Haier Kinouchi: AC remotes are unreliable. Can a smart AC be the answer?

Air-conditioners are not easily reviewable, much as we depend on them during our gruelling summer months. As a consumer, you buy an AC, turn it on, find a setting/temperature that is comfortable for you, and that’s it. But new-age ACs, like the Haier Kinouchi, go beyond that. They are AI-first ACs and have a nifty smartphone app (works on both Android and iOS), several smart features, and maximum efficiency.

The Haier Kinouchi is a 1.6-ton 5-star split AC with AI smarts behind it. Priced at ₹49,990, this sleek-looking AC with a ‘Kinouchi finish’ (essentially, a design element) and high-tech features is looking to compete with companies like Daikin, Panasonic, Mitsubishi and O General, which all have smart ACs in a similar price-range. This one is available in three colourways: Black, Morning Mist and Moonstone Grey, all sleek and modern-looking that will fit the aesthetics of your room.

Unboxing and installation

The unboxing and installation of the Haier Kinouchi AC were relatively uneventful. Haier’s hassle-free installation is pretty much seamless. As with all split ACs, you get an indoor and outdoor unit, a remote control with 2 AAA batteries, a user manual and warranty card, an indoor unit wall mount, a copper tube, and a power supply cord.

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This is a 1.6-ton (can shift from 0.8T to 1.6T) 5-star AC with a cooling power of 5460W. It uses R32, an eco-friendly refrigerant, is pretty silent at only 47dB and offers 20x faster cooling. Some of the smart and AI goodies include Frost Self-Clean Technology and HEXA Inverter Technology (for improved energy efficiency). The 20-meter airflow (in turbo mode) ensures uniform cooling in the room.

Build and design

All split ACs are similarly designed these days. The difference is that they come in colours beyond the standard white, which many consider boring. The Haier Kinouchi AC I got for review was in the Morning Mist colourway, which blended well with my room’s aesthetics. The overall look is clean and modern. An LED display on the right side (which can be turned off) shows the temperature. Although the outdoor unit is rarely seen by consumers (who really inspects/looks at the AC unit on the exterior of their house?), the grill design and Haier logo are elegant. It features a plastic outlet grill and aluminium fins. Using 100% groover copper piping increases the heat exchange efficiency, offering better cooling performance.

Does it do the job?

Haier delivers on what it promises—this 1.6-ton AC is designed for fast and superior cooling in the room, even when temperatures are soaring. I noticed that cooling happened evenly in my fairly large room, thanks to the 20-meter airflow. It adapted to the room quite well and ensured cooling throughout the night. At one point, the temperature of my room, according to the app, was 30 degrees. Turning on the turbo mode, it managed to cool the room down to below 20 degrees in just 15-20 minutes. Haier advertises uniform cooling by a 4-way swing mechanism, which is as effective as it sounds.

Once the cooling is done and temperatures have reached suitable levels, you can enable quiet mode to get pin-drop silence, with a few small noises here and there. The AC is relatively quiet even if you just run it with the fan at higher speeds. Energy efficiency is one of the standout features. It’s got DC inverter technology and a 5-star BEE rating. The inverter can dynamically adjust the power consumption based on usage patterns, thus reducing energy wastage. There’s also an Eco Mode to reduce the output/capacity of the AC during monsoon or cooler weather.

But, at times, when I’ve turned on quiet mode, the fan goes close to zero, and you can feel that the AC is struggling to do its job because it runs at 25-30% capacity in this mode. On the upside, this can stabilise the temperature for a few hours if the room is already cooled.

Connectivity

While the Haismart app does the job with aplomb, the remote is the exact opposite. Using the app from the get-go, I could turn on the AC a few minutes before I entered the room. You can also monitor your energy consumption with the app by checking out the ‘Electricity Stats’ section and ‘AI Climate Control, ’ which adjusts the cooling “according to the users’ habits and preferences”. It worked, but took a few days to hit that optimal temperature. Being able to adjust the temperature according to your sleep cycle by the hour is quite a neat feature as well.

The remote, however, failed to sync with the app. One would rather not use an app in the middle of the night and on one occasion, while half-asleep, I picked up the remote to change the temperature, which didn’t work. Even turning off the AC takes a few tries if you’ve first turned on the AC with the app. I understand the remote isn’t Wi-Fi enabled, but it’s 2025, and surely the two can talk to each other.

A common problem with most AC remotes and their inscrutable ways are the vast number of buttons whose functions are pretty much unfathomable, at least without a deep dive into the user manual. Switching to a smart AC with an easy-to-control app seems worth it just for that!

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