New Delhi, March 23, 2026, 21:25 IST
- Ai+ is lining up the Nova 2 and Nova 2 Ultra 5G for an India debut on April 9, with another three Nova devices still to come. 1
- Customization and identity took the spotlight in the company’s Monday pitch, though pricing details stayed under wraps. 2
- Handset makers are rolling out the launch just as memory prices climb, steering brands to lean heavier on software and AI features—moves aimed at protecting margins and nudging users to upgrade. 3
Ai+ Smartphone plans to roll out its Nova 2 and Nova 2 Ultra 5G models in India on April 9, kicking off a lineup of five devices. The focus? Not just hardware, but personalization. The Nova 2 Ultra stands out with customizable rear lights that respond to calls, messages, music, and other notifications. The Nova 2, meanwhile, is positioned as the more performance-driven pick. 2
It’s a problem for smartphone manufacturers, who have fewer straightforward ways to entice buyers. Reuters last month flagged that higher memory prices are expected to drag global shipments down 12.9% in 2026. Yet in India, Omdia numbers quoted by the Economic Times pointed to AI-capable smartphone shipments more than doubling year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025. 4
Monday’s announcement left out specifics on fresh AI tools and didn’t mention pricing. Still, Chief Executive Madhav Sheth spelled out the vision for Ai+—the lineup targets customers looking for “reliability and performance” or aiming for “identity and expression.” 5
The company is adding three models—the Nova 2 Pro, Nova 2 Neo, and Nova Flip—to its lineup, pushing Ai+ past its initial wave of entry-level and budget 5G phones. Since July 2025, Ai+ has tallied sales of over 1 million devices. Last year, the Nova 5G landed with a price tag of 7,999 rupees, underscoring the aggressive pricing strategy the brand took with its first 5G launch. 6
Investor attention has landed squarely on the supply chain ahead of the launch. Ai+ sealed a manufacturing agreement with Optiemus Electronics last week, targeting production of roughly 3 million units in India starting in April. HDFC Sky noted a 2.47% climb in Optiemus Infracom shares to 356.40 rupees on March 12, following news of the deal. 7
Ai+ isn’t entering an empty field. Samsung, back on January 5, announced plans to ramp up Galaxy AI tech devices to 800 million by year’s end. Xiaomi, for its part, committed on March 19 to pour at least 60 billion yuan ($8.7 billion) into AI over three years. Then there’s Amazon: Reuters reported March 20 that the company is looking at a new phone, built on Alexa and mobile personalization features. 8
“Every major player is moving in the same direction,” Francisco Jeronimo, IDC’s vice president of data and analytics, said in a note picked up by Reuters on Amazon’s phone ambitions. Omdia’s Sanyam Chaurasia, speaking to the Economic Times, flagged “little room” for brands to add memory, with cost and supply issues steering manufacturers toward software tweaks and cloud AI instead. 9
Still, there’s no guarantee any of this will stick. Karn Chauhan, an analyst at Counterpoint, told ET there’s “currently no significant consumer pull” for AI features. Even with those tools available, he said, most users barely notice—and privacy issues haven’t gone away. 3
Privacy remains front and center in India. On March 19, Reuters reported that Apple, Samsung, and Google resisted a plan to preload the Aadhaar identity app on devices, citing worries about costs, potential disruptions to the user experience, and security risks. Ai+ counters with a privacy-first approach, saying its own software lets users manage their data directly. 10
Right now, Nova Series isn’t chasing specs—it’s probing the price point and testing where it fits: Will adding a personal touch tip the scale for buyers in a market squeezed by rising costs and waning enthusiasm? Ai+ kept mum on price Monday, and in this slice of the market, that number could matter more than any flashy lights on the phone’s back. 2
