It was a Tuesday—the kind of humid, forgettable Tuesday where the ceiling fan just recirculates the same tired air. Arjun Mehta sat cross-legged on his faded gray sofa, a bowl of cold poha balanced on his knee, staring at the 32-inch screen mounted on the opposite wall. His Mi TV 4A Pro had been his pride for three years. The first thing he’d bought with his signing bonus from the call center job. It wasn’t a Sony or an LG, but it was his .

The Mi logo appeared. Glowed white. Flickered. Vanished.

Then the bar returned. 89%... 97%... 100%.