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
The OnePlus 13T is launching later this month with a smaller display, but it also ditches the Alert Slider as OnePlus has confirmed in its latest teaser.
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Nothing is hot off of the release of the Phone (3a) series last month, and is now teasing the arrival of four more new products later this month from its CMF brand including the “CMF Phone 2 Pro.”
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The One UI 7 rollout is finally off to the races, but many users are still going to be waiting a while. In its latest post, Samsung has revealed a schedule for One UI 7 that includes nearly 50 more Galaxy devices to be updated over the next couple of months.
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Right on schedule, Samsung has started the One UI 7 rollout for Galaxy S24, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 6, with more devices to come.
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Foldables have improved drastically since their full debut in 2019, but Samsung has been stagnating on progress for quite a while now. That’s why I can’t explain why I still enjoy the Galaxy Z Fold 6 so much, especially after having spent a lot of time with some of the best foldables the market has to offer.
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Samsung’s Android 15 update, One UI 7, has been heavily delayed, with the stable rollout only due to start next week – a whopping six months after Google first finalized Android 15. Things appear to be moving much faster for One UI 8, though, with Samsung’s Android 16 update reportedly set to debut alongside the company’s next generation foldables.
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Google’s Android Auto platform is constantly evolving, adding new features and changing others. For some users, a handy new option seems to have been made available with the option to press a readily available button to exit back to your car’s infotainment system.
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Samsung has promised that its long-awaited rollout of One UI 7 will start on April 7, but the beta isn’t done just yet, as the Galaxy A55 has just joined the party.
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Walmart has a new “Onn 4K Plus” streaming device on the way, and the hardware seems like it’s going to fill a gap left by the death of the Chromecast.
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Last month Google announced that Android Auto would now allow users to play select Android games on their car’s display, but the requirement to do so is not what we initially thought.
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The CMF Phone (1) from Nothing was a surprising release last year with its affordable price tag and overall stellar experience. Now, the CMF Phone (2) is being teased with a potentially questionable change.
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Following a last-minute delay, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is reportedly set for a new launch date of May 13.
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The OnePlus 13T – the brand’s “Mini” device – is coming later this month, and OnePlus has just confirmed the device will have a small screen, a huge battery, not be too heavy either.
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It was revealed this week that Samsung’s upcoming ultra-thin smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge, has been hit with a considerable delay, and now a new report hints that it could be a bigger problem than initially thought.
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Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold was a drastic improvement over its predecessor, and simply an excellent foldable when it debuted last year. One of the only core complaints, though, was the downgraded camera hardware compared to the rest of the company’s “Pro” phones. According to a new leak, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will still not quite match the rest of the Pro series, but it’s still apparently getting a camera upgrade.
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A telephoto camera has been expected for Google’s base Pixel 10 following prior leaks, but a new report now suggests that the main camera sensor will also end up seeing a downgrade.
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Last month Google announced a new “AI Mode” for Search, and now Microsoft has rapidly rolled out “Copilot Search” on Bing, which largely does the same thing.
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Lenovo’s Legion Tab series continues to pump out more small but powerful Android tablets for gaming, with the company reportedly gearing up to launch another 8.8-inch device that’s powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite.
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The smart glasses revolution is coming, with Meta reportedly planning to launch its first pair with a display later this year with Android at its core.
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The Galaxy S25 Edge has been rumored to launch in April for quite some time now, but the thin smartphone has apparently been hit with a delay at the last minute which could push the release date back to May or June of this year.
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Google is rolling out the Android Auto 14.0 update to more users after initially releasing it in beta.
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After countless leaks, rumors, and early retail listings, Samsung has finally officially announced the Galaxy Tab S10 FE series, with the company’s two latest tablets offering display sizes missing from the lineup until now, and a welcome starting price too.
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OnePlus has always been pretty good when it comes to its official cases, but that took on new importance with the OnePlus 13 as the brand skipped over Qi2 and instead put magnets into its first-party cases. The “Wood Grain” OnePlus 13 case is a standout among the lineup, but some users have run into issues with it in that it’s not easy to come off.
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Samsung is reportedly looking to use new battery tech in its wearables – including Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring – as soon as later this year which would provide improved “energy density.”
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