Opening thoughts. Some of you may remember I talked about Memory prices are risingDuring our conversation a few weeks ago in my other newsletter called Neural Dispatch. Micron, a big memory player, decided this month that it would be wise to spin off its consumer business, called Crucial, and instead focus on what it calls “AI-driven growth in memory and storage in the data center”. He says this is a difficult decision that must be taken to improve supply for large, strategic customers. Basically, they’re going to AI and data centers because that’s where they see the money. In a way it makes business sense, if one looks at it purely from that perspective, because it’s not as simple as “make more instead”. But this will be really bad news for PC makers, smartphone makers and gaming consoles, because this is what will happen – supply shortage > higher prices > rush to buy stock at no cost > costs will be passed on to customers. However, mark my words – once the AI ​​bubble bursts, and Micron is left looking for solace in the ruins, they will return to the consumer business. And some lucky CEOs and CMOs will be lauded for “diversifying the company’s business” and “opening up new revenue streams in a difficult market.” I have the ability to see far away (including extremely stupid behavior), and this is a major cause of regular headaches.
Analysis: AI price war
Google is finally giving in to the OpenAI and Perplexity vs AI pricing war in India. A few days ago, they added a third, more affordable artificial intelligence (AI) plan for customers in India – called Google AI Plus, and it’s priced at 399 per month. Firstly, the monthly subscription outlay is significantly reduced compared to the cost of the AI ​​Pro plan Rs 1,950 per month or the top tier AI Ultra plan which costs 24,500 per month. Second, Google can finally compete with OpenAI Rs.399 ChatGatee Go subscription plan, and Perplexity bundled with Airtel prepaid, postpaid, broadband and television services customers.
Google now has a three-tier ladder for Gemini AI access – a free option that offers limited use, AI Plus for consumers, AI Pro for power users, and Ultra for the enterprise-adjacent audience. AI Plus Plan (a special offer for 6 month prices). $199 per month) Bundled 200GB cloud storage (2TB in AI Pro for comparison), access to all Gemini models including Nano Banana Pro image generation and editing, Deep Research, as well as the Flow video generation model as well as NotebookLM is included in this subscription. However, what is not part of this tier is access to Gemini within Google’s apps, including Gmail and Docs, as well as specifically not the Gemini 3 Pro model with Logic as part of Google Search (though it will be accessible within the Gemini app).
AI Plus Pricing 399, mirrors OpenAI’s ChatGPT Go subscription in India, which the AI ​​company is offering free for a year to those who sign up, and is well below what Perplexity charges for a standalone Pro subscription, while Airtel customers effectively get Perplexity Pro free for a year. India now has three competing AI ecosystems that are aggressively attracting users in the hopes of unlocking revenue streams in the coming months. Reliance Jio offers AI Pro plan for its Jio Unlimited 5G users for a period of 18 months.
Editor’s Margin: Controlz Wants to Fix Phone Repair
Some of you may remember our analysis of the renewed smartphone platform ControlZ Launching your first experience store. That was just a few months ago, and the platform is clearly in no mood to move slowly into 2026. They’ve also just announced their entry into smartphone repair services – and it starts with the iPhone. The real cherry on the cake is that unlike typical service centres, repairs are done right at your doorstep, the foundation of which is their RenewHub in Gurgaon, which they claim is India’s most advanced refurbishment facility, where every pre-owned phone is put through over 300 automated checks where OEM-grade replacement parts are used if required. They say, the repair cost will be 80% less than at the company’s service center.
Yug Bhatia, founder and CEO of Controlz, told me that the RenewHub is a “factory-grade line” and there is no specific service schedule that might be incompatible. I asked Bhatia about phone manufacturers’ claims of repairs being significantly less expensive than official service centers, and he gave several examples. One of them – Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max replacement display will cost around 43,200 while ControlZ will replace the same 15,999. If you’re looking at the same iPhone’s battery (I’m specifically referring to recent phones, as repairs tend to be expensive), Apple will charge 7,300 while a part replacement for Controlz should set you back approx. 2,999 of your money.
The intention is to fix a huge trust gap in the market, and Bhatia says this is the entire chain they have reworked – how diagnostic checks are done using a mix of automation and human intervention, access to the same components that phone makers stamp as original, some repairs and calibrated automation with trained technicians for accuracy. If Controlz fixes India’s smartphone repair ecosystem, it will indeed be a huge win not only for them, but also for consumers who often feel the pinch of massive repair bills.
Tech Spotlight: AcerPure Pro Classic
A decade ago, when I first started covering the air purifier sector extensively (through HT’s sister publication, Mint; for fond memories), there was a lot of resistance to the idea of ​​these gadgets. And even for those who agreed with its need, there was a perception that only the winter months represented ‘air purifier season’. Years later, and not exactly as I predicted then. All year round, most Indian cities are borderline hazardous in terms of air quality, and if we also take into account the cocktail of indoor air pollutants, things are no better indoors. I’ve always stressed that you need the right fit air purifier for each room in the house, and it depends on the size of the room. Too small a purifier in a large room, and it will be ineffective.
This leads me to AcerPure’s new and affordable (at its price) ₹ 9,990) AcerPure Pro Classic AP352-10W, which is ideal for a medium-sized hall, bedroom, kid’s playroom or study. The basics are well written, 360-degree with three layers (circular style filters are in vogue, and good news for intake) – pre-filter which will capture larger dust and particles, HEPA main filter which is for all pollutants including PM2.5 as well as smaller pollutants including various viruses, while the activated carbon layer is used to eliminate gaseous pollutants including formaldehyde. Is. While Acer doesn’t mention the HEPA type, it should be H13 or higher, considering that’s good enough to capture even 0.1 micron particles (many purifier HEPA filters can’t capture particles smaller than 0.3 microns).
In terms of performance, the AcerPure Pro Classic AP352-10W does a good job at keeping the air quality stable. In the season we tested it, when the outdoor AQI was above 700, it managed to keep an active medium-sized room at a more healthy AQI of around 70, which was confirmed with an outdoor air quality metering device. Keep in mind, this was in Smart mode, which is essentially Acer’s version of Auto mode. It is quite sensitive to any air composition changes in the room, and actively moves. This is a fairly quiet purifier at fan speeds one and two, although you can expect to hear a little noise at speed level 3.
You could say that Acerpure probably removed some things in an effort to keep costs down which is definitely worth it now. There’s no digital air quality meter on the device, and you must look at the color-coded ring on the touch panel. Secondly, there are no smart features that allow connectivity with smartphone apps, but honestly, that’s not a major drawback. But at least for the main task of purifying indoor air, the AcerPure Pro Classic AP352-10W is definitely suitable.
Second Thoughts: Telecom Pricing and Value
Some of you may have already seen this, but I am sharing the link for my analysis on India’s telecom situation. It is a place that is constantly evolving, changing into new forms. As I write this, Jio has announced its 2026 New Year prepaid recharge pack (I expect Airtel and Vi to match that price in the coming days). But this is not the only specific point we should talk about today.
- Vi has announced something called an “industry-first Handset Theft and Loss Insurance Scheme”, which basically means prepaid customers can add select prepaid plans to their accounts as insurance that covers for handset theft or loss. sum insured is up to 25,000 and it is neatly wrapped up with the data bundle and validity period collectively – Rs 61 adds 2GB data for 15 days and insurance for 30 days. Rs.201 bundles 10GB data for 30 days with 180 days insurance cover, while The Rs 251 pack also offers 10 GB data for 30 days but the insurance cover is for a full year (and this plan represents the best value in my opinion). For years, telcos have bundled streaming app subscriptions as value-adds, but Vi’s insurance bundle offers real utility in the long term.
- ACT Fibernet has announced some pricing and speed changes for its existing home broadband customers (and these plans also apply to new users), and it’s good news. For example, 749 plan with 150Mbps speed makes way for a Rs 799 plan with 200Mbps speed. In ACT bundle, 50Mbps ( 499 onwards), 75Mbps ( 599 onwards), 100Mbps ( 699 onwards), 400Mbps ( 999 onwards) and 1Gbps ( 1,999) offers tremendous value. That means more speed and lower price than the subscription plans of Airtel and Jio. For example, Jio charges For 150Mbps home broadband plan, you will have to pay Rs 999 Rs 1,099 for Airtel’s 200Mbps plan (if you’re lucky to get it; availability is inconsistent for this specific speed option). That’s not to say either one is bad value, but more speed at a lower price is usually a good deal.
