Chinese mobile OEM Coolpad has announced its intentions to launch its range of smartphones in India, which is a very attractive market for new manufacturers as we've seen from the likes of Xiaomi, Gionee, Oppo etc.It is noteworthy, that Coolpad had earlier tied up with Reliance Communications to offer bundled CDMA devices but this is the first time it will be venturing solo in this space.
The company's Dazen range of handsets will be launching in India soon, the company said in a statement. The manufacturer will possibly set up manufacturing units in parts of India to speed up supply. It is said that an R&D facility will be launched in Bengaluru soon.
The company will sell its smartphones in the Rs. 5,000 - 20,000 price segment, taking the likes of Xiaomi, Lenovo, Micromax, Motorola and ASUS head on. There's no word on whether the devices will be available as an exclusive through local retailers or if it will be sold through all major retailers in the country.
In any case, it's good news for the Indian customers that a new budget friendly OEM is interested in setting up a base in the country. Increased competition can only mean good news for buyers as prices will inevitably see a fall. There is a also a buzz that Meizu (another popular Chinese brand) will be starting operations soon.
Coming back to Coolpad, the Dazen brand is unheard of for most Indian customers, so the company will have to make sure that there is some awareness about its brand before launching devices in the country. For those unaware, the popular Micromax YU Yureka is a rebranded version of the Coolpad F2 smartphone.
"We will use the strengths of Coolpad as a manufacturer and innovator and the intent is to build a software and services ecosystem solving needs of our customers that are mostly online buyers," said Varun Sharma, the CEO of Coolpad’s Indian wing.
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