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
While Samsung’s foldable outlook for 2025 is a bit murky, the company is reportedly giving it a strong shot with four foldables in the works including its first “tri-fold” device.
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In the wake of TikTok’s (brief) shutdown over the weekend, Instagram lead Adam Mosseri announced a new “Edits” app coming soon which could serve as an alternative to CapCut on iOS and Android, another ByteDance app that remains banned.
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One of the chief complaints among early foldables has been how thick the hardware is, and it’s been a major focus for manufacturers. With new images of the upcoming Oppo Find N5 and OnePlus Open 2, new records are being teased, and it reveals a device that’s truly jaw-droppingly thin.
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Fingerprint and face unlock are an expected, and crucial part of our modern devices, but after spending some time with the OnePlus 13, I’m reminded of a couple of annoying quirks that OnePlus still needs to address.
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TikTok has posted a shutdown notice in its Android and iOS apps this evening, as the wildly popular social media app faces a US ban that takes effect on January 19.
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AI is a central focus of Samsung’s smartphone efforts nowadays, and the company is partnering closely with Google to leverage Gemini on Galaxy devices. According to a new leak, Gemini may be able to tap into Samsung’s core apps on the Galaxy S25 series including Samsung Notes and more.
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OnePlus has always hinged its devices on value, and that’s been no more true than with the “R” series. Last year’s OnePlus 12R set the tone for the company’s revived “Flagship Killer,” and the new OnePlus 13R continues that with a remarkably solid package that goes up against the base Pixel 9 in a few key ways, but might appeal to a different customer.
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Honey is a widely used browser extension that promises to save users money by hunting down coupon codes. It doesn’t really do that, though, as it was exposed for shady tactics in December. But, despite the blowback, Honey has actually added more users, growing back to 18 million on Chrome alone.
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Wrapping up its Android 15 rollout, Nothing is now rolling out Android 15 to the CMF Phone 1.
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If you’ve ever owned a Galaxy device, you’ve likely heard Samsung’s “Over the Horizon” song as a part of the default ringtone on your device. For 2025 and just in time for the Galaxy S25 launch, Samsung is giving “Over the Horizon” a jazzy reimagining.
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Multitasking on Android has been around for ages, but it hasn’t changed much in a long time. Whether on a phone, a foldable, or a full-size tablet, Android technically only supports running two apps at once unless a skin adds additional functionality. For Android 16, it seems Google is working on a revamp for split-screen mode with support for up to 3 apps at once on tablet displays.
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The Nothing Phone (1) just picked up its stable Android 15 release, which is very likely the phone’s final major Android update.
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OpenAI has added a new scheduling feature to ChatGPT which allows users to automate tasks and set reminders using the AI chatbot.
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Carl Pei’s Nothing is seemingly a big success, as the company has reportedly hit $1 billion in lifetime sales, had a successful 2024, and is eyeing further expansion.
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Samsung’s generous trade-in programs have made it much easier to buy a new Galaxy phone in recent years, and now the company is launching a “year-round” program that will let you “trade in” your Galaxy device even if you don’t intend to buy a new one.
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Recent updates to Waze and Android Auto appear to have broken volume controls, as users are widely reporting problems.
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Google Wallet supports hotel room keys and, soon, an entire chain of hotels from Club Quarters will be adding support for the needed tech.
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Samsung has announced that its Care+ extended warranty service will start to include free screen repairs for Galaxy devices starting in January 2025.
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Samsung and Apple are both preparing to launch new, thinner smartphones in 2025, but it sounds like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 “Slim” won’t match what’s rumored for the “iPhone 17 Air” per a new leak that reveals how thin the device is.
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A sneaky new behavior that Microsoft has implemented in Bing attempts to hide the fact that people are using Bing whenever they try to get to Google.
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Samsung has held the crown of the world’s largest smartphone maker for years, but Apple has been challenging that for a while and, in 2024, the iPhone seemingly dethroned the largest Android maker.
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The Galaxy S25 is set to go official next week, but the leaks keep coming ahead of that. Most recently, quite a few of Samsung’s official Galaxy S25 cases have hit the web via a retailer, offering a preview of what the company will have to offer.
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Some users have been running into issues with SiriusXM on Android Auto for the past few months, but a new update should fix that.
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Google Search has been a dominant force in search for years now, but slowly it seems to be eroding as competitors get better, and as Google Search continues to grow a reputation for being worse and worse at its core job. And, now, Google Search appears to have hit its lowest market share in a decade.
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