models.
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