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
We’ve been hearing tidbits here and there around Samsung’s next big Galaxy update, One UI 8.5, but now the whole changelog has leaked, revealing everything that’s new.
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Spotify is rolling out its annual Wrapped for 2025, this time with a new “Party” that compares your listening tastes to your friends.
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Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Buds 4 lineup will give the “base” model a makeover too, as new leaks show off the design and uncover a new physical gesture for activating the “Interpreter” mode.
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Not too long after landing on the Nothing Phone (3), Android 16 (Nothing OS 4.0) is now rolling out to the Nothing Phone (3a) series.
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Google TV has just revealed the most-watched movies and TV shows of 2025 from viewers on the platform, while also rolling out its latest advent calendar.
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Google Chrome for Android is gaining support for pinned tabs, a handy feature from the desktop browser, which makes it easier to keep important pages up.
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Google has removed its longstanding “Call Home” feature from the Google Home app in recent updates, breaking support for starting calls directly to devices such as the Nest Hub Max.
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More details about the upcoming Galaxy Z TriFold have been revealed in a first look video, while Samsung has also confirmed the price of the foldable.
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YouTube is listening to feedback and officially launching “Recap,” its own take on Spotify’s popular Wrapped, which will walk you through a recap of your past year using the platform.
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Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy Z TriFold, which is set to launch in the US early next year.
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Google has shown a lot of love to older Nest products recently in terms of adding new features, but users of older first-generation Nest Cams have been left with an issue that leaves the cameras offline in the Google Home app, with no clear way to fix it.
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In a wild turn of events, Netflix has killed support for Google Cast on the vast majority of products.
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Samsung’s futuristic Galaxy Z TriFold looks pretty incredible, but the big question is still around pricing. There are some rumors going around, but the big question is what would you pay for it?
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The OnePlus 15’s global launch earlier this month came with the asterisk that it wouldn’t go on sale in the US right away, but the needed FCC approval appears to have just come through.
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Black Friday 2025 is in full swing, with many discounts opening up this week. It’s also the best time of the year to get on a streaming service, as major streamers such as Disney+, HBO Max, and Apple TV are all heavily discounted for Black Friday.
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Google is testing a new feature with YouTube that allows users to customize the recommendations that appear in their “Home” feed, seemingly with some level of AI.
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If you’ve been waiting for a good time to swap out your Nest x Yale Lock, Google’s replacement Yale Matter lock is now at the lowest price we’ve ever seen, and Google’s latest Nest Cams are also on sale too.
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On the backs of the Pixel 10 Pro XL and latest iPhones, Qi2 25W has been heralded as the “next big thing” in wireless charging. Yet, it really doesn’t feel worth the effort of seeking it out for two key reasons.
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After going dark in late September, Spanish-language channels from TelevisaUnivision are returning to YouTube TV under a new deal.
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The dust has mostly settled on the YouTube TV deal with Disney, with channels having returned to subscribers and other impacts, such as Movies Anywhere, are also returning to normal. But details continue to come out, and it seems like YouTube TV ended up conceding on some big parts of the Disney deal, namely the price.
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Nothing’s CMF sub-brand often takes the core pieces of a Nothing product and makes that more affordable and, well, colorful too. The new CMF Headphone Pro is no different, but what really stands out to me is that it doesn’t just have the good ideas from Nothing, but a few more of its own.
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Outdoor cameras are perhaps the most useful ones, but they can also be a lot of work to set up. That’s why the new Wyze Window Cam looks pretty intriguing.
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You can already get Pixel phones at a huge discount for Black Friday 2025, but Google is also offering some deep discounts on its official Pixel cases, watch bands, and some other accessories through Amazon.
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Spotify is apparently planning a price hike for its US subscribers in early 2026 following in the footsteps of international price adjustments.
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