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
One of Google’s upcoming AI features is “Ask Photos” in the Google Photos app which will allow users to quickly gather information from their photo library using generative AI. The feature hasn’t started rolling out yet, but we’ve got a quick look at how the feature will look within the app.
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Ahead of new features (and hardware), ADT has updated its ADT+ app with better support for Nest camera feeds and some design upgrades.
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According to a reliable source, Samsung is set to use a flagship MediaTek chipset across its range of Galaxy Tab S10 tablets.
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Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are solid foldables, but when you look at the competition, it quickly becomes clear that Samsung is lagging behind. According to a new report, though, Samsung is pushing for an “extra-slim” foldable that’s just as thin as a regular smartphone.
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After the Nothing Phone (2a) turned out to be a hit, the company is now launching a “Plus” variant later this month.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Ring looks like a pretty compelling health wearable, and it also seems like customers like it. Within a couple of days of its launch, the Galaxy Ring had sold out, but Samsung has just made it available for pre-order yet again.
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Google Maps, like Waze, supports user-based reports of incidents such as crashes, road conditions, and police speed traps, and support for that functionality is finally showing up on CarPlay.
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Eve, formerly a smart home brand almost exclusively focused on HomeKit, is leveraging Matter to launch a new version of its “Smart Weather Station” which will be able to show the current temperature and other data within the Google Home app.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series was once on the bleeding edge of foldable tech, but it’s been far outpaced. As evidence of that, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is still using the same battery that’s so old and small that an upcoming foldable flip phone just beat it by a healthy margin.
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One of the key points of appeal for Android Auto and CarPlay is the ability to control media from music and podcast apps, but both platforms currently ignore the car’s built-in radio. Soon, though, that may change.
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Live Activities are a really cool, but underused feature of iOS. Google Maps first announced that the app would support Live Activities back in 2023, but it’s still not arrived. However, after some tests went live earlier this year, we’re seeing more users reporting the feature is live.
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The flip phone foldable has become one of the most popular form factors for the technology, but not every brand offers an option. This week, Xiaomi is preparing to launch its first flip phone, with a teaser for the Mix Flip revealing its stunning design.
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The Galaxy Z Fold 6 launched last week to middling reception, but Samsung may have a better version in the pipeline, but the “Ultra” and/or “Slim” model may end up limited only to two countries.
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Two months after its debut on iOS, Anthropic has debuted the Claude app for Android.
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Android 15 itself is shaping up to be a pretty middling upgrade, but it sounds like Samsung may have some bigger updates in store, according to a known tipster.
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Google has quietly disabled the At a Glance watchface complication on Pixel Watch for customers in Germany.
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One of YouTube TV’s biggest competitors, Sling TV, is adding 4K streaming for the first time starting with the 2024 MLB All-Star Game and the Paris Olympics.
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Amazon Prime Day is in full swing and, with it, countless deals on electronics. With that, you’ll probably also see plenty of big discounts on Android tablets that are just too good to be true, but don’t fall victim to any Prime Day discounts that aren’t worth your hard-earned dollar.
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Samsung has dominated the smartphone market for a while now, and the company is still sitting on that throne. However, Xiaomi is quickly closing in on Apple’s #2 spot on the global market.
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The OnePlus Watch 2 is a stellar Wear OS smartwatch, but apparently, it was overpriced. Today, OnePlus has announced the OnePlus Watch 2R, a $229 smartwatch that, from everything we can see, is effectively exactly the same as the device that launched a few months ago.
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Google’s upcoming Pixel 9 series keeps on leaking, with a new video on TikTok offering a quick look at the camera, including that it is still maxing out at 30x zoom.
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AI Overviews are continuing to show up less and less in Google Search, with a new report finding they’re appearing in less than 10% of search queries.
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After launching its budget-friendly CMF Phone 1 last week, Nothing has also released 3D files that can be used to create 3D printed accessories, among other things, for the device.
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Essential went under in 2020, with the company having only launched the PH-1, it’s first smartphone. But there were plans for a second device from Essential known as “Gem,” and now someone has sold a unit, offering insight on some new details about the device.
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