Air purifiers are gradually becoming a norm in many parts of the country, especially Delhi-NCR, where AQI and PM2.5 counts are often seen hovering around and above 300 during the October-January period. Whether you own one or not, or are considering buying one for yourself, it would be safe to say you have checked out a Philips air purifier. I have been using the Philips AC4221 smart air purifier that comes at Rs 25,999, and here's how my experience been with it:
The AC4221 has a plastic cylindrical body in the middle with a metallic finish and vertical bars around it with four air vents camouflaged in them—the whole body weighing about 6.5kg. At the top, you have a light ring running the whole diameter, along with touch keys and a PM2.5 reader in the middle of it. The keys are responsive, and the indicator is clear enough to read from a few feet away, too. You get double carbon and two HEPA filters, and buying HEPA filters, which you would need to do every few months depending on your usage and AQI levels, would cost Rs 5,300.
The smart air purifier has three modes and an automatic mode. The turbo mode is a bit noisy, but most importantly, it made PM 2.5 go from 500 to under 100 in about an hour, and this was seen multiple times. The sleep mode, on the other hand, is really low on volume but, of course, low on air flow, too. It could reduce PM 2.5 from 250 to 100 in over an hour.
These two modes combined are the best part about this air purifier. Use the turbo mode when you're just starting it, and then switch to the sleep mode either when you're going to bed or to maintain PM 2.5 at decent levels. The auto mode, I found, was often at one end lower than you might do yourself, but it did ramp up to turbo mode when the reading went above 250. The air purifier is sufficient to be used in a closed 650-700 square meter area.
Philips has its Air+ app to go with this smart air purifier. You might ask what the app is useful for. Apart from checking AQI and PM2.5 levels, you can also see the conditions of your filters. There are other features, too, such as child lock and check for firmware updates, as well as set up voice assistants for Google Home and Alexa.
In conclusion, the Philips AC4221 is a good and efficient smart air purifier that does the job needed in terms of heavy lifting as well in terms of keeping things quiet when needed. It has an uncomplicated way to change filters, a smart app, as well as live AQI readings, making it a solid option at the price point.