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
Apple’s first foldable is here and, shocker, it didn’t exactly reinvent the foldable, but the iPhone Duo did get some of the most important aspects right, and will give the Android side of the conversation some things to work on too.
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Dbrand is definitely best-known for its flashy skins and bombastic personality, but the company is now launching a more subtle brand in “MNML,” aiming to offer dead-simple cases that are comfortable and have good quality. These are available for the latest Pixel 11 Pro phones and, in person, they certainly get the job done.
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Life with USB-C is great, except for the one nagging problem that’s been there since the beginning – you never really know what you’re getting. While it’s not quite the “Wild West” anymore, I was thrilled to see that someone finally made a collection of USB-C cables that not only do what they say they’ll do, but literally have their specs printed on the cable itself.
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Following some past leaks, another new report reveals basically everything about the upcoming “Lenovo Googlebook 15” including its full specs, but without a price tag.
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As new legislation in Australia aims to let users opt out of the algorithmic nature of modern social media, Instagram’s Adam Mosseri has said that the experience of a chronological feed is “much worse.”
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Walmart has the best deals in Google TV with its Onn series and, right now, a relatively wide restock has brought the Onn 4K Pro back for many not long after Google TV Streamer saw a pretty major price hike.
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Trackers like Apple’s AirTag have been a great piece of added utility to the mobile ecosystem, and every option has a slightly different look and feel. Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag 3 is rumored to be launching soon and, thanks to a pair of leaks, we know exactly what to expect.
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Word has been out on a new pair of open-ear Galaxy Buds from Samsung and, now, a detailed leak shows off the design as well as some of the features of “Galaxy Buds On.”
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Following a more affordable pair of over-ear headphones that launched earlier this year, Nothing is reportedly gearing up to launch “Headphone (1) Pro” later this month.
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YouTube is starting its fourth season as the home of NFL Sunday Ticket and, ahead of Week 1 games, an overview of availability and pricing has been detailed, including a big discount for new customers.
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Available as a part of Android 17, Google is making wireless debugging a whole lot more reliable with ADB Wi-Fi 2.0.
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Magnetic battery banks aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s hard to argue with the convenience factor they deliver. Samsung’s camera design already makes these difficult on Galaxy devices, but Galaxy Z Fold 8 only makes matters worse with a short form factor that leaves battery banks hanging way over the edge. iPhone Duo might help matters here, but the same old problem remains.
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Sony has detailed what’s new in its Android 17 update, but only five Xperia phones are going to be getting it as of now.
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While we’re still waiting on Samsung’s first Android XR glasses to arrive, an update on the first pair with a color display has found its way online, hinting at a launch sometime towards the end of next year.
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Motorola hasn’t had a proper flagship in the US in quite some time, but a brief appearance of “Signature 27” hints that might change in the coming months.
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Apps have always been a problem for foldable displays and, while they’ve gotten a lot better, there’s always room for improvement. Apple was already going to hold an advantage here, as we’ve previously discussed, but a moment during the iPhone Duo’s unveiling sticks out – Apple made fun of how Android foldables sometimes letterbox apps on the inner display, but it turns out that iOS does exactly the same thing.
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The Pixel Tablet is done, as Google has officially pulled the plug on the slate by entirely deleting the listing on its store.
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Samsung is apparently of two minds when it comes to reacting to Apple’s first foldable device, with some interesting reactions to the iPhone Duo’s unveiling, calling the device “a Sims sequel” and “reheating our leftovers.”
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Apple did the thing. The first foldable iPhone has arrived with the new iPhone Duo delivering a pretty compelling package for interested foldable customers who don’t want to give up on iOS. It also addresses a durability gap that few others have managed with IP68 protection but, like Pixel 11 Pro Fold, that’s only a temporary rating for the iPhone Duo.
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Honor has officially shown off its next flagship, the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max, which has a pretty familiar-looking design, a massive camera powered by ARRI, and a release date that’s mere weeks away.
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Samsung has a killer deal on its Galaxy Z Fold 8 foldable, with a new discount taking the price down to $1,599 with a free Galaxy Watch included in the deal, though there is one slight catch.
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Samsung has been pushing the foldable market ahead for several years now and, arguably, makes some of the best foldable devices out there. But Apple is about to make its long-awaited debut with the first iPhone foldable, and Samsung has some advice.
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Dbrand is launching a new brand, “MNML,” which is built around offering thinner, subtle cases for popular smartphones including select Google Pixel models.
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Xiaomi has a new flagship Android tablet incoming, with the Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max packing a huge display and battery with Android 17 out of the box.
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