Fingers crossed for an IR blaster: Latest leak about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 reveals increased remote control interoperability

Ice universe appears to love teasing his followers on Twitter with tidbits of information about a variety of devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 10. Many of his tweets are short and sweet, and often they are deliberately ambiguous. For this particular tip, the famed leaker has offered up some information that has already been met with a positive response. It seems the Note 10 will have some sort of remote control feature, maybe even in the form of an IR blaster.

The tipster’s actual message reads “Da Vinci. S-Pen Remote Control App.” “Da Vinci” is the well-known codename of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 phablet. The ensuing discussion to the tweet is based on what Samsung is actually doing to the forthcoming device. Many believe it simply means an IR blaster will be integrated into the S-Pen, which is an intriguing notion. The Note series is no stranger to including an infrared remote control capability: The Galaxy Note 4 from 2014 had an IR blaster.

However, the mention of the word “app” seems to have been overlooked by many respondents. This is where the ambiguity of Ice universe’s comment arises. It’s possible the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will have a special app that turns the S-Pen into a remote control (in which case the IR blaster is integrated into the input device). But it could also mean the more likely and somewhat prosaic idea that it just assists with remote controlling apps on the phablet and would be the reason why the specific phrase “IR blaster” wasn’t used in the revelatory tweet.