[sofixa]

Why not? Most phones are manufactured in China anyways, and Xiaomi, OnePlus, Honor, Oppo are major and very widely popular and used brands all over the world (outside of the US which is allergic to Chinese brands unless it's for cheap crap or to outsource manufacturing to).

[dangus]

Outside of the US is a problem when it comes to availability and usability. I’m not going to buy a phone that doesn’t play nicely with my carrier or receive regionally relevant support.

OnePlus is the only brand on that list that makes sense buying in the US.

(Personally I can see why the IR blaster was removed as a feature in US phones. I can’t think of a time I wanted or needed it. How often are y’all losing remotes? My current remote doesn’t even really use IR for anything since the streaming box is controlled by Bluetooth and connected devices including the sound system are controlled by HDMI-CEC. My phone already controls the entire setup via a remote app that utilizes WiFi/Bluetooth).

[Telemakhos]

I don’t have a television, and I haven’t owned anything with an IR port since the 2012 MacBook. I have zero use cases for IR blasters.

[hythythythyt]

I've always liked Xiaomi. At home, we have several of their phones, a vacuum cleaner, and some shoes (yes, shoes!). But a few months ago, my Chrome homepage changed to a Chinese search engine, and after looking online, it seems it was a Xiaomi error that affected quite a few people. Also, they include ads in their customization layer. This will be the last Xiaomi device I purchase.