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
Earlier this week Apple released its latest app, Apple Invites, as a clever combination of iCloud services for digital event invitations. Apple Invites is a great idea, but one that I can’t help but feel like, with products like Calendar, Gmail, and Photos at the ready, Google could have done better.
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Android may soon pick up a new option to send a notification to users after an automatic time zone change update.
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Following the brief ban of TikTok in the United States, the popular app is now available for direct download as an APK while it remains blocked from the Google Play Store.
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A leaked roadmap offers insight into OnePlus’ upcoming releases, including the OnePlus “13T” which is reportedly the name of the brand’s “Mini” smartphone.
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It’s rumored that OnePlus will be launching a OnePlus 13 “Mini” sometime this year with a smaller display, but it apparently won’t give up too much in the camera department with the latest reports claiming a 50MP primary sensor as its main camera.
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It was reported that Amazon would be shifting its Fire TV lineup away from an Android base, but it seems that’s at least being put off for a while longer as the company has hinted at a new Android 14-based build.
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Years after the last Pebble smartwatch hit the market, Pebble OS is now open source and new smartwatches are in the pipeline. In a new blog post, revived efforts to get Pebble OS running on updated hardware has already produced its first fruits.
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Ahead of its next smartwatch hitting the market, OnePlus has just announced a new “Health Laboratory” which aims to boost the brand’s health and wellness tech going forward.
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A leaked memo from Meta reveals the company’s plans to launch quite a few new wearable products in 2025, presumably largely focusing on glasses and headsets.
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As we near the launch of the Oppo Find N5 later this month, Oppo isn’t slowing down with teasers, this week showing off the near-invisible display crease on its new Find N5 foldable (which services as the basis of the OnePlus Open 2) while subtly mocking Samsung’s crater-by-comparison.
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After months of waiting, Google’s official Pixel 9 Pro Fold case is back in stock at the Google Store.
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The first major and widely available Nvidia Shield TV update released in over two years is now rolling out to users, and it brings a ton of bug fixes among other tweaks.
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Sony has just announced that, for select cameras, a new option will be available to send photos directly into Adobe Lightroom as well as Google Drive.
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Samsung’s flagship smartphones don’t live nearly in the same vein they once did. They’re not as flashy, they’re not industry-leading in essentially anything, and they’re not cheap either. But, after two weeks with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it’s hard to deny that, no matter who you are, you might like this phone a lot more than you expect to.
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Shared calendars on Google Calendar are incredibly useful, but one small oversight was made with sharing. Now, Google Calendar is rolling out an update that makes it easier to see who else has access to a shared event.
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Following up on the ROG Phone 9 series released last year, Asus is not debuting a more affordable ROG Phone 9 FE that runs on last year’s chip.
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Available now, YouTube TV is offering subscribers an extended free trial to Starz for 30 days.
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An issue with Android Auto support in the TomTom Go app leaves in-car support virtually unusable, but a fix is coming.
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Last month, Google released an unexpected Pixel 4a update which was related to undisclosed battery concerns, and as it turns out, the update apparently cuts usable charge by over 40%, along with some feature removals.
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Google’s Find My Device network hasn’t seen much in terms of new hardware, but a clever new tracker, the “PhotoTag,” is on its way with a built-in e-ink display and more.
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After removing the feature late last year, the latest Fitbit app updates have restored support for Google Cast for workout videos.
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Apple just launched its latest app, Apple Invites, which allows for a quick and easy way to send out invitations to an event. But, how does that work for an Android user? We’ve tested out how Apple Invites will work for Android users, and it’s surprisingly well done.
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Google’s upcoming Pixel 9a is shaping up to be a solid affordable Pixel device, but according to a new leak, it won’t come with the free Gemini Advanced perks that are included with other Pixel devices.
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In preparation for One UI 7, Samsung is rolling out a new update to its Galaxy Buds 3 Pro companion app which revamps the control widget to match the company’s updated style.
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