Asustek Computer achieved shipments of eight million smartphones in 2014 and though the business is still suffering from losses, the company is confident it will achieve profitable operations and double its smartphone shipments in 2015, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Meanwhile, Acer shipped around 100,000 smartphones to the Taiwan market in 2014 and has not yet unveiled whether it has achieved its shipment goal of over three million units for 2014, the sources noted.

Asustek shipped about one million smartphones to Taiwan and achieved better-than-expected sales in Southeast Asia. The company also entered into markets such as Russia, Brazil and Turkey in 2014, expanding its brand influence into other emerging markets. Asustek's smartphones are currently selling in about 15 countries worldwide, the sources said.

The sources believe China and North America will be key markets for Asustek in 2015. The Taiwan-based vendors has recently developed a new series of inexpensive smartphones and along with its existing ZenFone series products, the company is looking to gain support from China's telecom carriers and channel retailers in 2015.

However, Asustek will be facing competition from players such as Samsung Electronics, High Tech Computer (HTC), Sony as well as local vendors including Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE, CoolPad, Vivo, Oppo. Asustek is mainly targeting the CNY799-1,599 (US$129-257) range smartphone segment.

Starting the first quarter of 2015, Asustek CEO Jerry Shen will shuttle between offices in Shanghai and Beijing, China to closely manage the smartphone business operation, the sources revealed.

Asustek is ready to launch its second-generation ZenFone series smartphone during CES 2015, while Acer will unveil its 4G LTE-based high-end Liquid Jade S and entry-level Z410 smartphones.