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
Last year, Eufy announced plans to launch its SmartTrack item trackers for Android’s Find My Device network, but the company quietly seems to have scrapped those plans.
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While hardly anyone used the features, Samsung’s decision to remove remote features from the S Pen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra has been met with vocal criticism. Now, as previously confirmed, Samsung has removed a misleading reference to Bluetooth S Pen for the Galaxy S25 Ultra which isn’t actually coming.
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Thanks to changes to the Qi2 specification, smartphone cases can now be “certified” as Qi-compatible “devices.”
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Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 sounds like it won’t make major changes, at least to the camera, according to the latest leaks.
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Remember Pebble? The smartwatch that started it all has been discontinued for the better part of a decade, but Google has just opened up the source code for Pebble OS to help keep those devices alive, and build new ones too.
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An update to Android Auto is now rolling out that centers the map in Google Maps.
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Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra brings quite a few upgrades, but also removes the Bluetooth-enabled remote features of the S Pen. And, no, you can’t bring them back by just using an older S Pen.
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According to a new report, Google’s Pixel 9a will see a price hike after all, but only if you opt for more storage.
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Google is toying with a new setting that would allow users to swap Android’s double-tap power button shortcut that currently opens the camera to instead open Google Wallet and other wallet apps, and it could debut in Android 16.
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As it seeks further growth, Nothing is teasing its first product launch of 2025 which is probably the Nothing Phone (3) or Phone (3a), now expected to see a launch date in March.
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Despite offering some magnetic accessories, Samsung hasn’t spent any time talking about the Galaxy S25 series being ready for Qi2. Yet, the Galaxy S25 series is the first set of smartphones with Qi 2.1 support, but without any upgrades to charging speed.
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This week, Samsung launched its new Galaxy S25 series and, in so many ways, it’s just a slightly newer version of the same thing. From the perspective of someone who’s job is to talk about these devices, it’s getting really boring, yet these devices still continue to sell. So, are you actually happy with these devices?
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After selling out in barely 48 hours when it launched earlier this month, Lenovo has re-stocked the Legion Tab, its small yet powerful Android tablet.
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Samsung has been leaning heavily into trade-in deals for years now, and the offers for its latest Galaxy S25 series are significantly better than the last generation. Here are the highlights, and how to get an additional $50 off.
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Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 series is unsurprisingly not particularly colorful, but what’s more annoying than that is the new naming scheme the company has gone with which leave truly bizarre descriptions of the various colors at the very least, and feel like a failed attempt to capture the charm of past Pixels.
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Oppo’s upcoming Find N5 foldable is the basis for a future OnePlus Open sequel, and it’s thankfully fixing one of my biggest complaints about the original.
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Samsung has made a change to the S Pen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra which removes remote control features that have been in place for years, and the reason is because essentially no one was using those features.
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Following its launch earlier this month, a new software update is now rolling out to OnePlus 13 which delivers improvements to the already-great camera, as well as adding a new AI feature to the mix.
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Battery health is becoming a more crucial part of smartphones as support timelines grow, and one helpful point of reference is the ability to see how many cycles your battery has gone through. Google Pixel phones added a battery cycle count last year, and now Samsung is adding the same functionality to Galaxy S25.
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Nearly a decade late, Samsung has finally started supporting Android’s Seamless Updates feature, including on its new Galaxy S25 series.
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Notifications are a key part of any device, and they can really make or break an experience. With its One UI 7 update that debuted on the Galaxy S25 Ultra this week, Samsung has decided to adjust lock screen notifications in a way that makes them effectively useless.
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After teasing its debut late last year, Samsung has offered a public look at its upcoming Android XR headset, “Project Moohan,” at its latest Unpacked event.
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Samsung has officially confirmed that the Galaxy S25 series will be using the Snapdragon 8 Elite from Qualcomm in all regions, and with satellite connectivity too.
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First unveiled at CES earlier this month, Google TV has announced that it will begin rolling out an experimental feature, “News Briefs,” which is powered by Gemini.
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