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
Privacy often feels like an impossibility in the modern age of the internet, as your data is constantly tracked and shared by just about everything you do. That’s why privacy smartphones and privacy-focused forks of Android keep popping up. With the new Punkt MC03, though, I just found the first privacy Android phone I might be willing to try out.
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Google has started the rollout of Android Auto 16.0 this week, but there’s a more pressing issue for some users as a bug is breaking support for message replies.
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YouTube has confirmed a widespread upload issue that delays video processing for upwards of 30 minutes and is also looking for a fix.
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Samsung is reworking its long-standing Bixby assistant this year with AI, and new screenshots are showing off how that will copy from of Google’s AI tools.
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Anker launched a new Nano 45W USB-C charger at CES 2026 that has a couple of clever new features but, sadly, loses one of its best when connected to an Android phone.
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There are a ton of different form factors, features, and designs for Find Hub trackers on Android, but many end up sharing the same core makeup and hardware. But with its new generation of Android Find Hub trackers, “Nimble” is not only delivering some nice designs and form factors, but offering something new in sustainable paper-based batteries.
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IKEA took to CES for the first time ever this year in an effort to show off its new smart home tech, which continues to get better and better, but there’s one big asterisk for Google Home users based on early user impressions.
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Announced at CES 2026 this week, the new 8BitDo Flip Pad is a USB-C controller for Android phones (and iPhones too) that sits on top of your display and seems just perfect for emulators.
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When Google announced support for Apple’s AirDrop through Quick Share on Android, one of the biggest questions was when it might expand beyond the Pixel 10 series. Based on some findings in new Android builds, it seems that the Pixel 9 series is next in line for AirDrop support, though when it might arrive is anyone’s guess.
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During CES 2026 this week, I had a brief minute to try out Samsung’s new Galaxy Z TriFold and, I’ve got to say, this one really takes seeing it in person to really prove just how impressive it is.
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Philips Hue is launching a few new upgrades in 2026, including new “SpatialAware” lighting scenes that more intelligently distribute color through a room.
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Motorola took to CES 2026 with previews of some big announcements including its first book-style foldable, but also tagging along for the ride is a new “Moto Watch” that just can’t help but bring up memories of the Moto 360 that Motorola seemingly refuses to give a second chance.
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Motorola has announced a sequel to the Moto Tag, with the new Moto Tag 2 coming later this year with improved battery life and better tracking in the Android Find Hub app.
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After a few generations of clamshell foldables, Motorola is officially teasing the “Razr Fold” this year at CES, with the device launching later this year with stylus support as a major bullet point.
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At CES 2026, Samsung briefly showed off a new crease-less display panel for foldables that’s seemingly ready for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but it seems it wasn’t supposed to be shown.
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At CES 2026, XREAL has announced a new partnership with Google that will see Android XR act as the foundation of the company’s future hardware plans.
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While most of us think about a portable PC just being a laptop, HP has another idea. Why not just stuff it all into a keyboard? That’s exactly what the HP Eliteboard G1a does.
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Samsung is introducing another new series of Galaxy Book laptops, with the new Galaxy Book 6 series adding more AI features, new Intel chips, and it also ditches a long-time complaint of the 16-inch model’s keyboard too.
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Amazon is rolling out a new Fire TV homescreen redesign that, well, looks a whole lot like Google TV.
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According to new reports out of Korea, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S26 series is set to see a price hike of at least $50 on each model.
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At CES 2026, HP is showing off some new laptops powered by the latest chips including Snapdragon X2 Elite and Intel Panther Lake coming this year.
Oh, and there are some Chromebooks too.
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It’s been a couple of years since Eufy, one of the brands under Anker’s umbrella, first announced it would be making trackers for Android’s Find Hub network, and CES 2026 is the time we’re finally seeing it launch.
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At CES 2026, TCL is launching its new X11 series of TVs with SQD-Mini LED display tech that offers more accurate color and up to 20,000 dimming zones.
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Google TV is finally getting support for Xbox Game Pass, at least on TCL TVs.
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