Good morning, and a Happy New Year!
Opening thoughts. A few days ago, some interesting data was shared by Swiggy, regarding how India ‘Swiggy’d’ in 2025, and Instamart gadget shopping trends (they call that Instamarted). I’ll focus on the tech purchase aspect, because it is still early morning as I write, and discussing biryani orders will only serve to enlighten hunger and slow down the train of thought.
The ‘How India Instamarted 2025’ annual trends report indicates a mix of interesting and eccentric purchase trends on the quick commerce platform. There was a user in Hyderabad who placed the highest single value tech cart in the year, valued at ₹4.3 lakh, for three Apple iPhone 17 Pro. Must have been in September, when the craze peaked. Unsurprisingly, the iPhone did mark more trends, such as the fastest iPhone 17 delivery being recorded in Pune—timed at 3 minutes (spare a thought for the rider partner who delivered it).
But it wasn’t all iPhones. There was a spender who totalled cart value through the year at over ₹22 lakh with spends including, as Instamart describes it, “adding everything from smartphones and 24K gold coins to air fryers, SSDs, headphones, alongside everyday items like Tic Tacs, milk, eggs, ice-cream, and fresh fruit. It was the clearest signal that premium gadgets and daily-life essentials now share the same convenience-driven shopping universe”.
Besides gadgets, there is a Mumbai resident who shelled out ₹15.16 lakh on gold purchases (assuming, this will be a lot of gold coins) alone. Instamart also notes that users searched for “Airbus” too. Assuming someone wants to buy an A380 or an A350? Don’t think the GST realignment covers commercial aircraft purchases.
Editor’s Corner: Xiaomi Redmi 15C marks a leap
What are your true expectations from a smartphone that is priced at ₹12,499 onwards? As you contemplate an answer, let me illustrate the key reasons why you may consider Xiaomi’s newest addition to the Redmi phone lineup—the affordable Redmi 15C.
This has a massive battery capacity, 6000 mAh to be specific, and there’s a charger in the box too. The 6.9-inch display has a 120 Hz refresh rate too. Of course, 5G support as well. This almost perfectly encapsulates the evolution of affordable phones into better rounded experiences, when compared with perhaps a couple of years ago—phones then too ticked off the needs of that moment in time, but performance as a collective has seen a significant uptick recently. Borne by simply better hardware at the base.
It is certainly a nice phone to hold, particularly in the Moonlight Blue (other options are Midnight Black and Dusk Purple), and the fact that Xiaomi is experimenting with colours is good to see.
Flat slab design works well here, especially with grip, though you could complain about the slightly thick bezels around the large (and a nicely vivid) 6.9-inch screen. Absolutely no complaints about the performance, and therefore experience defining everyday usage.
I spent a fair amount of time with the Redmi 15C as a significantly used second phone, particularly for (a lot of; I must stand face to face with doom-scrolling for your sake) social media, web browsing and an email inbox that’s remains lit up like a Christmas tree through every day.
If you stay cognizant of the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor’s capabilities, you’ll never find yourself overstretching boundaries of smooth performance during multitasking. This can handle a fair bit and, whilst at it, return a day and a half of battery run time that’d include close to 7.5 hours of on-screen time.
There are three configuration variants available—4 GB memory with 128 GB storage, 6 GB + 128 GB and 8 GB +128 GB. My recommendation is clear, as far as the budget allows, spend on the highest memory amount possible. It’ll hold you in good stead for the long run.
The 50-MP primary camera is surprisingly versatile when it comes to managing image processing in slightly tricky conditions, as far as detailing goes. Though contrast is often lacking and shadows or darker images can get unnaturally brightened in a frame—I see what the image processing pipeline is going for here, which is to utilise maximum lighting possible.
It is astonishing how far along some phones sub- ₹15,000 have come, when the phonemaker pays attention to finer details. The Xiaomi Redmi 15C is a shining example of that. They aren’t just very capable (with a definite dose of longevity) as primary phones, but viable second phones that won’t give the illusion of an experiential chasm when switching from your likely more expensive primary phone. That itself, is a win.
For Xiaomi, it’ll be important to prove that this remains a continuous effort, and for that the release of HyperOS 3 soon enough is key. For now, Redmi 15C’s Google Gemini integration, wet touch technology that makes the display usable even in tricky weather, and small details such as more powerful on-device speakers, underline a wholesome effort.
Things 2026 will pretend are inevitable
You don’t always need a crystal ball to see where the next year is headed. As for 2026, I see some signals that are already flashing. If you look closely enough. Let’s discuss!
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: This will be here soon, and I have a feeling it’ll set the Android superphone photography benchmark.
With the Xiaomi 17 Ultra—and I say that with unwavering confidence having seen the trajectory that the 14 Ultra and 15 Ultra have exhibited quite clearly—Xiaomi and Leica have left no cards on the table for any ifs and buts. That’s my key takeaway from the phone’s announcement.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 200-MP telescope + 50-MP wide + 50-MP ultrawide makes for the camera troika, alongside a 6.9-inch AMOLED display and a 6,800 mAh battery. It’s thinner than the very impressive 15 Ultra and a flat-slab design language gives it a very likeable personality upgrade. Did I mention the mechanical camera ring? Honestly, if I had any budget to buy a Xiaomi 17 Ultra next year (and assuming Xiaomi gets all colour options to India), I’d have a tough time choosing between white, black, purple, and green—this has a gorgeous sparkly metallic finish.
I can’t wait for this phone, and saying that has been a rarity in recent years.
Apple’s foldable iPhone chapter: 2026 is expected to be the year when Apple Inc. finally joins the foldable phone conversation, and the substantial shift it will bring to the table with a level of certainty that matches day following night.
Apple will not experiment. It will deliver possibly the best blend between iOS and the hardware. Developers won’t have an option but to optimise every app to take full advantage of the foldable form factor. Little to share with you at this point of time in terms of the actual design or specs or indeed any specifics of the minutest variety, but my guess is the iPhone Air does give us some hints at slimness and camera module integration.
Believe the social media rumour mongering (of which there will be a lot as we countdown to September) at your own peril, but there is one certainty at this point—this will cost a premium penny, so start saving up now.
Credit card rewards to find equilibrium: And that neatly leads me to funding your next rewards points haul with a big tech purchase in 2026. Things won’t be as simple as they were made out to be in the previous couple of years. Indications are banks will tighten purse strings in terms of returns you get on spends (this will likely vary by category, also called MCC or Merchant Category Code).
Every point, mile or cashback in return for spends, also costs the bank. They’ll find a balance between keeping premium users happy, existing users churning bills every month and enough to attract new sign-ups. Because if they intend to downgrade credit cards for not meeting minimum spends, self-respecting customers will simply shift banks.
Solid-state batteries for EVs
Samsung SDI announced its All-Solid-State Battery (ASSB) technology in October 2025 in partnership with BMW and Solid Power, targeting mass production in 2026 for electric vehicles.
This battery technology offers relatively groundbreaking specs, which includes a claimed 600-mile range, nine-minute full charge rating, 500 Wh/kg energy density (double that of current lithium-ion), and a 20-year lifespan—all this collectively expected to make it more reliable, versatile, as well as safer and non-flammable due to solid electrolytes replacing liquid ones.
With BMW’s first EVs of 2026 expected to debut with this ASSB technology, we may well begin to see a new chapter being written for electric mobility. But expect these to figure in premium cars for a few years as true “democratisation” may still be a while away.