The article uses LED as synonym for typical LED lightning.
10 years ago you had to work to find high CRI bulbs but could still find Cree bulbs pretty easily. Now you can get high CRI bulbs at the grocery store.
High CRI bulbs generally have low or no flicker because high CRI is toward the premium end of the market.
IR emission is not a "feature", it's a bug.
Out of the manufacturers you listed, only Philips Ultra Definition (95 CRI, R9 90) have low flicker and good R9. Unfortunately they are poorly made and I have to keep buying new packs each year but it's more cost effective than Yuji for lesser used areas.
Also the claim from TFA is that NIR component improves visual performance (and I've read elsewhere that NIR also has health benefits).
If you look at energy efficiency, it totally is. But the whole point in the discussion is that IR _might_ (according to the paper) have biological relevance.