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
After four years of ongoing support, Samsung has officially pulled support for Android updates on the Galaxy S9 and S9+, its flagships from 2018.
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As with last year’s CES, cloud gaming is starting off the new year with a pretty big announcement as Samsung has just announced that Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now will be coming to the company’s smart TV lineup.
Update 4/4: Samsung has confirmed this functionality has not been delayed. See more in the update below.
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It’s not super uncommon for Google’s Pixel phones to show up in TV shows and movies, with one recent example being Marvel’s Hawkeye. Now, the original Google Pixel has shown up in Hulu’s series “The Dropout,” but out of its own timeline.
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The requirement to use in-app billing systems from app stores has come under heavy scrutiny over the past couple of years, and in that time Google has actually cracked down on some long-standing loopholes. Now, Amazon Audible and Barnes & Noble Nook have lost the ability to handle in-app purchases on Android over Google’s crackdown.
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Despite the company having been absent from the smartphone market for a full year now, LG isn’t done supporting its existing devices. This week, the company posted a new roadmap that confirms Android 12 updates for the LG V50 and more, but oddly not the LG Wing.
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OnePlus has had a handful of entries in the audio space, with some hits and some misses. Now, it appears the brand has another option coming in the “OnePlus Nord Buds” which just showed up at a regulatory office.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic starts to settle down in some parts of the globe, Google is returning its employees to in-person offices. Now, Google is offering up access to electric scooters for its employees to assist in daily commutes.
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TCL has been one of the fastest-growing brands in the TV industry, largely thanks to the success of its Roku TVs and, to a lesser extent, its Android TV OS lineup. According to a new report, TCL is now set to surpass LG in TV production.
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With plenty to watch in Marvel’s new Moon Knight, Oscar-winning CODA available on Apple TV+, and more, some of the services available on Google TV are shaking things up a bit. This week, Disney+ teased an expansion to many more countries, while Crunchyroll announced it would lessen free streaming.
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As April kicks off, Google Stadia has added a couple of new games, has hints of another pretty big release in the pipeline, and has unfortunately confirmed a delay for Deliver Us The Moon.
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Android 12L is by no means a major update, but it does deliver one big new feature in its app taskbar. Here’s how to try the Android 12L taskbar on Google Pixel devices including the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
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Home security cameras are usually pretty basic when it comes to their optical hardware, with a middling resolution that uses digital zoom to get the job done and either a constant power source or a rechargeable battery. Over the past few months, though, I’ve been using Google Assistant-connected cameras from Reolink that kick it up a notch, with true optical zoom and a full solar system.
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For quite some time, there’s been demand for Apple to adopt USB-C on its iPhone, but the company has so far refused to do so in favor of its tightly controlled Lightning standard. Now, a clever engineer has successfully managed to install a Lightning port on a Samsung Galaxy device, and no, it’s not an April Fools’ Day joke.
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Microsoft has been improving how Windows talks to Android devices over the past few years, even going as far as integrating Android app support directly into Windows 11. Now, the popular “Your Phone” app is getting a Window 11 makeover under the name “Phone Link.”
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As the Right to Repair movement spurs change in the industry, Samsung is today announcing a new partnership with iFixit to make DIY repairs a bit easier for some of its Galaxy phones and tablets.
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Google has faced several antitrust lawsuits over the past few years over the dominance of Google Search, ads, and its control over the Android platform. Now, it appears that Google Maps is an upcoming target of antitrust action in the United States.
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The OnePlus 10 Pro officially made its debut back in January, but the phone was limited to China at first. Today, OnePlus is officially launching the OnePlus 10 Pro globally, with the phone extending to the United States, Europe, India, and other countries around the world.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 is the best smartwatch you can buy for Android, as it delivers not only the first experience built on top of Wear OS 3, but also some of the best features. However, battery life is a little less than ideal, but the Galaxy Watch 5 may step it up a bit.
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Waymo has been inching its way toward fully autonomous rides for the population of San Francisco, and this week it’s taking a big step. Starting today, Waymo is conducting fully driverless taxi rides in San Francisco.
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Recent reports have made it clear that YouTube wants a slice of the massive demand for podcast content, and it seems plans are finally coming together. A new leaked presentation offers a ton of insight into YouTube’s plan for true podcast support.
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Google introduced a new pattern earlier this month with a beta program for the upcoming June Feature Drop for Pixel devices, and it seems that the update had some useful changes behind the scenes. Pixel 6 now supports “Direct USB Access,” which opens the door to better DAC support.
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Samsung’s foldable lineup picked up the “Galaxy Z” brand alongside the Galaxy Z Flip in 2020, and that’s continued on to all foldables released since. Now, though, it appears Samsung is backing away from the “Galaxy Z” name in parts of Europe, possibly as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
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Google TV’s integration with Google Assistant makes it possible to control smart home devices, find movies and TV shows, and more. Now, Google Assistant on Google TV can offer direct video results for questions powered by YouTube.
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The first electric vehicle to go on sale with Android Automotive is getting another major update, as Polestar 2 is rolling out its Android 11 update.
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