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
Chromebooks have been in a really weird place for the past few years, and its future is extremely uncertain. Front and center of it all is the current flagbearer for ChromeOS, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14. After using it for the past couple of months, it’s a fine laptop, but one that sits in limbo.
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The Mobvoi TicWatch series has produced some memorable Wear OS smartwatches, both in terms of value and hardware advancements, but the company seems to have thrown in the towel altogether.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra series is the best the company has to offer, but the 2025 refresh was underwhelming to say the least. According to a new report, though, Samsung is planning a proper sequel, though one that might not be called “Galaxy Watch Ultra 2,” for 2026.
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According to a new report, Samsung is working on its own first-party Qi2 25W wireless charging dock for the Galaxy S26 series, which is expected to finally natively adopt Qi2 magnets.
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Samsung, as the first-mover in the foldable market, always held a strong position in the market, but it’s no secret that prior generations were putting the company on a path to second place. Following the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, though, Samsung has reestablished its dominance over the foldable market according to the latest numbers.
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Code within some Google apps suggests that the Pixel Watch series is not only taking notes from the Apple Watch with new pinch gestures coming, but also reviving a lost but not forgotten Android Wear gesture.
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Amazon’s Alexa+ is starting to roll out some of its more advanced features, including a new option on Fire TV that lets you skip straight to a specific movie scene with just a voice command and a brief description.
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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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