It’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity that makes hot weather insufferable. And that’s where air conditioners come in. All companies are working towards making air conditioners more affordable and not putting too much pressure on electricity grids. For example, Samsung has achieved a few things to ensure the electricity bill is not all over the place.

The company announced that sales of its air conditioners grew 2x between January and March this year, outpacing the industry growth of 20-25 per cent. The industry-leading growth helped Samsung secure 10 per cent market share in the first quarter of the calendar year in India.

Powered with the new ‘Good Sleep’ mode, the new ACs promote pleasant sleep throughout the night by adjusting the temperature according to sleep stages

The company has 19 new AC models to attract consumers across price points. One unique feature is Bespoke AI WindFree.

“AI is everywhere, but what is the real use case for consumers, especially for appliances? We did an internal survey on consumers. What are consumer needs? First, of course, is superior cooling. Second, energy efficiency. Third, durability. We looked at all these factors for this year’s products,” Ghufran Alam, vice-president, digital appliances business at Samsung told The Telegraph.

The Bespoke AI WindFree ACs come with AI Energy Mode that intelligently adjusts the cooling settings to save up to 30 per cent energy.

“We wanted to find out what makes consumers uncomfortable inside a room. One element is direct cold draught. It may have some ill effects for kids and senior citizens,” said Alam. Samsung’s cooling technology ensures effective cooling without the discomfort of cold air blowing directly onto your skin. “Also, it reduces noise, meaning people feel more comfortable when the AC is on. During sleep, this aspect is important.”

There is also the durability factor. “We offer five years of comprehensive warranty to ensure operations are worry-free. We have around 1,100-plus service networks that service around 19,000-plus pin codes across India. The first quarter has been great for us, and we see a lot of demand for our Bespoke AI ACs. We are confident to lead the market growth,” he said.

Meaningful AI

Ghufran Alam, vice-president, digital appliances business, Samsung

A key feature of Samsung appliances is interconnectivity. With the company being present across many verticals — from television, washing machine, refrigerator and microwave to smartphone and smartwatch, to name a few — it’s important that devices talk to one another.

It happens through the SmartThings app. “It resides on the smartphone and connects the different devices. With SmartThings you can control your devices. Take the case of the geo-fencing feature with ACs. You put a geo-fence around your premises. As soon as you go beyond it while leaving the AC on, the SmartThings app will prompt you whether you want to switch it off. The same thing happens when you are entering the premises. By the time you enter your home, the AC is already cooling the room,” said Alam.

He offered another example: “It helps one to get a good night of sleep. Take the case of smartwatches. It can track sleep patterns. If the user is sleeping, how can the AC also understand it and keep the person in a comfortable state? When you are sleeping, you may feel cold and wake up to change the temperature. The SmartThings app can help achieve a comfortable temperature.”

There is more to the ACs when it comes to AI features. “You are informed in advance about any service requirement for the AC. You get a notification, and within the application, you can contact the service centre or have the solution on the phone.”

Alam says the penetration of ACs is growing beyond big cities. “There is more disposable income. A Samsung AC can be enjoyed with a small EMI, ensuring growth in smaller cities.” The new range of Bespoke AI air conditioners are priced upwards of ₹32,990.

Samsung has increased its distribution footprint by 40 per cent and has partnered with leading financial institutions to provide zero-cost EMI for the purchase of room-air conditioners.