Chinese device maker Coolpad is planning an entry into the competitive Indian smartphone market, according to The Economic Times.

The company will offer devices using its Dazen brand online. It is also planning to set up a research and development centre in the country as well as a manufacturing site, as it looks to cater to the local audience.

“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,” Varun Sharma, who heads the company’s Indian operation, told the paper.

Coolpad is not the only company eyeing the lucrative, if already competitive, market. According to recent reports, HTC is set to offer a device targeting the market, while Sony is also planning a push.

And India already has a diverse smartphone market. According to figures from IDC for Q4 2014, international giant Samsung leads the way with 22 per cent share, ahead of local rivals Micromax (18 per cent), Intex (8 per cent) and Lava (7 per cent).

Ambitious Chinese player Xiaomi is also making waves in the market, and has grand ambitions.

But 41 per cent of the market share is held by “others”. And there is still much to play for: smartphones made up 35 per cent of the handset market which, while up by 13 points year-on-year, means there is still plenty of feature phone business to win away.