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
Twitter dove into the subscription business last year with the launch of Twitter Blue, a pretty cheap monthly subscription that offers a few additional features for the service. Now, months after iOS, Twitter Blue is finally gaining the ability to change the look of the Twitter app’s homescreen icon.
Expand Expanding Close
Following a surge in popularity and focus from Google on Android tablets, we’ve seen many brands previously uninterested in the form factor deliver some good, and some not so great, tablets. Today, Oppo is throwing its hat in the ring, with the launch of its first Android tablet, the Oppo Pad.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung has been in a bit of a rut for the past few years when it comes to its smartphone lineup, with each successive Galaxy S flagship struggling to beat or even match previous entries. However, it seems the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 have struck a chord with buyers, as Samsung says pre-orders have broken records.
Expand Expanding Close
Magic Eraser was a feature that turned heads on Google’s Pixel 6, and it delivered some genuinely impressive results. However, Samsung had a similar feature known as Object Eraser earlier the same year with its Galaxy S21 series, and now that feature is expanding device support and adding the ability to remove reflections and shadows.
Expand Expanding Close
Oppo has today announced its latest flagship smartphone series, the Find X5 and Find X5 Pro. Both phones deliver top-tier specs and a new era of imaging for Oppo; here’s what you need to know.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung’s One UI skin on top of Android opens up several big features that the stock operating system just doesn’t offer. And, things get even crazier with the company’s “Good Lock” system that really unlocks the full capabilities of your phone. This week, Samsung has finally posted a changelog for Good Lock 2022 and the goodies it delivers.
Expand Expanding Close
Amazon’s Fire TV platform is built on top of Android, just like the company’s tablets – this adds a lot of flexibility to the platform, but with its latest update, Amazon seems to be going out of its way to block Android launchers on Fire TV.
Expand Expanding Close
Cellular plans in the US are far from cheap, but there are some good deals out there. Verizon’s Visible has become a favorite by offering one of the best networks in the US, unlimited data, and affordable prices. However, following a recent promotion, some Visible account holders have unexpectedly lost their accounts.
Expand Expanding Close
We’re still several months away from Google actually launching its next flagship phone, the Pixel 7, but details are starting to come out. Following our report on the first Pixel 7 details last week, 3D models of both of Google’s upcoming phones have come out to show off a familiar design.
Expand Expanding Close
The Galaxy S22 ships with its eSIM feature enabled in the United States, and that’s good news for Google Fi, as a coming update will allow the carrier to work without a physical card on Samsung’s latest flagships.
Expand Expanding Close
Vivo-backed brand iQOO just announced its latest flagship, the iQOO 9 Pro with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, super fast charging, and a neat design. Here’s what you need to know.
Expand Expanding Close
Google has announced that, with its upcoming Chrome 100 release, the company will discontinue the “Chrome Lite Mode” feature that has been available on Android for years.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 lineup is being delivered to its first buyers this week, with early pre-orders being delivered around the world. However, some Galaxy S22 Ultra owners are seeing their shiny new phone exhibit a strange display issue.
Expand Expanding Close
The Galaxy S21 FE still sits in a bit of a weird spot given its retail pricing, but it’s a solid phone all around as we concluded in our review last month. However, some Galaxy S21 FE buyers have found since the phone’s launch that the display has a tendency to struggle with its refresh rate from time to time.
Expand Expanding Close
In an effort to shine more of a spotlight on its active creators, YouTube is adding a new feature that highlights when a creator goes live by adding a ring around their profile picture.
Expand Expanding Close
“Twosday” is upon us. February 22, 2022 is a special date on the calendar, because its the one time we’ll see a date that acts as a complete palindrome in our lifetime, and to celebrate “Twosday,” Google has a special Easter egg in Search.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung’s camera app has some features for both the novice and the advanced user, but the Galaxy S22 helped usher in a new “Expert RAW” camera experience. Now, Samsung has confirmed an expansion of the Expert RAW app to more devices.
Expand Expanding Close
The next generation of Wear OS is around the corner, with Google slowly progressing on Wear OS 3 through developer previews. This week, the company has quietly released another emulator image, which shows some progress since the last time we dove in.
Expand Expanding Close
Spotify has been working on its own car hardware for a while, with “Car Thing” having gone on sale last year for a limited number of interested users. Starting today, though, Spotify Car Thing is available to everyone in the US, just in time for a major update to the product.
Expand Expanding Close
The OnePlus 10 Pro still has no US release date, but the phone’s release in China is offering plenty of insight into what to expect. Unfortunately, it looks like durability on the OnePlus 10 Pro may not be ideal – a bend test snapped the phone in half.
Expand Expanding Close
Google’s efforts in the cloud gaming space with Stadia started off with shooting for the stars, but quickly turned to the company shooting itself in the foot with missed expectations. The ideas Stadia had, though, remain pretty great, and now Amazon Luna is adopting one of them with a “Play on Luna” button appearing on Twitch.
Expand Expanding Close
The OnePlus 10 Pro has now been available in China for well over a month, with no signals yet on when the phone is set to make its debut in global markets. However, OnePlus and Oppo have now expanded on the device, with a OnePlus 10 Pro “Extreme Edition” that comes in a “Panda White” finish.
Expand Expanding Close
The battle for growth in the smart TV market continues to heat up, with 2022 expected to be a key tipping point. At this point, it’s up to smart TVs to determine how the market will go, and it seems Roku is going all-in on that, with plans to make its own TVs.
Expand Expanding Close
Following the Super Bowl, we’ve got a bunch of new trailers, content announcements, and more, including the release date for Stranger Things 4 and Google TV’s selection of Valentine’s Day content.
Expand Expanding Close