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 has announced that it will be adding a new step to verify a user’s age on some core Android products in Australia, with YouTube and Google Play requiring as much as a valid ID to confirm your age soon.
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Analytics are a key part of running any website, and Google Analytics has been a favorite for many thanks to its powerful tools and relatively easy setup. Now, after more than a decade, Google Analytics is pulling the plug on Universal Analytics as it shifts to a new standard.
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As it faces more competition in the live space, YouTube TV is apparently testing out a new channel guide design that incorporates picture-in-picture playback.
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Samsung’s popular Galaxy A-Series is slowly rolling out its latest generation of devices, and it seems the Galaxy A53 is not far away from its formal launch. This week, a huge leak divulges just about everything you need to know about the Galaxy A53, including its specs and some official-looking renders.
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Google TV’s homescreen is all about recommending content, and part of that has included showcasing selections from actors and celebrities. Rolling out now, Google TV is showcasing the watchlist of award-winning director Chloé Zhao.
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Samsung has been making progress with its foldable phones over the past couple of generations, but it still faces issues with durability among other things. According to a new report, Samsung will debut a stronger version of its ultra-thin glass on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
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Google Stadia debuted its completely free game trials last year, and the feature is expanding. As Google opens up free Stadia trials to all developers, Risk of Rain 2 is opening up its own hour-long trial.
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One of the biggest problems facing Google Stadia since its debut has been getting new customers on board, and this week Google is announcing a new initiative to put its product in front of players. Soon, Google Stadia will have a public-facing store that will let anyone see what Stadia has to offer.
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The launch of the Skagen Falster Gen 6 earlier this year brought with it the reveal of a partnership between Amazon and Fossil that would bring Alexa to select Wear OS smartwatches. Now, a few months later, that feature is finally going live.
Update 3/15: Fossil has officially announced this functionality, offering a bit more context from our original coverage last week. Read on for more details.
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Benchmarks are never fully indicative of how a device will actually perform in real life, but they can provide some useful points of comparison between closely matched devices. Geekbench, one of the best benchmarking apps available across platforms, has just announced that it will remove results from the past few years of Samsung Galaxy devices over a recent software debacle.
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One UI 4.1 debuted with the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra with some new features but no big updates to Samsung’s skin on top of Android as a whole. Now, those new camera, editing, and Google Duo features are expanding to Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip owners with One UI 4.1 rolling out now.
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Music is a core form of entertainment while on the road, but Spotify has been shuffling its car strategy up as of late. Now, just a week after releasing its “Car Thing” hardware to the public, Spotify is pulling support for in-car head units from Pioneer and other brands.
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In 2019, lyric-website Genius accused Google of ripping off its lyric transcriptions to use in Search even catching Google “red-handed” in the act. Following a court case win in 2020, Google has once again prevailed in court over this matter.
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Android 12L has been in beta for a few months, but it finally saw its formal release early last week. However, Pixel owners who had enrolled in the Android 12L beta were left with a dilemma, as there was no clear way to exit the beta track. As it turns out, there is a solution.
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In streaming news this week, Netflix remains adamant that it has no plans to launch an ad-supported pricing tier as other platforms have, and Disney+ released the long-anticipated first look at its Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
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Live TV services have been one of the best ways to keep up with news and sports channels in the age of streaming and expensive cable subscriptions, but each has its own set of pros and cons. A big advantage of YouTube TV has been its unlimited DVR, and now Hulu Live is picking up the same feature.
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While no new games were actually released on Stadia this week, Google did give a bit of hope for the future, with the reveal of six new titles coming as soon as next week, and Orcs Must Die 3 announced another big expansion too.
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Telegram is one of our favorite cross-platform messaging apps on Android, and it just keeps getting better with updates. Today, a new Telegram update is making downloads easier, and finally bringing the app’s transparent design to Android.
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Smartphones are big now. Even as bezels have shrunk in recent years, smartphones have only kept getting bigger and bigger, to the point where even Google’s Pixel lineup, which was once notorious for offering at least one compact device, is now headlined by two of the biggest devices on the market. Sony, though, seems to want to keep the small Android smartphone alive with its recently-leaked Xperia Ace 3.
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Google Chrome makes it pretty easy to install Progressive Web Apps or, PWAs, on your machine to where they feel like native apps. Soon, on Windows machines, you’ll be able to uninstall web apps from Chrome just like you can native apps.
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The OSOM OV1 is an upcoming privacy-focused Android phone coming from the team, but not the company responsible for 2017’s Essential Phone. After teasing the design last week, OSOM has just offered a first look at the front of the OV1, bezels and all.
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Material You offers easy customization for Android in ways we’ve never seen officially, but it’s only so flexible. Repainter was released early this year as a neat way to enhance Material You colors, and in its latest update, the app is adding a quick settings toggle as well as the ability to separate colors used for accents and the background.
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One key point of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series is its ability to charge at a whopping 45W, far faster than most mainstream flagship phones today. However, an analysis of charging speeds on the Galaxy S22 series suggests that 45W input doesn’t actually provide a benefit compared to less powerful adapters.
Update 3/10: This article has been updated to include a new test with differing methodology. Scroll down for more.
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The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is one the best smartwatches you can buy today, in part because of its excellent health and fitness tracking tools. According to a new report, the Galaxy Watch 5 will add a skin thermometer to the package.
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