Just like last year, OnePlus has unveiled a ’T’ upgrade to its flagship handset —- the OnePlus 5 — from earlier this year: the OnePlus 5T. The handset builds on the OnePlus 5 and improves in key areas and adds some features that were missing on its predecessor.

This include a switch to a 6-inch 18:9 bezel-less display at the front and an improved dual-camera setup at the rear. Like the OnePlus 5 and previous OnePlus devices though, the 5T continues to miss out on a small but key feature: an IR blaster.

With an infrared blaster, OnePlus 5T owners could have controlled their TV, AC, music system, camera, and other devices around them right from their smartphone. IR blaster in smartphones is incredibly popular in markets like India and parts of Asia. However, OnePlus projects itself as a upper mid-range flagship company and almost all smartphones in this segment lack an IR blaster. This likely explains why the BKK-owned company did not bother putting an IR blaster on the OnePlus 5T or any of its previous flagship devices.

In markets like Europe and the United States, phones with an IR blaster are a rarity which also means that most consumers have never experienced just how useful it is in day to day use.

At this point, all major flagship smartphones launched this year like the Galaxy S8, Note 8, LG V30, LG G6, HTC U11, Google Pixel 2, and the Essential Phone have lacked an IR blaster. So unless something changes dramatically, the days of flagship smartphones featuring an IR blaster are all but gone.