Information Technology

Maria Diaz/ZDNETFew things ruin the joy of watching a good show more than suddenly seeing that rotating asterisk symbol or swirly icon that tells you your TV is buffering. Or maybe it’s stuttering, or altogether freezing. If this is happening on your Roku TV, don’t give up on it just yet.Also: How to disable ACR on your TV (and why doing so makes such a big difference)Like phones and computers, Rokus have caches that accumulate temporary data, which inevitably slows them down over time. There are simple ways to clear up this hidden clutter and get your Roku TV behaving like its normal, healthy self.Here are a few methods to clear your Roku’s cache, improve its speed, and make shows play smoothly again.1. Start by unplugging it More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe OnePlus 12 may not be the company’s current flagship model, but it remains a solid device. It boasts top-notch performance from its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform and incredibly fast charging speeds. It’s a more affordable alternative to the OnePlus 13, and now is a great time to buy one because the device is currently on sale.Over at the company’s official store, the 512GB OnePlus 12 More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETFor many people, motion smoothing on TVs is only appropriate for gaming and watching live sports; enthusiasts typically prefer turning off the feature to watch anything else because it can detract from the filmmaker’s original intent, making on-screen images seem artificial or hyper-realistic. This is what’s called the “soap opera effect.” Also: How to turn off ACR on your TV (and why you shouldn’t wait to do it)It’s a perfectly descriptive metaphor that probably requires no explanation. You can see it all too well: the cinematic film should not look like a daytime soap; you shouldn’t feel like you’re on the set with the actors. But it is appealing to feel like you’re in the stadium watching your team with thousands of fans. The soap opera effect makes sense for live sporting event broadcasts. More

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysOppo Find X8 Ultra performs better than its Samsung rival in almost every scenario.The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes close in ultrawide camera comparison.Oppo’s flagship has unique features like XPAN mode, Hasselblad color science, and Master mode.The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra houses one of the most versatile camera systems on a mainstream phone, thanks to its two telephoto cameras and an ultrawide sensor coupled with a 200MP primary camera.Also: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. OnePlus 13: I compared the best Android phones, and it was very closeBut the Oppo Find X8 Ultra is equally, if not more, versatile. It has bigger sensors on the four 50MP cameras on its back. Plus, the Oppo flagship is paired with a renewed Hasselblad partnership — for extra features like XPAN mode, better Portraits, and Hasselblad Natural Color Solution, re-engineered for mobile. I was confused about which phone to take on my trip to Sweden, so I took both and compared the results, which are… interesting.Comparing the camera specsCategoryOppo Find X8 UltraSamsung Galaxy S25 UltraMain Camera50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1.0″-type sensor, 1.6µm, OIS200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, OISTelephoto 150 MP, f/2.1, 70mm (periscope), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, 3x optical zoom, OIS10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, 3x optical zoom, OISTelephoto 250 MP, f/3.1, 135mm (periscope), 1/1.95″, 0.8µm, 6x optical zoom, OIS50 MP, f/3.4, 111mm (periscope), 1/2.52″, 0.7µm, 5x optical zoom, OISUltrawide Camera50 MP, f/2.0, 15mm, 120˚ FoV, 1/2.75″, 0.64µm50 MP, f/1.9, 120˚ FoV, 1/2.5″, 0.7µm,Oppo and Samsung flagships are some of the best phones of 2025. Both sport four rear cameras, but the Find X8 Ultra houses bigger sensors on three of those. It is led by a 1-inch-type 50MP main sensor, which snaps better quality photos than Samsung’s 200MP primary camera. But it’s the rest of the sensors that help it take the lead. The 10MP 3x optical zoom Samsung telephoto camera stands no chance against Oppo’s 50MP 3x optical zoom supported periscope camera, while it competes closely in ultrawide shots and 50MP secondary 5x (6x on Oppo) periscope zoom photos.Also: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. OnePlus 13: I compared the best Android phones, and it was very closeThere’s no doubt that the Find X8 Ultra has a better camera package than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, thanks to its bigger sensors and Hasselblad color science. But it can also be inconsistent at times, giving the edge to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. Here’s how the two compare in my vacation photos.It’s all about the color science More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETOnePlus is holding a new Back to School sales event for its most recent flagship phone, the OnePlus 13. Right now, you can buy the 256GB OnePlus 13 More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysUnplug at 100%, keep battery between 20% and 80%.Avoid draining to 0%; store unused tablets at 50%.Use certified chargers to prevent stress and overheating.As someone who uses a tablet daily, I’m constantly looking for ways to make its battery last longer. However, some habits you don’t think twice about could actually be hurting your battery over time. There are ways to extend your tablet’s battery life, and there are some things you should avoid that do the opposite.Also: These 7 common household items were draining power all day – until I pulled the plugMost tablets offer six to eight hours of use on a single charge, though battery life diminishes with age and continued use. While there are many things you can do to conserve battery life, here are the ones you should avoid to ensure your battery’s longevity. 1. Leaving your tablet plugged in overnight This isn’t always a problem with newer tablets, but most tablets on the market will suffer from being left plugged in overnight. Tablets typically charge to 100% and stop using electricity. However, leaving your tablet plugged in can cause it to continue trickle-charging to keep the battery full, which can stress the battery over time and diminish its lifespan. Instead, unplug your tablet when its battery reaches 100%. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to keep your battery charged between 20% and 80%. Also: Why I recommend this Samsung tablet over pricier models – especially the UltraLike all the common charging mistakes we make with our tablets, leaving it plugged in overnight once or twice won’t permanently damage it. Battery damage happens when these incorrect practices become a habit and are followed often. 2. Letting the battery drain to 0% (and forgetting it) More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETSamsung phones are well known for One UI, one of the most functional and intuitive Android interfaces. While it’s highly customizable, these phones often come with preinstalled bloatware. Some built-in Samsung apps, such as Wearable and Wallet, are useful within the Samsung ecosystem. However, there are at least five first-party apps that even dedicated Samsung users rarely touch.The preinstalled bloatware apps can vary by device, price, and lineup, but many are common across all Galaxy phones. While you might not be able to uninstall all of them, they’re easy to disable and can be re-enabled if you ever need them.Also: Samsung makes new $120 offer to Galaxy Z Fold and Flip 7 users – how to redeem for freeWhile these apps aren’t necessarily useless or mindless bloatware, every user’s needs differ. If you’re not using them, it’s a good idea to uninstall or disable such Samsung apps to save memory and reduce background battery usage. More

Pakpoom Makpan/Getty Images ZDNET’s key takeaways GitHub Copilot Pro now supports GPT-5 in VS Code. A 30-day trial lets you test premium models for free. Add your OpenAI key to bypass Copilot restriction. GPT-5 is now available for use with Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot in VS Code. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps […] More