There were 2.45 smartphones shipped in the Taiwan market during the third quarter of 2014, hitting a quarterly record and accounting for 96.1% of total handset shipments. Taiwan had the third highest smartphone penetration next only to Hong Kong and Singapore, according to IDC.

Of the smartphone shipments, 5- to 5.49-inch models accounted for 35%, 4- to 4.99-inch models and 5.5-inch and above models for 32% each, and below 4-inch models for 1%, IDC said.

Asustek Computer had the largest market share due to booming sales of its ZenFone series, followed by HTC, Samsung Electronics, Sony Mobile Communications and Apple.