There was a time when smartphones packed everything and the kitchen sink, including headphone jacks, removable batteries, notification LEDs, and IR blasters. While those first three have largely fallen by the wayside, there are a few notable Android smartphones that still include the infrared projector.
IR blasters are super useful for controlling other devices, like TVs and audio equipment. We’ve tested a slew of Android phones in 2025, but only a handful include IR blasters that are worth your time. I’ve narrowed your choices based on use cases, price points, and unique selling points.
OnePlus 13: The best overall phone with an IR blaster OnePlus 13 Gorgeous design • Clever AI features • Flexible cameras MSRP: $899.99 The OG flagship killer's killer flagship. The OnePlus 13 is the company's most killer flagship to date, offering a massive battery, speedy charging, and powerful cameras that give Google and Samsung something to worry about. See price at AmazonSee price at OnePlus Positives Gorgeous design
Gorgeous design Incredible camera zoom and overall photography
Incredible camera zoom and overall photography Helpful AI integration
Helpful AI integration Excellent charging options
Excellent charging options Simplified Oxygen OS experience
Simplified Oxygen OS experience Great performance Cons Magnetic charging requires accessories
Magnetic charging requires accessories Fewer updates than Samsung or Google OnePlus is well-known for producing reliable and capable handsets, but the OnePlus 13 is by far the brand’s best effort. It comfortably takes its place among the most complete smartphones of the year, and, thanks to OnePlus’ inclusion of an IR blaster, it is even more useful than the Samsungs and Google Pixels of the world if you really want that feature. Let’s start with the design. While other companies opt for an obscene camera bar, OnePlus continues its off-center circles-within-circle design. The soft eco-leather finish looks awesome, feels great in the hand, keeps fingerprints at bay, and keeps environmentalists happy. There’s nothing but wins here. OnePlus also paid special attention to the OnePlus 13’s hardware. Joining that IR blaster is a camera array that performs tremendously, from ultrawide to heavy zoom scenarios. OnePlus’s AI-powered scene software also helps extract the best from these tools. Then there’s the internals. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, a 6,000mAh battery, and 80W fast charging, the device is made to perform. We’ve also had to applaud the company’s tremendous chipset optimization, which helps edge it over other devices. The OnePlus 13 comfortably takes its place among the most complete smartphones of the year. If there were any chinks in the OnePlus 13’s armor, software support would be one. It’s still supported with four years of Android version upgrades and two more years of software updates. That’s nothing to sniff at, but it does fall behind the newest Galaxy and Pixel hardware. Nevertheless, the OnePlus 13 is a tremendous flagship smartphone that melds excellent imaging, great battery life, rapid charging, and stellar performance into a gorgeous design. Read more
OnePlus 13R: The best value phone with an IR blaster OnePlus 13R Speedy performance • Long-lasting battery • Superb value for money MSRP: $599.99 R-eally great. The OnePlus 13R is everything you’d expect from a OnePlus phone — blazing performance, amazing battery life, and rapid charging. Add to that a gorgeous display and a smooth, feature-packed Oxygen OS experience, and you have a phone that feels like it punches well above its $600 price tag. See price at AmazonSee price at OnePlus Positives Speedy performance
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