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 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.
The smartphone market as a whole is going through some rough times, but Samsung Electronics is now reporting a massive hit with a 95% profit drop in Q1 2023.
The chip market for Android’s flagship smartphones is about to get a new option, as MediaTek has confirmed a May 10 launch for a new “Dimensity 9200+” chip.
The “Made for Google” accessory program is delivering a new charging dock for Google Pixel owners that can charge both your Pixel phone and your Pixel Buds at the same time with a 2-in-1 design.
Motorola is preparing its next foldable smartphones, and as the leaks continue we’re hearing more details. Following leaked images yesterday, new details about Motorola’s next foldables include the “Razr 40” name as well as hints at pricing.
Yesterday the UK CMA passed down its ruling to block Microsoft from finishing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard over concerns on cloud gaming. Despite that, though, Microsoft is apparently continuing its deal with GeForce Now, with plans to bring Xbox games to the service.
Smartphones are entering a new era, with something new appearing alongside the slabs we’ve become so used to. Foldables have shown their worth, and are growing quickly, but on the other side, there are rollable phones, which have yet to hit the market. This week at Motorola’s HQ, I had a chance to try out the Motorola “Rizr” rollable concept, and it really showed the potential of this technology.
Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser is an excellent option for many reasons, but the privacy-conscious might be a little frustrated with a recent discovery. Currently, Microsoft Edge is leaking all of the websites you visit to Bing, but you can turn it off.
After leaking earlier this year, Motorola’s upcoming Razr foldable has showed up online with detailed images showing off the foldable’s large cover display and a slick red/magenta colorway.
One of our favorite features to hit Android over the past few years has been Gboard’s incredibly fun and creative Emoji Kitchen and, now, you can bring that fun into the real-world with a sticker set available for purchase.
Microsoft has been battling it out to gain approval from the UK for its acquisition of Activision Blizzard for months now, but the final decision has not gone its way. The UK has officially blocked the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and the reason boils down to cloud gaming concerns.
The Motorola Razr has leaked several times over the past few weeks in the lead-up to its rumored June launch, and now the company is further teasing a bigger cover display and its size.
Chrome has supported dark mode settings for a few years now, including the ability to sync the toggle to the system you’re running the browser on. Now, Google Chrome is preparing support for following the system dark mode setting of Linux, including Ubuntu.
With the foldable market heating up, Samsung is reportedly planning to bring the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 to the public a bit early, with a reported release date towards the end of July.
After originally only supporting Apple devices, BMW is launching support for digital car keys on Android, starting with devices from Google’s Pixel line and select Samsung Galaxy models.
A new report titled “Chromebook Churn” from the US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund has found that the millions of Chromebooks that flooded schools in recent years are breaking quickly with difficult repairs that lead to e-waste and higher costs.
Samsung was caught up in controversy earlier this year when a convincing test had many folks calling the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s ability to take pictures of the moon “fake.” While that’s not quite the case, Samsung hasn’t really been able to escape that idea, with a new ad campaign for the Galaxy S23 Ultra on Twitter being slapped with a disclaimer.
As Google I/O quickly approaches, this past week has seen an absolute flood of Pixel leaks for the Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and the Pixel Tablet. Here’s everything you might have missed.
The Google Pixel Tablet has leaked quite a bit this week, including some hints at its price. Based on what we know right now, though, how much would you actually pay for the Pixel Tablet?
The Pixel Fold has bezels. As hinted at in previous leaks and now confirmed in the first hands-on one, Google’s foldable will have bigger-than-average bezels along the top and bottom. Here’s why that might not be the worst thing.
We’ve heard a lot about the Pixel Fold over the past week, from its release date down to a full spec breakdown and more. Now, we’re getting a quick look at the Pixel Fold doing its signature move, folding in half.
While Google’s Pixel Fold will be the next big release in the foldable world, it’s not the only one on the horizon. Motorola is also set to unveil a new Razr foldable (or two) in June, and this week the company has officially teased its 2023 release for the first time.