Asustek Computer, as compared to HTC and Acer, might be the sole Taiwan-based vendor that can prevail in the global smartphone market after the company managed to launch its next-generation ZenFone 5 series on schedule in mid-March 2018, according to industry sources.

In contrast, HTC has yet to demonstrate or initiate renewed efforts to rejuvenate its smartphone business after it sold its ODM business unit to Google, commented the sources.

Even worse, HTC saw its consolidated revenues drop 23.24% on month and 44.04% on year to a 13-year low of NT$2.61 billion (US$89.6 million) in February, and those for the first two months of 2018 also dropped 35.5% on year to NT$6.02 billion.

Although market sources indicated that HTC is likely to release a new flagship model in the second quarter of 2018, the firm's outlook remains bleak in the global smartphone space as the company's smartphone strategy has already departed from the mainstream market trend, argued the sources.

The skeptics also warned that HTC's VR business might follow the step of its smartphone business and begin falling, although the company appears ready to start shipping its next-generation Vive Pro devices.

As for Acer, persisting rumors have indicated that the vendor will eventually abandon its smartphone business as it has failed so far to deliver meaningful volumes to the smartphone market. And for a long period Acer has not disclosed its new strategies or business prospects for smartphones.

But Asustek's smartphone team has rolled out the ZenFone 5 series in line with the market dynamics as well as market demand, while positioning these new models precisely in the NT$4,000-15,000 segment.

Buoyed by its brand image and high price/performance ratios of the new models, Asustek is likely to make significant inroads into the markets in Southeast Asia, Europe and South America this time, contended the sources.

Asustek's smartphone business is expected to swing back to profit in the third quarter of 2018 when it begins to ramp up shipments to the world's 10 major markets. The vendor's total smartphone shipments are likely to reach 10 million units in 2018, and if so, the momentum may continue in 2019 to enable the smartphone business unit to run profitably in the entire year of 2019, commented the sources.