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
Ahead of its launch on July 8, OnePlus is showing off the smaller 43mm version of its Watch 3 and confirming a couple of key specs.
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Apple usually doesn’t give Android the time of day, but that’s not stopping the company’s Swift coding language from expanding over to Android app development.
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A patent dispute in Japan has led to Google no longer being able to sell select older Pixel devices, and the company behind it is gunning for newer generations too.
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Following a prior leak that turned out to be false, a newer leak of the Nothing Phone (3) design has surfaced and, perhaps unfortunately, this one is very likely to be legitimate.
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The AI takeover of search continues, with YouTube now testing out a nearly full-screen AI overview page for video search results.
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Google has announced that its Chrome browser will stop supporting a few older versions of Android in the next few weeks.
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Ahead of its launch event next week, Nothing has confirmed that Phone (3) will be launching with the camera feature that was missing from its predecessor, a telephoto lens.
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As a massive heatwave hits the US and temperatures keep cranking up across the Northern Hemisphere, I’ve been thinking about how much better Pixel phones have gotten in the heat, but I’m curious – how is yours holding up?
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According to a new report, Google’s base Pixel 10 is getting a bigger battery and faster wireless charging courtesy of “Qi2.”
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Vivo has announced its latest foldable, the Vivo X Fold 5, which delivers some impressive hardware and, somehow, Apple Watch integration.
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Google is making a change to Android device setup that will prompt users to change their Find Hub privacy settings, hopefully addressing a long-standing shortcoming of Google’s tracker network.
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According to a new report, Samsung seemingly doesn’t have huge expectations for its Android XR headset, with only “around” 100,000 units planned to ship this year.
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The Nothing Phone (3) may not have the chipset many were expecting, but it’s still shaping up to be an enticing new device. In the latest leak, we’re getting a better idea around the battery and charging situation, with Nothing Phone (3) set to beat both Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy flagships in both metrics.
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Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series will reportedly use Snapdragon chips, but ones made by Samsung’s foundry rather than TSMC if a new report turns out to be true.
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According to a new report, Google is finally addressing a long-standing shortcoming of Pixel displays by adjusting the PWM refresh rate on its Pro phones this year, while upgrading the brightness across the board.
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Google TV has taken the focus of Android TV for the most part, including with major OS upgrades slowly vanishing from the older experience. Walmart recently rolled out one of the only Android TV 14 updates to date to some of its older devices, but has since pulled the update.
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Following the wide rollout of Android Auto 14.4 earlier this month, Google has made Android Auto 14.5 more broadly available while also testing not one, but two new versions in beta.
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While Samsung’s upcoming launch event is primary for new foldables, the company is also teasing a new pair of Galaxy Buds called the “Core,” but they’re coming up a lot sooner than the new smartphones.
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In the smart home world, Philips Hue already has some of the more expensive options, and now those prices are going even higher thanks to US tariffs.
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Hopping on board with the ongoing trend, Google has just started selling an Android “shoe charm” that works with Crocs.
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Xiaomi is teasing the launch of the Mix Flip 2 right as Samsung prepares to launch its new foldables, and, despite being a flip phone, it has a bigger battery than both the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and even the Fold 7, for that matter.
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Waymo’s robotaxi service has arrived in Atlanta, and you can now book it through the Uber app.
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The Nest x Yale Lock was a pillar of Google’s smart home for years, and perhaps for much longer than it really should have been. Now, a successor of sorts has finally arrived in the new Yale Smart Lock with Matter, which is also the first “Google Home Preferred” product.
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If you’ve used Google Pay at all in recent weeks, you’re probably more than familiar with the “Pay Later” functionality that has recently rolled out. Now, Klarna and Google Pay have officially announced the functionality.
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