In India, conversations about pollution often pick up only around Diwali. But as many experts point out, dirty air is no longer a seasonal problem; it affects us throughout the year, and not just outdoors. Indoor air quality is becoming a major concern, especially in modern homes that stay shut most of the time.
SurveyTo understand this better, we spoke to Nitin Dua, Co-founder of Qubo, a brand that started with smart home and security devices and now also offers a line-up of smart air purifiers. We discussed why indoor air pollution deserves more attention, how technology can help make our homes healthier, and what users should know before buying an air purifier.
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Here are the key excerpts from the discussion.
Aman: Qubo is known for products like dash cams and smart home devices. What made you enter the air purifier space?
Nitin: Our vision has always been to build a smart living ecosystem, not just security devices but products that improve lifestyle and wellness. Air purification fits naturally into this vision. We felt the category needed more transparency and smart features. That’s why we focused on bringing smart purifiers that show real-time air quality, can be controlled through the Qubo app or voice assistants, and help people understand and manage their indoor air better. Long term, we aim to cover the whole indoor environment: humidifiers, dehumidifiers, heaters and more.
Aman: Many people think air pollution spikes only during Diwali and the stubble-burning season. But air quality issues exist all year. What are some lesser-known contributors to indoor pollution?
Nitin: Yes, we all know about crackers, stubble burning, traffic, and construction. But people often ignore things like pollen. For example, Bengaluru sees heavy pollen in April and May — we noticed a spike in purifier sales there last year during that time. Pollen leads to allergies and rhinitis. India has around 40 million asthma cases, mostly in urban areas. So before treatment, prevention becomes important, and purifiers play that role by reducing exposure.
Aman: Modern homes stay shut most of the time to reduce dust and cooling loss. Does this make indoor air worse?
Nitin: Absolutely. Many assume shutting windows blocks pollutants, but that’s not true. PM2.5 particles are extremely tiny, about 40 times thinner than a strand of hair, so they easily enter homes. Even with windows shut, indoor pollution almost always matches outdoor levels. So instead of keeping everything sealed, the smarter way is to allow some ventilation and purify the indoor air at the same time.
Aman: Power consumption matters to many buyers. Are air purifiers heavy on electricity?
Nitin: Not at all, they’re basically fans with filters, so they consume far less power than ACs or heaters. What matters most is choosing the right purifier for your room size. Look at CADR (clean air delivery rate) and square-foot coverage. Our range covers 200 sq ft rooms to 1,000 sq ft spaces. We also added a feature called QSensAI, a mode in which the fan only runs when pollution crosses a preset level, which saves power. The sensor always monitors the air, but the motor runs only when needed.
Aman: Do you think people still consider air purifiers as luxury items?
Nitin: Awareness is improving, but yes, many still think purifiers are optional. That’s why we show PM2.5 levels on the device and the app, even on entry-level models. When people see their indoor pollution levels, they understand the need. It’s similar to water purifiers; 20 years ago, nobody felt the need, but now every home has one. Urban air quality has changed, and people are now realising the impact on allergies, asthma, and overall health.
Aman: With more connected devices at home, how is technology making indoor air management easier?
Nitin: The first step is access to data. We show indoor and even outdoor PM2.5 levels in the app, so users always know what they’re breathing. Then there’s AI, like auto mode, filter-life indicators, seasonal reminders, and automatic switching based on pollution. The idea is simple: make the device smart enough that users don’t have to think about it.
Aman: Just a moment ago, we were talking about air purifiers being seen as luxury devices, but these are quite essential items. We all know that air purifiers came into the limelight years ago when Dyson introduced them, right? But Dyson products are way too costly. But then there are brands like the Qubo range — affordable and good devices — and other companies also make them, like Honeywell and many more. Do you see these air purifiers getting cheaper than they already are? I recently used the Qubo Q600, which is priced around Rs 15,000. Do you see a product like Q600 being more accessible since we were talking about people considering these as essential items and not luxury devices? So what’s your take on this?
Nitin: I think definitely, with scale in any category, prices do move downwards, as we have seen. As you get more scale, the economies of scale kick in and the cost of production comes down. So that is certainly an area that will happen. Having said that, even today, the Qubo Q600, like you mentioned, is one of our top premium purifiers because we wanted to have something for all kinds of consumers. The majority of Indian urban households have a typical room size of less than 250 square feet, and for that, we have Q200, which works perfectly fine for that space and gives you all the same smart features. And that is priced at less than half of Q600, around Rs 6,500. So that is where we start our range. Q600 and Q1000 are basically meant for people who have slightly larger homes and slightly more disposable income, where they want a purifier that can purify a bigger space.
Aman: One last thing, what’s next for Qubo in the home environment space? Any upcoming innovations or categories you’re excited about?
Nitin: A lot of focus is on our core categories as well. We are coming up with a lot of new products in security: new smart cameras, new smart locks, and new car dash cameras. In terms of air purifiers, this season we are coming up with two really good-looking new models in different colours. They are again priced very optimally but have a slightly different look and feel so that people of all types and needs can opt for a Qubo smart air purifier. And like I mentioned, we also want to go deeper into environmental management. We are developing products like humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and also evaluating heaters. The Government of India has also come up with BIS for all the small appliances for the environment: air purifiers, heaters, and so on. We believe that will bring a lot of quality control in these categories, so brands actually deliver on the promise they are making. A lot is happening in this industry, and I think the government also realises the importance of these environmental categories for the Indian market, which is why they have brought it under the regime of BIS as well.
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Aman Rashid
Aman Rashid is the Senior Assistant Editor at Digit, where he leads the website along with the brand’s YouTube, social media, and overall video operations. He has been covering consumer technology for several years, with experience across news, reviews, and features. Outside of work, Aman is a sneaker enthusiast and an avid follower of WWE, Dragon Ball, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. View Full Profile
