IR blasters used to be a common component in smartphones , with flagship products from Samsung , OnePlus , and TCL give users access to the nerveless feature . telephone set equipped with IR blaster can be used as a worldwide remote for your other electronics , making it easy to control your geartrain without the need for their nonpayment comptroller , which might be clunky and unintuitive to habituate — or just easy to lose .
tight ahead to today , and attempting to find a smartphone with an IR blaster is shockingly difficult . What was once common engineering science is now relegated to just a handful of smartphones . You wo n’t find any iPhones or Galaxy telephone with IR blasters , but that does n’t mean you have to settle for a poorly review smartphone if you ’re concerned in the tech . You will , however , credibly take to look at devices from OnePlus or Xiaomi , as they ’re the two key histrion still churning out powerful smartphones fit out with IR blasters .
In case you ’re unfamiliar with these brands , we ’ve rive together the five best phones with IR chargeman to help you narrow down your options . Most of these options are unsecured and should function with the legal age of carriers , though we ’d advocate contacting your provider if you ’re not certain they ’ll be supported . We ’d also recommend looking into peregrine apps for your TV or other electronics , as these apps might let you turn any smartphone into a outside control without the need for an IR blaster .
determine you do n’t need an IR chargeman and would rather have a flagship from Apple or Samsung ? Check out our listing of thebest smartphones of 2024for more peachy options .
Best overall phone with IR blasters
OnePlus 13
The OnePlus 13 is n’t just our good overall telephone set with an IR blaster , it ’s also one of themost interesting smartphones this yearso far .
Clocking in at under $ 1,000 , there ’s a lot to love about theOnePlus 13beyond its terms tag . Its conception is just stunning , particularly in the Midnight Ocean colour , with a supersoft vegan microfiber back gas a grippy textured finish . It ’s more than just good looking , though , with an telling IP68 / IP69 rating guarantee it can withstand jets of hot piddle and Crystal Shield Ultra Ceramic Glass to protect the display against drops and scratch .
talk of the display , it ’s a 6.82 - inch panel with variable 120Hz refresh rate , 4,500 nit peak luminosity , 3,168 x 1,440 resolution , and a unique OnePlus characteristic that allows you to use the covert with pissed work force . The OnePlus 13 is powered by Qualcomm ’s recent Snapdragon 8 Elite chip , for snappy , buttery fluid performance , and wo n’t overheat even when playing the most graphically intense games .
You also get two - day battery life thanks to the 6,000mAh battery , with support for 100W dissipated charging using OnePlus ' charger , which you ’ll unfortunately necessitate to buy severally . A partnership with Hasselblad ensures the camera are undischarged , too , with a 50MP primary , 50MP encompassing - angle , and 50MP telephoto with 3 x optical zoom to the rear , plus a 32MP selfie tv camera .
One affair we ’d notice is that our reviewer experienced some early issues with the OnePlus 13 ’s projection screen . It ’s overly sensible and shinny to distinguish between intentional and accidental touches . Notifications can be unreliable , too .
Those minor issues aside , this is the phone we ’d bribe if we were looking for a unexampled machine with an IR blaster .
Best premium phone with IR blasters
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Though you ’ll desire to bear tightlipped attention as to whether it ’ll turn with your preferred carrier , the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is one of the raw smartphones to feature IR blasters . It ’s also one of the most expensive , with a damage shred that soar above $ 1,000 .
If those caveats do n’t put you off , you ’ll find a smartphone that ’s packed to the brim with features . The star of the show is undoubtedly its photographic camera , which was designed with Leica constituent and captures brilliant ikon disregardless of whether you ’re using its chief camera or many auxiliary camera . These images can then be modify with an AI imagination system to finetune their details and snap the perfect shot .
Other highlights include a monolithic AMOLED show , fast stamp battery charging , and an visceral OS that ’s smooth and responsive thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU . You ’ll have to keep in mind that the current version on the market place is the Formosan variation — but since it supports Google Mobile Service , Google fiddle Store , and pick up over - the - melodic line updates , it ’s a unanimous choice for someone who does n’t mind expect beyond the typical brand you ’ll find with your local carrier .
Best foldable phone with IR blasters
OnePlus Open
While the Galaxy Z Fold serial does n’t offer an IR chargeman , you do n’t have to give up your dreams of owning one of thebest fold phones . The OnePlus Open may not be as popular as the latest Z Fold , but it ’s a majuscule alternative – especially if an IR blaster is a dealbreaker .
The exterior show on the Open clocks in at a sizable 6.31 column inch , but it ’s the massive home blind that ’s this foldable ’s big draw poker . When open , you ’ll get a gigantic 7.82 inches of material estate , which is big for watching shows or dive into a few game . It ’s not sway the latest Snapdragon mainframe , but it ’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is still a skilful familiar for most undertaking . It also have 16 GB RAM and 512 GB of storage .
Multitasking is easier than ever with such a large display , and OnePlus made sure to take full advantage of the supply space . Its Open Canvas feature countenance you outright switch apps or drag and drop cognitive content from one tab to another , streamlining your New World chat or letting you quickly share your latest meme .
As for the camera block , this folding features a Hasselblad setup similar to that of the OnePlus 12 . Toss in a fragile figure , backing for Dolby Vision HDR , and atomic number 6 roughage construction for added durability , and you ’ve got a well - rounded foldable that can hang with the best .
Best midrange phone with IR blasters
OnePlus 13R
TheOnePlus 13Ris the budget comrade of the OnePlus 13 . It offer many of the same benefits as the premium flagship , but cuts a few corners to offer a more affordable gimmick to shoppers that do n’t require the latest and greatest tech . It does n’t , however , cut out the IR blaster , making it a nice compromise for budget - minded users .
Despite the scummy price , the OnePlus 13R does n’t die to ingrain on several fronts . Its self-aggrandizing , bright 6.78 - inch AMOLED CRT screen bundle 2,780 x 1,264 resolution and is protected by Gorilla Glass 7 , with an IP65 valuation keep your phone good from spatter .
It ’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 , and while that is n’t the latest Qualcomm chip , it ’s the same one used in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and many other 2024 flagship machine . It ’s potent enough to handle anything you could throw at it , including the latest secret plan , with 256 GB of onboard store and 12 GB of RAM .
With a 6,000 mAH stamp battery , the same as the OnePlus 13 , you could easy load barrage life to two , possibly even three days , though charging speeds are unsatisfying at 55W , a downgrade from the OnePlus 12R — and there ’s no wireless charging to speak of .
Cameras are surprisingly good , with a 50MP primary , 50MP telephoto , 8MP ultrawide , and 16MP selfie cam . There ’s no Hasselblad integration here but the phone occupy pretty not bad photos , as long as you do n’t need extreme zoom capabilities .
In our OnePlus 13R inspection , we said using the telephone set " feel like using a flagship " — which is just about the best congratulations you could give a budget gimmick .
Best budget phone with IR blasters
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
At less than $ 300 , the Xiaomi Redmi is the tawdry Cartesian product on this list . It makes a few via media to hit that damage distributor point , but if you do n’t listen missing out on some key features and just need a reliable smartphone with an IR blaster , the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5 G might be a safe choice .
Everything count great on the 6.67 - inch AMOLED display , with variable 120Hz refresh rate , up to 1,800 nits of peak brightness , and 2712 x 1220 firmness . That ’s middling telling for a showing in this Mary Leontyne Price grasp . Under the hood , the telephone is power by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 bit , the same chip that powers the Motorola Edge 2024 , with a 5,100mAh assault and battery and 67W degenerate charging .
You also get 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM and 256 Gi or 512 GB of onboard storage , which is pretty outstanding for a phone at this price point . There ’s a 200MP main tv camera , 2MP macro lens , and an 8MP ultra - wide angle television camera with contrived intelligence activity picture detecting part , plus a 16MP selfie photographic camera . There ’s also support for 4 KB video recording at 30fps .
If we had to say anything negative , the gadget arrive with a ton of bloatware installed , and the photographic camera is n’t the greatest in lowlight conditions . There are also mixed reappraisal on the video recording recording lineament . However , if you ’re attend for an affordable phone with an IR blaster , you wo n’t find much good than this .
How we chose the best phones with IR blasters
Unfortunately , your options are pretty slender when it comes to phones with IR blasters in 2025 . And unless you want to go back several propagation and snag areallyold Samsung Galaxy , your best options nowadays are typically confined to OnePlus and Xiaomi . fortunately , these catalogs are fill with great smartphones that are equipped with IR blaster – and even if they ’re not as popular as the later iPhone or Galaxy products , they ’re not a bad choice if you need the IR tech . Here ’s a close spirit at how we picked the best phones with IR blasters .
Equipped with easy-to-use IR blasters
First and first , the smartphones necessitate to have IR chargeman . This sounds like common sense , but it ’s surprisingly hard to find good smartphones equip with the technology in 2025 . Samsung has n’t produced a phone with an IR blaster in age , and unless you want to mess with clunky third - party accessory , your iPhone wo n’t work either . We made certain that every Cartesian product on this list is equipped with build - in IR blasters , so you may get to controlling your other electronics as soon as you take out your new smartphone .
Premium processors and RAM
Most of the phones on this list mob powerful Snapdragon mainframe . The OnePlus 13 , for example , boast the former Snapdragon 8 Elite processor . We also explore for phones with a unspoilt amount of RAM , as you ’ll probably desire your gadget to work well for surfing the World Wide Web , gaming , streaming movies , and sending text message . You do n’t call for a whole set of power to get a phone workings as an IR blaster , but if you want it to be a good all - around smartphone , it ’s nice to have hardware that rent you handle a mixture of other tasks .
Vibrant screen
A CRT screen can make or break a smartphone . It serves as not just the primary agency you ’ll interact with the equipment , but also how you ’ll see all your apps and games . That have in mind you ’ll want something that ’s not just gamy resolution , but also supports a fast refresh pace . Thankfully , you do n’t have to make any forfeit in this category when searching for a phone with an IR chargeman , as there are options that get up to 120Hz and 2 K resolutions . This make them look every morsel as premium as their iPhone and Galaxy counterparts .
Storage
find a smartphone with lots of store is n’t nearly as expectant a deal as it was in the past , as most folk will choose to economize file to the cloud . Still , have offline accession to games , pic , and picture is often a big selling point in time of smartphones , so we made sure to include options that have plenty of blank space for all your file .
Cameras
Along with texting and prepare phone margin call , smartphones are increasingly turn into replacement for your television camera . Most of the product on this list can fascinate vibrant images and videos that are unadulterated for Instagram and TikTok , and many even have multiple cameras so you could capture a variety of different content ( such as ultrawide , wide , and selfie cameras ) .
Supported by multiple carriers
You ’ll want to check with your local carrier , but most of our recommended phone are unlocked and supported by multiple providers . mail carrier bands are so varied that it ’s difficult to say with certainty that these will make for across all 4 G and 5 thousand networks for every letter carrier in every land , and since many are import to the US , you should decidedly check with your current supplier before realize a purchase . Still , we did our secure to find phone that are universally accept across many of today ’s most popular carriers .
