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
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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Fake movie trailers are everywhere on YouTube, but now action is finally being taken against some of them after it was publicly revealed that movie studios were cashing in on those videos.
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It’s April Fools’ day, meaning you should be wary of anything you see online. But, alongside its April Fools prank, OnePlus has also confirmed that the OnePlus 13T is launching later this month, and it sure doesn’t seem like a joke.
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The latest Android Auto beta has randomly led to the Google app showing up, but its purpose is unclear.
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Oppo is preparing to launch more devices in the Find X8 series including the smaller and thinner Find X8s as well as its “Ultra” device.
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The Lenovo Legion Tab is one of the first small Android tablets in years that’s actually rather exciting, but it was hard to buy for a while. Now that things have stabilized, Lenovo is offering its first discount on the Legion Tab, but it barely counts following a recent and still-unexplained price hike.
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Thanks to advancements in battery technology, bigger batteries are being found in smaller and thinner Android phones. An upcoming release from iQOO shows that perfectly, with a massive 7,300 mAh battery inside of a device thinner than Google’s Pixel 9.
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Late last year the popular Chrome extension Honey (owned by PayPal) was revealed for employing a few shady tactics, and the extension has since lost around 4 million users on Google’s browser alone.
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If you’re seeing issues installing Google Chrome on Windows right now, you’re not alone, as Google has seemingly broken downloads due to a faulty install tool that “can’t run” on most Windows PCs.
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