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
OnePlus is fresh off of the global debut of the OnePlus 15 earlier this month, but is already teasing its next release, the OnePlus 15R, as well as a new smartwatch.
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YouTube’s latest test is preparing support for direct messages where users can share videos with each other and have conversations.
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Google’s Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series phones are about to be the first smartphones to work with satellite SMS functionality on Orange, a carrier in Europe.
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YouTube TV is reportedly going to “be ready” to launch a new “lower-cost sports bundle” sometime next year following its new deal with Disney, but with MLB.TV missing from the picture.
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Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are likely due to be released next year, but early software leaks are revealing more details about the upcoming earbuds.
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Google TV devices have a new remote option that uses indoor light to ensure it “never runs out of power.”
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Google has released its Sans Flex font freely for download, allowing anyone to use the font that’s found on many Google products.
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The revamped Google TV homescreen is more widely rolling out to users.
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Google Maps for Android Auto is picking up some new features for EV owners, with new filters in the works for charging speed and payment method when you’re searching for a charging station.
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A widespread Cloudflare outage this morning has led to many websites not working properly, with many unable to load up at all.
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Leather bands have been a bit of a no man’s land for the Pixel Watch, but Nomad delivered one that’s not only better than Google’s but not as expensive, and it’s now on sale for even less.
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Amazon has confirmed that it’s not giving up on Android for its Fire TV lineup just yet, implying that its new Vega OS might focus mainly on low-end or low-power devices.
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Samsung has just launched a new wireless keyboard for Galaxy devices, with the “Smart Keyboard” including a dedicated button for launching AI services.
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YouTube TV is a pricey service, but it seems increasingly likely that more flexible packages are planned, and Google’s new agreement with Disney makes that all the more clear.
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I’m not really a huge fan of modern AI. For the past couple of years, it’s just been shoved into everything online, and usually not for the better. Google, though, has really hit its stride lately in finding incredible, out-of-the-box ways to use AI to just make things better, and there are a couple of key examples of this.
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A support page on Lenovo’s website was recently highlighted as showing the limitations of Android PCs ahead of Google’s formal debut, but Lenovo has confirmed that the page has nothing to do with that effort, and also removed it.
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After nearly two weeks of channels being dark, YouTube TV and Disney have officially settled on a new deal which will last multiple years, and has already brought ESPN and ABC channels back online.
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While Android’s Find Hub network still has plenty of deficiecies in terms of actual performance, the hardware continues to improve. Recently, Pebblebee introduced its Gen 5 series with new Card and Clip trackers, and they continue to raise the bar on hardware quality.
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New evidence reveals that Google is working on some form of NFC-based contact sharing on Android, similar to iPhone’s “NameDrop,” but it’s very early days.
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Qi2 has been absolutely my favorite upgrade for the Pixel 10 generation, and that’s largely because it opens up a new world of accessories. One of the best I’ve tried is a neat 5-in-1 charging dock from Baseus that lets you power up your Pixel 10 easily, while also having power for anything else right on hand.
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Tesla has among the most popular electric vehicles on the market, but the company has always avoided support for Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay. Now, Tesla is apparently considering a change, but ignoring Google’s side.
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While it’s still not widely available, the Google TV homescreen redesign is rolling out to more users. Here’s a closer look at what’s changed.
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NBC has announced a new NBC Sports Network that will debut first on YouTube TV before expanding elsewhere.
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Over six years after the last hardware release, Nvidia Shield TV continues to get updates, this time with the 9.2.2 upgrade rolling out with some quality-of-life improvements.
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