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Released in December 2023, the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G has turned out as one of the bestselling smartphones of Q1 2024 not just in the United States only, but globally. But does the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G have IR blaster? If the terminology is new to you, an IR blaster is the same thing as an infrared port.
Infra-red ports are no longer the rave they used to be years ago on mobile phones, but some manufacturers still use them. And some Samsung fans are bitter about it.
Back in the day, the most advanced mobile phones would have an infra-red port. It was used for data transfer, including internet sharing. Yes; those were the days before Wi-Fi became a thing. To share your phone’s internet, you used an old-school data cable or infra-red.
With the presence of Wi-Fi, the need and demand for infra-red blasters diminished. In recent years, Xiaomi has put an IR blaster in many of its phones. This time, these ports enable the phones to be used as TV controllers. Yes; mobile phones have taken over the roles of everything else; why not add TV controller to it?
It also enables the ability to control the DVD player, air conditioner, and some other household appliances. But a more accurate version of Face ID uses infra-red and, so, we are seeing an upsurge of IR ports in smartphones. So, perhaps, a new IR revolution may yet happen based on this.
I have owned or reviewed a number of phones with an infra-red blaster and enjoyed using the feature. However, I cannot say that I have missed it in all the other phones I have used that did not have it. It has never felt like an essential to me.
- Does Samsung Galaxy A15 5G Have IR Blaster?
- The Last Samsung Phones With IR Blaster
- Your Best Options For Phones With IR Blaster
- Deal-breaker?
Does Samsung Galaxy A15 5G Have IR Blaster?
The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G does not have an infrared port/IR blaster. The thing is, even brands like Xiaomi do not include an IR blaster in their entry-level models. The whole idea of entry-level is a balance between keeping costs low and features. Which means that features found in high-end smartphones often do not make it to lower models.
Of course, its 4G sibling, the Samsung Galaxy A15 does not have an IR blaster, either.
And some Samsung fans are bitter about this omission. Some have based their phone buying decision on this factor and moved on to other smartphone brands. Here is an example of one of such conversations on Samsung’s own community website.
There are scores of other online platforms where fans are griping about the matter. But I doubt that the answer to the simple question, “Does Samsung Galaxy A15 5G have IR blaster” will have any impact on Samsung’s sales in any way. There are no alternative models with the feature. In this price bracket, forget about infrared in smartphones. Of course, you can always buy an infrared dongle.
The Last Samsung Phones With IR Blaster
The last Samsung models that had an IR blaster were the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy Note 4. Since then, Samsung has ignored infra-red. And it does not look like the S10 range of phones will have this feature.
Your Best Options For Phones With IR Blaster
If you want a smartphone with an infra-red blaster, your best options are in the direction of Xiaomi and Huawei. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and other models in the Note 13 range are extremely popular with young people and both have IR blaster built in. Others include Xiaomi 14 series. Huawei has a number of models with an IR blaster. These include P20 Pro, Mate 10 Pro, and Honor View 10, among others.
Gionee produced a few smartphone models with infra-red blaster. It is unfortunate that the company has declared bankruptcy. Some of their phones are still available in the market though. I have reviewed a few LG smartphones and enjoyed using their IR blaster to control the TV. But it looks like LG might be dropping the feature too.
Deal-breaker?
There is a vocal enough community of smartphone enthusiasts who are put off by higher Samsung smartphones not having an Infra-red blaster. I am not sure that it is a large enough community to make a big dent in the fortunes of these products.
Who knows, part of why Xiaomi and Huawei devices are selling so well (besides pricing) might be that those brands are now on the heels of Samsung? What are the chances that having an IR blaster in key models could be a factor? After all, so many people around the world watch TV, play videos and play music on infra-red controlled home systems.
As said already, entry-level smartphones just don’t get this feature. But wouldn’t it be sweet if one brand took up the challenge? And if there is any brand with the financial muscles to do it, Samsung is one.
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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Motorola Moto G04s in brief:
- Price Range: Sub-€150
- OS: Android 14
- Release Date: 2024
- Network Type: 2G/3G/4G
- eSIM: No
- Display: 6.6-inch, 720 x 1612 pixels resolution
- Chipset: Unisoc T606
- Selfie Camera: 5 MP
- Rear camera: 50 MP
- RAM: 4/8GB
- ROM: 64/128 GB
- Fingerprint Sensor: Side
- Headphone Jack: Yes
- Infrared/IR Blaster: No.
- Battery: 5000 mAh
- Fast Charging: 15W
- Wireless Charging: No.
Motorola Moto G04s
For more detailed specifications of the device, have a look below.
- Motorola Moto G04s Specs
- Prices in the USA, UK, EU, Australia
Motorola Moto G04s Specs
Mobile Wireless Network and Software
- 2G mobile network bands : GSM, GPRS, EDGE 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz.
- 3G mobile network bands : UMTS, WCDMA, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 MHz
- 4G mobile network bands : LTE.
- 5G mobile network bands : No.
- SIM Type : Nano-SIM, Dual SIM
- Software / OS : Android 14
- Software Updates :
Design, Form Factor, Appearance
- Dimensions : 163.5 x 74.5 x 8 mm
- Weight : 178.8g
- Display Size: 6.6 inches,
- Screen Resolution : 720 x 1612 pixels
- Refresh Rate : 90 Hz refresh rate
- Screen Type : IPS LCD
- Display Protection : Gorilla Glass 3
- Frame : Plastic
- Back/Rear Cover : Plastic
- Ingress Protection/IP Rating : IP52.
- Colorways : Satin Blue, Concord Black, Sea Green, Sunrise Orange.
Internal Hardware Specs
- Central Processor ( CPU ): 64-bit, 1.6 GHz Octa-core
- Chipset : Unisoc T606 (12 nm)
- Graphics Processing Unit ( GPU ): ARM Mali-G57 MP1
- RAM : 4GB / 8GB
- Extended/Virtual RAM :
- Internal Storage : 64GB / 128GB
- External Storage : dedicated microSD slot
Photography, Video Recording
- Main Camera : 50 MP main lens, autofocus, LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording
- Front Camera : 5 MP, fixed focus, Face Recognition, 1080p@30fps video capture
Audio, Video Playback
- Music Support : PCM, AAC / AAC + / eAAC + / MP3 / AMR – NB / WB / APE
- 3.5 mm audio headphone jack : Yes.
- Loudspeaker : Single
- Video Support : H.264/MP4/MPEG4 player
- FM Radio : No.
Phone Sensors
- Digital Compass : No.
- Accelerometer : Yes.
- Proximity Sensor : Yes.
- Ambient Light Sensor : No.
- Barometer : No.
- Pedometer : No.
- Heart Rate Monitor : No.
- Gyroscope (G-Sensor) : No.
- Fingerprint Scanner : Yes; side-mounted.
- Face Unlock : Yes.
- Iris Scanner : No.
- Motion Sensing / Gesture Control : No.
- Voice Control : No.
- Intelligent Digital Assistant : Yes; Google Assistant.
- Infra-red/IR Blaster : No.
Connectivity Options
- Bluetooth Version : 5.0
- Bluetooth Profiles : A2DP, LE
- aptX Bluetooth Codecs :
- WiFi : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, hotspot
- GPS : Yes, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO
- USB : microUSB v2.0. Type-C.
- NFC : Market dependent.
Miscellaneous Specs and Features
- Battery Type : Non-Removable Lithium-Polymer
- Battery Capacity : 5000 mAh
- Battery Charging : 15W fast charging
- Wireless Charging : No.
- Reverse Charging : No.
- Model Version/Number :
Launch/Release Dates and Information
- Announced : April 11, 2024
- Release Date : April 30, 2024
Prices in the USA, UK, EU, Australia
- United States of America (USA) : N/A
- United Kingdom (UK) : N/A
- European Union (EU) : from €119 for the 4/64GB variant.
- Australia : N/A
