Our recent poll asking our readers what they think shouldn't be missing from the S7 lineup saw the IR blaster coming out on top. I was never a fan of using IR blasters on phones or using phones as remote controllers as a substitute for traditional remotes, as you always need to be looking at the phone's display in order to control another device. With a traditional remote you simply get used to pressing all the right buttons without ever looking at the remote, and it's a major reason why I never had any love for these so-called IR blasters.
Well, until this weekend when I had to turn to my girlfriend's LG G4 to be able to operate my newly installed air conditioner.
We shifted to a new house last year, and with summer fast approaching here in India (the afternoons are already reaching 41C), I decided to get my old air conditioner (it's a Samsung) installed. It turns out we had misplaced the conditioner's remote in all the havoc that is caused when you shift homes. I ordered a new remote, but the installation guys needed a remote to test the air conditioner to make sure it ran fine. That presented a problem, but it soon clicked that the LG G4 and its IR blaster could come to the rescue.
A search for an IR app on the Play Store and a few seconds of downloading later, the problem was solved. There are quite a few apps on the Play Store that will let you control a slew of remote-controlled appliances, and it made me realize how the IR blaster can be a lifesaver when you misplace a remote. For someone who sticks to regular remotes to control appliances, it was a great example of why there is a consistent outcry against the absence of an IR blaster on Samsung's flagships.
That the IR blaster won our poll was surprisingly shocking for me back then as I couldn't wrap my head around why it could be such an important part of a smartphone, but I guess I got my answer when the same feature came to my rescue in this near sweltering heat. My use case might not be one that will present itself too often, but I sure wouldn't mind having an IR blaster on my Samsung phones just in case.
Hey Samsung, how about bringing it back?
