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
Motorola is adding to its “Things” lineup with two new products, the Moto Buds Loop and the Watch Fit, which will release at some point, for some amount of money.
Expand Expanding Close
Motorola just launched the Razr 2025 series, and they remain gorgeous and steadily improving foldables. But more than ever, this latest batch just feels like a collection of vessels for AI.
Expand Expanding Close
Alongside the flagship Razr Ultra, Motorola is launching 2025 refreshes for its base Razr and the Razr+, which are largely unchanged and carry the same price points.
Expand Expanding Close
Motorola’s newest foldable lineup now includes three devices, including a top-tier Razr Ultra that brings considerable upgrades, but also a much higher price point.
Expand Expanding Close
A bug in Android Auto has left the weather card information broken for users, a feature that the majority of users already can’t see.
Expand Expanding Close
Following the Galaxy Tab S10 series earlier this week, Samsung has also released One UI 7 for the Galaxy Tab S9 series.
Expand Expanding Close
After two years of international launches and continuing to move up the calendar, Samsung is reportedly planning an NYC event in “early July” to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7, and presumably some other devices.
Expand Expanding Close
According to newly revealed details in a court hearing, Google’s Gemini AI has around 350 million monthly users, well below that of ChatGPT and even Meta AI.
Expand Expanding Close
Following a prior expansion to Samsung TVs, Microsoft is now bringing an Xbox app with game streaming support on LG TVs.
Expand Expanding Close
The Pebble is coming back, with the new “Core Devices” reboot preparing to launch in the next few weeks, and a neat USB-C adapter now being shown off for the Core 2 Duo.
Expand Expanding Close
After resuming in Korea last week, Samsung has once again fired up the rollout of One UI 7 on various Galaxy devices around the globe. Here’s what you need to know.
Expand Expanding Close
Google TV has updated its Freeplay catalog again, this time adding several more new channels including kids-focused content, one of which is a channel that streams Baby Shark content 24/7.
Expand Expanding Close
Google has moved production of its Pixel phones largely to Vietnam and partially to India over the past several years, but the ongoing US tariff situation is reportedly pushing more production over to India.
Expand Expanding Close
Gmail is rolling out a handy new “Manage subscriptions” page that allows users to unsubscribe from email subscriptions with a single tap, though it appears to only be on Android so far.
Expand Expanding Close
As has become a yearly tradition, Samsung is now offering its last-gen flagship phones, the Galaxy S24 series, as a “Certified Re-Newed” device with prices starting at $620.
Expand Expanding Close
Wireless Android Auto adapters come in a lot of shapes and forms nowadays, but most are not very good at hiding in plain sight. That’s the appeal of a new wireless Android Auto adapter from Ottocast, which is very small and just hides within your car’s standard USB port.
Expand Expanding Close
Old smartphone cases usually end up in the trash, but two brands are collaborating to turn old phone cases that aren’t relevant anymore into discs for the game of disc golf, and one of the first batches includes a bunch of Google Pixel cases.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung’s newest additions to its struggling foldable lineup, a “tri-fold” device and a budget-oriented Galaxy Z Flip FE, are allegedly set to debut in Q4 of this year, a bit later than some expected.
Expand Expanding Close
Nothing’s upcoming CMF Phone 2 Pro is just days away from its full debut, with the device now being revealed in full with a new dual-tone design, as well as a camera that seems a little too good to be true.
Expand Expanding Close
Lenovo’s Legion Tab (Gen 3) only hit the global market a few short months ago, but a new generation is already in the works and has just been shown off for the first time.
Expand Expanding Close
The OnePlus 13T – otherwise known as the “Mini” – is officially launching on April 24 as the company has confirmed some key specs, including the battery size, and shared some initial camera samples too.
Expand Expanding Close
After debuting in beta earlier this month, Google has started the rollout of Android Auto 14.2 to the masses, and with the removal of some confusing strings about “Glasses.”
Expand Expanding Close
Dark mode is something that users wanted for years, and is now a standard option across Android and the vast majority of apps. One useful option in Android is setting dark theme to activate and deactivate based on the time of day, but that’s broken on the latest Google Pixel update.
Expand Expanding Close
Following the reveal of specs and “Razr Ultra” branding yesterday, another new leak shows the new Motorola Razr flagship again, this time with dust resistance and with an underwhelming software support schedule.
Expand Expanding Close