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
Samsung just launched its first 3nm chip in the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra, and it has its sights on using the same process to launch the Exynos 2500 chip for “flagship products” such as the Galaxy S25 series.
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The OnePlus Open is still the best foldable available to US smartphone buyers and, while its sequel is delayed into next year, the device is getting a gorgeous new “Crimson Shadow” red color variant.
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Google’s Pixel Watch 3 series will once again expand the company’s lineup of straps and bands, and through early leaks we’re getting a first look at the new color options.
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Durability is perhaps the single biggest concern around foldables and, in a new test, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a slightly worrying durability concern.
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Android tablets are often overlooked for software shortcomings, but things have certainly come a long way. As of this week, the OnePlus Pad 2 is now available for purchase as one of the best Android tablets money can buy, and it also brings Android’s best split-screen system for apps along with it.
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Available this Summer in Paris, Google Maps is using AR to help give you a trip back in time to see the history of the city and some of its iconic landmarks.
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Google’s upcoming Tensor G4 chip was never going to be a major upgrade, especially as it’s just a final stop-gap before the arrival of fully custom Tensor chips produced through TSMC. But that doesn’t mean it can’t have a meaningful boost for users, and it seems that will come in the form of improved battery consumption and heat through a better modem within the Pixel 9 series.
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As Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series lags behind the rest of the industry in terms of shaving thickness off of a foldable, Google’s upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold, merely its second-generation device, will be launching as one of the thinnest foldables in the world next month.
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After ripping lyrics away from its free (ad-supported) users last year, Spotify has announced that they’re coming back, but with a monthly limit in place.
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Google’s upcoming Pixel Watch 3 is bringing new features and hardware upgrades, but also new minimum requirements, as you’ll need a slightly newer Android phone to use it.
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Alongside today’s debut of the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, the company is also showing off one of its first AI software upgrades, with the “News Reporter” widget coming to all Nothing and CMF smartphones soon.
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When “Nothing” hit the scene a few years back, many were curious to know how the company settled on its quirky branding. A few years and a few phones later, we finally have the answer in the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, a device that, for lack of a better description, seems entirely pointless.
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We’re likely just a couple of weeks away from the launch of Android 15, at least if we’re assuming new Pixels run on it, and as such, we wanted to take a quick look at how the distribution numbers stand in 2024.
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As the leaks continue, we’re today getting new details about Google’s upcoming Pixel Watch 3 including a better look at the display’s thinner bezels, new features for Google apps, and more.
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Fitness is a key focus of Google’s Pixel Watch series, and now a new leak reveals new Fitbit features for Pixel Watch 3, including a heavy focus on running metrics and tracking.
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Following a metric ton of leaks and rumors, Samsung’s first Android 15 beta missed its first scheduled release date, with the debut of One UI 7 now being thought to be as far as almost a month away from launch.
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Starting back in 2020, Google Maps and Search gained the ability to show the boundaries of nearby wildfires. Now, support for wildfire info in Google Maps and Search is expanding to more countries through Europe and Africa.
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Following the transition to Google Home in recent years, Google has seemingly forgotten about the wonderful Nest x Yale smart door lock, and now that lock is being forgotten yet again with the debut of ADT’s new security system and integrations.
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Robot vacuums and mops have come a long way in a relatively short time, but there are still some problems that face most of them. Two that have been particularly frustrating to me have been mops that simply do not get the job done, and hair getting wrapped around the vacuum brush. With the Narwal Freo X Ultra, both of those problems are completely solved, and now it also finally has Google Home integration.
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Google’s Pixel 8 Pro is a solid smartphone with a great display, but for users sensitive to the PWM refresh rate used on many modern displays, it’s been bordering on unusable. Thanks to a new modification, though, this can be changed.
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One of the biggest changes to Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 6 is that it’s considerably thinner, but the company is still worker on a “Slim” model that’s meant to be even thinner, but reports claim it’s not going quite as far as expected.
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Leaks have been detailing a ton of new details about Samsung’s One UI 7 update, based on Android 15, but the first beta release may be a little further away according to new information.
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Ahead of Google’s August 13 launch event, we’ve learned basically everything there is to know about the Pixel 9 series, but the Pixel Watch 3 hasn’t leaked to the same extent. A new report this week, though, claims that Pixel Watch 3 will get a new type of band, and that the 45mm size won’t work with all bands.
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Ahead of One UI 7’s probably debut this week, Samsung’s new Clock app has appeared with a preview of the company’s updated design language.
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