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
After waiting just shy of a decade, Wear OS users can finally get controls for their Ford vehicle on their smartwatch with the launch of a FordPass app on the platform.
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Samsung’s big One UI 7 update brings a bunch of big redesigns and some new features too, including the somewhat hidden ability to use call recording in the US.
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After being initially revealed earlier this year, the first pair of smart glasses with Google Gemini are hitting the market in the Solos AirGo Vision.
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Earlier this year Walmart launched its first “Pro” streaming box with Google TV, bringing better specs and features, but all for a still-very-low price. Now, the Walmart Onn 4K Pro with Google TV is seeing its first real discount, with the price seeing a pretty good cut.
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It’s been almost two years since Qi2 was announced, but only a single Android phone has used it thus far. Apparently, though, the Galaxy S25 series may end up supporting Qi2.
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After first hitting the OnePlus Pad 2, OnePlus is now starting to bring Android 15 to the first generation of the OnePlus Pad.
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As announced earlier this year, Spotify Car Thing is dead, with all units having officially been disabled as of today.
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According to a new leak, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra won’t see an increase in memory, with 12GB of RAM on its base model.
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The day has arrived, as Verizon has officially shut down its Message+ app on Android in favor of Google Messages, but users aren’t happy about the change, especially as the old app has blocked access to messages entirely.
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It’s been almost two years since Google shut down its Stadia platform, taking with it the purpose the Stadia Controller. However, a conversion tool allowed that excellent hardware to continue to be useful, and now Google has extended the life of that tool for another year.
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YouTube TV is not the affordable cable alternative it once was, but it’s still one of the most well-received Google products in years. Many have worried that another YouTube TV price hike has been on the horizon, and a Verizon ad seemingly confirmed that was coming. However, it’s been confirmed that this was in error.
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Google’s Pixel Tablet never got an official stylus, but new leaks reveal what the “Pen for Google Pixel Tablet” looks like, and some of its features.
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After debuting on Pixel in October, OnePlus has been one of the quickest Android brands to roll out Android 15 to its devices. Here’s the full list of what’s available, and what’s still in store.
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Samsung’s One UI 7 update is huge and, for the most part, pretty good, but there’s some clear influence throughout as Samsung has seemingly been trying to replicate a bunch of features and design traits from iOS. Here’s a list of all of the ways Samsung’s Android 15 update tries to copy iOS.
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The latest smartwatches from Samsung and Google lack support for older watch faces that worked on older Wear OS smartwatches. Here’s why.
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Google has started to recruit a group of “Google TV Advisors” to help gather user feedback on the TV experience and new features.
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One of the clever features of Google Pixel has long been “Now Playing,” a feature that can ambiently recognize music, and it appears Google is working on some new additions including the ability to set a default music app.
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Ahead of its launch sometime next year, Google’s Pixel 9a has surfaced again in another hands-on leak that shows off an alleged prototype.
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Samsung’s next big Android update has finally launched in beta with a huge list of changes and, despite early impressions, One UI 7 actually seems good.
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One of the most polarizing changes in One UI 7 is Samsung’s decision to split the notification tray from the Quick Settings panel. It’s a change that many will hate, but Samsung at least deserves credit for doing it the right way.
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Good news. The app drawer in Samsung’s One UI 7 update scrolls vertically now. Bad news. The app drawer also has a new watermark for Samsung Knox which cannot be turned off.
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Google has updated its policy around Android OS updates on its first two generations of Tensor-powered Pixel devices, bringing two more years of updates to Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7 series, and Pixel Fold.
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A regulatory listing seems to reveal more details around the OnePlus Watch 3, with the updated smartwatch being a little bit thinner, but roughly the same overall size despite having a much bigger battery.
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Google is rolling out an update to Quick Share which aims to streamline the sharing experience by adding QR codes, while Google Drive is improving document scans.
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