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
Following its announcement at MWC 2026 earlier this month, the Honor Magic V6 is now available in China and with an even bigger battery than the global release.
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A strange issue is hitting some early Galaxy S26 buyers, with Google Play Protect certification apparently not working out of the box and, in turn, breaking support for some apps.
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ChromeOS is a very lightweight operating system and, on top of being a solid option for low-end computers, it’s also a great way to breathe new life into an older laptop or computer. A new partnership with Google will make that process even easier with an inexpensive $3 USB stick that can inject outdated machines with ChromeOS.
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In the midst of frankly insane market conditions, Oppo and OnePlus have confirmed plans to raise prices of existing smartphones and other products starting next week.
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Following its announcement last month, Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 series is set to hit store shelves tomorrow and, based on pre-order data, these phones are surprisingly popular in the US market, especially when it comes to the Ultra.
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Google Photos is once again tweaking its search experience, with a new quick toggle rolling out that allows users to swap back and forth between the AI-powered Ask Photos experience and classic search.
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As smart glasses continue to grow in popularity, we’re seeing more options and more features. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are perhaps among the most popular, and a similar pair of smart glasses from Rokid offers a very similar experience, now with Google’s Gemini assistant on call.
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Following its launch last year, AAWireless TWO+ is finally back in stock at Amazon after months not being available.
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Oppo has been teasing a crease-less foldable in its upcoming Find N6 and, now, the company says that the device will be launching globally, and we really hope that’s true this year.
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As AI tools continue to grow in popularity, Google’s Gemini is the fastest-growing one by a huge margin, new data reveals.
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Recent updates to Google Home have delivered a handy new feature for Nest Cam owners which allows you to ask questions and get answers based on Google’s AI watching your home in real-time.
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It’s already Pixel 11 leak season folks, with the first CAD-based renders of the upcoming Pixel 11 Pro Fold having just hit the web to reveal a device that, frankly, doesn’t look all that different.
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Following the March 2026 update for Google Pixel Watch devices, a number of users are reporting that their SpO2 (blood oxygen) and skin temperature readings have vanished from the Fitbit app.
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Compact Android tablets have seen a bit of a revival in the past couple of years as a focus on gaming has taken over. One of the most popular faces to this has been the Lenovo Legion Tab, but there was one option released last year that we felt improved on the idea in some ways, and now that Redmagic Astra is getting a sequel.
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The latest updates have finally delivered full support for the Nest x Yale Lock within the Google Home app, bringing the incredibly popular smart lock into the modern era of Google’s smart home efforts.
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The flagship feature of Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 Ultra is the Privacy Display and, so far, it’s been a great addition to the device. But closer inspection of the Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display shows how it is a bit different compared to a traditional display.
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Smartphone cases are something we all use, but I don’t get why Samsung and Google keep making the same annoying mistake when it comes to their first-party Galaxy and Pixel cases.
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As Samsung doubles down on AI for its Galaxy smartphones, the company says it is “looking into” ways to bring vibe coding into the experience.
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Google Home is rolling out more updates to address ongoing issues with voice commands, with the latest fixes apparently making everything “snappier” and less prone to errors.
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It’s pretty widely known that Samsung is preparing to launch a pair of smart glasses later this year and, speaking at MWC, the company confirmed the tiniest details about its first smart glasses.
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Nothing revealed its new Phone (4a) series yesterday and, in a “blink and you’ll miss it” reveal, the company is bringing the Phone (4a) Pro to the US for the first time – here’s why I’m pretty excited about that.
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Smartphone batteries have been getting bigger and bigger, meanwhile Samsung Galaxy devices have been completely stagnant with the exact same battery size in every Galaxy Ultra phone for the past six generations. Yet, someone just proved just how much bigger the battery capacity can go by doubling the battery capacity of Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold.
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AI tools, love them or hate them, have been a big deal in coding and app development, and Google is now actively testing out what the best tools are for Android app development – here’s the full list.
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Google’s efforts with Pixel phones have been improving over the past few years, to the point where the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series both managed to win “Best Smartphone” awards at MWC in back-to-back years, but the iPhone 17 has taken back the crown this time around.
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