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 first leak of Google’s upcoming Pixel 11a just hit the web, revealing a virtually unchanged design, as well as suggesting that the mid-range device might get a purple colorway.
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Samsung has confirmed plans to shut down its SmartThings Tracker feature that helps users locate Tracker devices, but it’s not the end of the actual tracker functionality.
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Anthropic has confirmed an outage affecting multiple Claude services this morning.
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A partial outage has left the Spotify app in shambles, with core functions not working for many users.
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The floodgates are open. After a delay and staggered starts, Samsung is widely rolling out its Android 17-based One UI 9 update for Galaxy S26 users around the globe, and they’re not alone.
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An issue with Google’s Firebase left thousands of iPhone apps crashing overnight, but a fix has already been applied.
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Nothing is today introducing its new Headphone (1) Pro over-ear headphones which deliver hardware improvements, better ANC, and deeper control over how you can tune the final output.
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OpenAI has scrapped plans to release GPT-6.1 Astra in the next few weeks over concerns that the model is misbehaving.
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“Googlebook” is a weird name, right? That was my personal first takeaway from this new platform, and it seems even Google Search supports the idea that Google should have used something else, as you can’t actually search for “Googlebook” without getting redirected elsewhere.
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TCL has launched a new “Designer Series” of TV sets running Google TV with a flush mount design and matte dispaly to help your TV blend into a room as a piece of art.
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Lenovo today put a spotlight on its Googlebook release, also confirming that initial pricing was incorrect and that the Lenovo Googlebook 15 will, in fact, start at $1,099.
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According to a new leak, Motorola’s upcoming entry in the wide, book-style foldable space may be called “Razr Flex” and pack some very familiar specs.
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Google’s latest Pixel Watch software updates have also transitioned the entire lineup over to the new 3D emoji design also live on Pixel phones in Android 17.
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As Googlebook arrives, Google is offering a bit more information on what Chromebook owners can expect going forward.
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Honor has officially announced its latest flagship in China, with the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max packing powerful specs, upgraded cameras, the latest Snapdragon chip, and confirmed for an global launch later on.
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After a lengthy delay, Samsung is finally rolling out its Android 17-based One UI 9 update for Galaxy S26 users in the US more broadly.
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This week saw the debut of Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips and, with it, the usual onslaught of Tensor hate around Google’s Pixel phones. Personally, I don’t care about those, but new launches around Qualcomm’s event have shown off a lot of other specs I’d much rather see Pixel adopt.
9to5Google Weekender by Ben Schoon is a part of our free newsletter that also includes ‘Inbox,’ a twice-weekly roundup of key stories from around the web by Daniel Bader. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every Sunday along with ‘Inbox’ on Tuesday and Thursday. You can find past issues here.
After a couple of years of relentlessly pushing it, Microsoft is seemingly ending its Copilot+ PC branding for Windows laptops.
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It’s confirmed: The mysterious Motorola phone getting support for the privacy-focused GrapheneOS will be the Motorola Signature 27 that was announced earlier this week.
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If you open Google Messages, you might see a prompt on the main screen to join the “official chat” that delivers a WhatsApp-like thread for official updates on new features.
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After a slight delay, Samsung is rolling out its Android 17-based One UI 9 update to Galaxy S26 owners in the US, though not to everyone just yet.
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Google appears to be pulling the plug on a Digital Wellbeing feature called “Heads up” which is designed to help you stay off of your phone for extended periods of time while walking.
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As its rivals continue to iterate quickly, Google has confirmed that its Gemini 4 flagship AI model is nearing release and that it is coming “as soon as possible.”
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As we spotted earlier this month, Verizon is welcoming a handful of new Motorola phones to its network with the Razr Fold and two Razr flip phones both now available.
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