The three-leading Taiwan-based smartphone vendors, Asustek Computer, HTC and Acer, all will see their smartphone shipments fall short of their respective targets set for 2016, according to industry sources.

Asustek are expected to ship 20 million smartphones in 2016 compared to its target of 25 million due to lower-than-expected sales in China, the US and Europe, as well as delayed shipments of its ZenFone 3 series products, said the sources.

As it is increasingly difficult for Asustek to compete effectively with local brands in China, and will also face fierce price competition in the India market in 2017, the prospects for Asustek to further ramp up shipments to overseas markets in the coming year are not optimistic, commented the sources.

HTC, which shipped 18 million smartphones in 2015 and lost its title as the number one local smartphone vendor to Asustek in the year, is likely to ship merely 10-12 million units in 2016 as its shipments to China, the US and Europe have been declining rapidly, indicated the sources.

It is difficult for HTC to stage a comeback to the global smartphone spotlight in 2017 and beyond due to a fast dwindling of market share in China, added the sources.

Acer are expected to ship less than five million smartphones, or roughly half of its shipment target of 10 million, in 2016, the sources estimated, adding that Acer will continue to face a bumpy road in 2017.