Opening thoughts. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released Indian Telecom Services Yearly Performance Indicators for 2025/26. Total number of internet subscribers increased from 969.10 million in March 2025 to 1092.79 million at the end of March 2026—that’s up 12.76%. Of this number, 1065.88 million are mobile or wired broadband subscribers. Interestingly, the number of ‘narrowband’ subscribers also increased from 24.98 million in March 2025 to 26.91 million at the end of March 2026—that’s an increase of 7.72%, and indicates that India still has a sizeable chunk of feature phone and 3G users in India.
In this period, the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) per month for prepaid services is now at ₹190.66 while it stands at ₹119.76 for postpaid services.
It is absolutely not a surprise that the average monthly wireless data usage per subscriber has increased to 25.51GB, from 21.53 GB the year prior, marking a growth of 18.49%.
There is one statistic which indicates India still needs to find momentum, and that is with the wired broadband space. The wireline subscriber base has increased from 37.04 million at the end of March 2025 to 48.25 million at the end of March 2026—that means a growth of 30.25%, but the number is still far behind many developed countries.
Wired Wisdom began the summer of 2026 with extensive coverage of the smart AC ecosystem in India. We had a special edition that decoded what the smart AC proposition was all about (what should matter to you, and what shouldn’t), and another time, analysed two important launches of this season, the Hisense Intelli Cool Pro as well as the Panasonic HU Series 2026. It only makes sense to bookend the season with an analysis of a smart AC by Indian tech company Optimist. What caught my eye was the smartness that goes beyond cursory smart apps and Google Home or Amazon Alexa integration.
The Optimist X1 is a 1.4-ton capacity 5-star efficiency rated split air-conditioner. This is priced at ₹36,990 and going by general consumer electronics inflationary trends, is a very good proposition. Dual rotary compressor, a Turbo+ mode that boosts capacity to levels singular to a 1.9-ton AC (that’s a 135% boost, useful on proper summer days), refrigerant gas monitoring and a genuinely notable real world efficiency—clearly the foundations designed with nuance.
Anurag Goyal, an alumni of Georgia Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, is passionate about the products his company makes—a pleasant contrast to the dovish, balance sheet focused view someone from a management background would usually take. After all, that additional sensor to monitor the R32-class gas levels, would have cost something in the bill of materials. Or the live energy consumption tracking, all of which serves to offer much more than even its higher-priced rivals manage at this time. There is little doubt that Optimist has done a few things rather well with the X1, though as is often the case with new tech, experiential gaps elsewhere show up from time to time.
This has an ISEER (Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating of 6.05, as per the parameters defined by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in India. Simply put, a higher ISEER rating for this capacity, meaning the AC uses less electricity to keep your room cold.
The effectiveness is apparent. With this AC set at 25 degrees and fan speed at its highest level 3 (cool air throw goes far), the Optimist X1 after about 10 minutes of cooling settled down to consume 297-watts of electricity (from a peak of around 1,083-watt). This was in standard operation mode, and not the Eco mode.
For a 1.4-ton AC trying to cool a living room and dining room hall, this level of efficiency is extremely good news for electricity bills. Mind you, the Optimist X1 does not have a frugality ‘convert’ mode typical to modern ACs, defined by a percentage (80%, 60% and so on or C1, C2 and so on) of capacity at which it can be set to operate. The algorithms do that work here in the background, and it clearly is optimised rather well. The Turbo and Turbo+ cooling modes are straightforward for quicker cooling (latter goes up to 135% of default capacity, at higher power consumption).
The app is intuitive and details energy consumption for the month depending on what you input as the per-unit charge in your area. It is easy to set up, intuitive to navigate and has almost all the options or settings you’d want in a smart AC app. As long as your Wi-Fi connectivity is stable, responsiveness of the app is almost instantaneous.
In a scenario where Wi-Fi drops for some reason, you’d run into a limitation. The physical wireless remote is minimalistic (for all intents, power, Turbo modes, temp and fan speed are here); even the vertical wind direction adjustments will require the app. For instance, the remote lets you do some things, but if you wish to change the direction of the air throw, you’d need the app and a working Wi-Fi.
Speaking of which, manual horizontal adjustments are divided into three sections, though seemingly a bit dated, but that flexibility will work brilliantly in an L-shaped room (two sections blowing cool air towards one direction). But outside that specific scenario, it is a surprising limitation. All things considered, Optimist has done a fantastic job with the X1 in terms of cooling capability, efficient electricity consumption and a vibrant app that does much more than its competitors. This can be a proposition which will shake up many other AC brands from their that’ll-do mentality. Just hope others don’t get inspired by the minimalistic remote.
I rarely get excited about new cases that inevitably come following the annual iPhone launch. Two admittedly subjective reasons for that—why hide the brightness of Cosmic Orange or the sophistication of Burgundy behind a case, and secondly, cases mostly don’t match the premium-ness of an iPhone (or most flagships for that matter). But I get your point, that safety is paramount. Within that paradigm, I must note that the Indian lifestyle accessories company DailyObjects has delivered just the right amount of gravitas to be excited about the recently launched Stack for iPhone 18 Pro series. Particularly, at prices that most rivals will either struggle to match in quality, or on price itself if they match said materials.
The top-tier is the Stack Leatherette bunch, in Dahlia, Iris, Dune and Twilight colour options, each priced at ₹2,499. Leather cases from Nomad start upwards of ₹7,000 for the same phone, and unknown brands are charging between ₹2,000–4,000 for similar leather cases. Back to the Stack Leatherette, Dahlia Red is the colour to pair a Burgundy iPhone 18 Pro with, while DO seems to be going for a nice contrast with Twilight Blue for the Glacier option. The Iris Black is as classy and agreeable as it is supposed to be, while the beige-like Dune is an outside contender for your attention.
Materials used are very high quality and don’t seem to add bulk or weight—I can attest to that as someone who is very sensitive to iPhone dimension or weight changes. Stack name comes from the flexibility of accessories such as a phone wallet stand or a flex stand or a phone lanyard, and the dot pattern plate at the bottom can be removed to plug those in. In fact, using the leatherette case without this plate, can add a nice visual element between certain colours.
Then there’s the Stack Signature case, in Fig, Lagoon, Indigo, Carbon, and Slate colours. This is made from lightweight PU (Polyurethane) and TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) and genuinely feels good to hold. Perhaps the cutout design integration looks a bit much till the eyes get used to it, but again, the Stack flexibility towards the lower end of the case is what you need to look for. These are priced at ₹1,999 and will appeal to those who want to personalise their phone cases.
Then there’s the one which I feel will appeal to most—the Stack Clear, priced at ₹1,999 in Raven or Flamingo colours. This also has the PU and TPU exterior, but the translucent effect is something I’ve seen many phone users prefer with cases they use. The MagSafe compatibility is prominently visible in this, though the entire line-up works with the magnetic wireless charging. DO says that the case has a non-yellowing and scratch-resistant UV coating. While too early to say if that delivers on those promises, it is nevertheless a more reassuring proposition than most clear cases that flood the smartphone case ecosystem.
What DailyObjects now needs are high-quality leather case options in multiple colours for the iPhone 18 Pro series, for the audience that doesn’t want the Stack element. Just purely good cases to compete with what Spigen and others will make.
That’s all folks. Stay tuned for next week’s Neural Dispatch and Wired Wisdom. And do subscribe, for there’s tons coming your way. Do send your bouquets and brickbats.
