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
Foldables are becoming more widely available as the technology improves and, inevitably, that brings a wave of more affordable devices. The Blackview Hero 10 was announced earlier this year as one of the first of a wave of cheaper foldables, and I think it answers an important question about foldables.
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Samsung opened up reservations for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 last week and teased that interested buyers could save up to $1,500. But surely that’s too good to be true, right? Well, we’ve got a better idea of what it looks like now.
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In a strange issue, some Google Pixel 6 series owners have noticed that their phones are bricking themselves following an attempt to factory reset the device.
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According to a new rumor, Samsung may end up only releasing bigger tablets in the Galaxy Tab S10 lineup, skipping the smallest option.
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Google’s Pixel phones have never really held up to the competition in regards to using the latest and greatest specs, but the company has been stepping it up in certain areas. After the debut of “Actua” displays on the Pixel 8 series, Google is reportedly looking to use the same Samsung OLED display in the Pixel 9 series as Apple will use in the iPhone 16 Pro.
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Smart glasses are still an idea of the future that hasn’t quite been perfected, but the arrival of generative AI has significantly upgraded what these devices are capable of. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have been viewed by many as one of the best options available today, and now they’re getting some competition in the Solos AirGo Vision, which also happen to integrate Google Gemini support.
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Earlier this week Google made a big, unexpected announcement. The Pixel 9 series is launching in August, almost two months ahead of the usual schedule. Why?
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Tracker tags are a simple idea, but one that’s easy to get wrong. While the failings of Google’s Find My Device network rest largely on Google, it’s equally important to get the hardware right, and that’s where I feel Pebblebee’s Android trackers really shine. For now, they’re the best you can get.
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While we’re looking forward to Samsung’s next batch of foldables, new reports are offering some insight into Samsung’s plans for the Galaxy S25 series including design changes and the possibility of a MediaTek chip.
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Ahead of its launch event on July 10, new leaks are showing off Samsung’s new foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6, in the most detail we’ve seen to date.
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Ahead of an incoming sequel, AAWireless, the original wireless Android Auto adapter, just got a major price cut.
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The Honor Magic V2 has been the thinnest foldable on the market for over a year now, but it seems Honor is preparing to challenge its own record with the upcoming Magic V3.
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Google TV launched a catalog of free channels last year and has been adding to it ever since. Recently, Google has launched a free more free channels, with its total now including over 130 free streaming channels.
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If you’re struggling to upload pictures or send voice messages in WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, you’re not alone. Both services are currently partially down, with an outage breaking picture and video uploads, as well as voice messages.
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OnePlus made up for its terrible first smartwatch with the launch of OnePlus Watch 2 earlier this year and, already, the smartwatch is getting a hardware update that brings LTE and a new design.
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Ahead of their July 10 unveiling, new leaks are showing off the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Watch 7, and Buds 3 in extreme detail.
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Samsung just unveiled a collection of new ISOCELL camera sensors for smartphones, and they could be the successors that end up in future Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel devices.
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Anything outside of a flagship smartphone is an exercise in compromise. Finding the things you can make sacrifices in without ruining the entire experience. That usually makes it tough to focus in on perfecting one particular element, but that’s what Honor has attempted with the new Honor 200 Pro, and it’s done a pretty fine job of it.
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Samsung this week confirmed that July 10 will see the launch of its new foldables, but the leaks haven’t stopped, and now a collection of official cases show off the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 yet again.
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Soon, WhatsApp for Android may be adding support for sending video replies to video messages.
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Verizon has announced that its branding and logo are getting a new look, and alongside that some new perks are coming to customers including better trade-in offers.
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Last night Samsung officially confirmed a July 10 event that will launch the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Flip 6, and more, and the company is also opening reservations which include a $5,000 sweepstakes.
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The TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is one of the best Wear OS watches for battery life, and now it’s getting a new “Slate” color option.
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The Find My Device network for Android was highly anticipated, but has been extremely underwhelming thus far. Google says that improvements are coming, but is also encouraging Android users to allow the Find My Device network to actually work everywhere – here’s how to do that.
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