Product-by-product notes
Coway Airmega 150. The best-rated purifier here (4.7 from more than 6,800 buyers) and the one with the lowest running cost. Coway rates the filter at 8,500 hours, roughly 1.5 to 2 years of use, and the genuine HEPA filter was listed at about ₹3,299. It has no app and the listing gives no CADR, so we cannot compare its airflow with the others. A strong choice for a bedroom or a medium living room.
Qubo Q600. A 450 m³/h CADR at about ₹15,000 is more airflow than any other purifier here at that price, with a live PM2.5 number on the unit and an app. Its rating (4.0) is below Coway's. The filter is rated up to 9,000 hours, but we could not find its price on Amazon.in, so check before you commit.
Xiaomi Mijia Smart Air Purifier 6. A large unit with a 443 m³/h particle CADR, a formaldehyde CADR of 218 m³/h and five sensors. It costs more than the Qubo for similar particle airflow, and the UVC and ioniser stages are extras, not the main filtration. Choose it if you want the formaldehyde figure and the sensor detail.
Xiaomi Air Purifier 4 Lite. The cheapest way to get a 360 m³/h CADR with a True HEPA filter and an AQI display. The listing gives two coverage figures (640 and 462 sq ft), so use the lower number when sizing. Genuine filter prices were not confirmed on Amazon.in, only third-party filters at roughly ₹2,400 to ₹3,000.
Honeywell 4-stage H13 (Wi-Fi). A CADR of up to 380 m³/h with a separate activated carbon layer and a filter life up to 9,000 hours. The 3.8 rating from 619 buyers is the lowest on this list, so read recent reviews on service and noise before buying.
Cuckoo Respure. A 408 m³/h CADR, a True HEPA H13 filter and sleep-mode noise of about 20 dB. It is rated 4.4 (707 ratings shared across Cuckoo listings). The listing mentions no carbon filter, so it suits particles better than cooking smells, and the brand is newer in India.
Philips AC3220/60. The highest CADR here at 520 m³/h, with an AQI display, 36 W power use and Philips service. It costs about ₹22,480 and has only 137 reviews, so it is for big rooms where the Qubo's airflow is not enough.
Shark HP150IN. A HEPA 14 filter that Shark says need not be replaced for up to 5 years, in a unit for rooms up to 600 sq ft. If that holds up, it saves on filters, but 5 years is the maker's claim, and a Delhi winter may shorten it. It is the most expensive pick at about ₹24,990.
Philips AC0950. The bedroom choice. It has a 250 m³/h CADR, runs as quietly as 20.5 dB, and the genuine FY0910/30 replacement filter was about ₹2,720. It is too small for a large living room.
Honeywell 5-stage. The cheapest here at about ₹10,499 and one of the most reviewed purifiers on Amazon.in, with more than 31,000 ratings. It has a CADR of up to 300 m³/h and five stages. It has no app, and its 3.9 rating trails the leaders.
Compare at a glance
| Purifier |
Price |
Rating (reviews) |
CADR |
Coverage per listing |
Filter life |
| Coway Airmega 150 |
₹14,999 |
4.7 (6,821) |
Not listed |
355 sq ft |
8,500 hours |
| Qubo Q600 |
₹14,990 |
4.0 (1,415) |
450 m³/h |
600 sq ft |
9,000 hours |
| Xiaomi Mijia 6 |
₹17,999 |
4.2 (1,010) |
443 m³/h |
See listing |
See listing |
| Xiaomi 4 Lite |
₹10,990 |
4.2 (1,010) |
360 m³/h |
462 to 640 sq ft |
See listing |
| Honeywell 4-stage H13 |
₹11,499 |
3.8 (619) |
Up to 380 m³/h |
589 sq ft |
9,000 hours |
| Cuckoo Respure |
₹13,990 |
4.4 (shared) |
408 m³/h |
570 sq ft |
See listing |
| Philips AC3220/60 |
₹22,480 |
4.4 (137) |
520 m³/h |
600 sq ft |
See listing |
| Shark HP150IN |
₹24,990 |
4.3 (3,571) |
Not listed |
600 sq ft |
Up to 5 years (maker) |
| Philips AC0950 |
₹11,989 |
4.4 (389) |
250 m³/h |
320 sq ft |
Up to 1 year |
| Honeywell 5-stage |
₹10,499 |
3.9 (31,442) |
Up to 300 m³/h |
465 sq ft |
See listing |
How to size a purifier for smog months
Do not trust the coverage number on the box. Makers often calculate it for slow air changes, which is too gentle for heavy pollution. Use CADR instead.
- Work out your room's volume: floor area in square metres times ceiling height. A 150 sq ft bedroom is about 14 m² and with a 10 ft (3 m) ceiling is about 42 m³.
- Multiply by 5 for heavy winter pollution (3 for everyday use). That gives about 210 m³/h for the bedroom.
- Choose a purifier whose CADR is at least that number.
This is a rule of thumb. A bigger room, open doors or a leaky window need a higher CADR. Our main guide to air purifiers by room size has more detail and picks for different rooms.
What matters most in heavy smog
- CADR. More airflow clears the room faster. This matters more than any coverage claim.
- A real carbon layer. HEPA traps particles. It does not remove gases, cooking fumes or incense smoke. Only activated carbon does, and a thin carbon sheet fills up fast.
- Filter life and filter price. In heavy smog, filters clog sooner than their rated life. A low-cost filter or a long filter life keeps the running cost down.
- A live PM2.5 reading. A number on the unit tells you if it is working. A colour light only gives a rough idea.
- Noise at night. Check the sleep-mode noise if it goes in a bedroom.
- Ignore extras. Ionisers and UV lights add little. The HEPA filter does the work.
What it costs to own
The purchase price is only part of it. These filter prices were listed on Amazon.in on 11 Nov 2026:
- Coway Airmega 150: the genuine Green HEPA filter was about ₹3,299, rated 8,500 hours (roughly 1.5 to 2 years).
- Philips AC0950: the genuine FY0910/30 filter was about ₹2,720, rated up to a year.
- Other models: we could not confirm genuine filter prices for the Qubo, Xiaomi, Honeywell and Cuckoo models on Amazon.in. Third-party filters exist for some, but their quality varies. Check the price of the maker's own filter before you buy.
Using your purifier during Diwali smoke and stubble burning
- Keep the doors and windows of the room closed and run the purifier on auto or a high setting.
- Put it where air can flow around it, away from walls and curtains.
- Wipe or vacuum the pre-filter as the maker advises, since it clogs fastest in smog.
- A purifier will not clear a very leaky room. Seal gaps if you can.
- Replace filters when the indicator says so, and sooner if the unit is struggling.
We have not tested these purifiers. Specs, CADR figures and coverage come from the Amazon.in listings, and the 99.9%-type removal figures are the makers' claims.
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