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Taiwan handset shipments to post single-digit sequential growth 4Q19, says Digitimes Research

Luke Lin, DIGITIMES Research, Taipei

Handset shipments by Taiwan's brand vendors and ODMs are expected to grow by a single-digit rate sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2019 after seeing their combined shipments edge up 3% on quarter to 14.21 million units a quarter earlier, Digitimes Research estimates.

In the third quarter, Foxconn Group was the top player in unit shipments thanks to a rebound of feature phone orders from HMD Global (Nokia) despite a decline in smartphone ones.

Brand vendors Austek Computer and HTC both suffered sequential shipment declines in the third quarter but with their rankings remaining unchanged in second and third.

Compal Electronics stayed in fourth place thanks to orders from Sony Mobile Communications and US-based CAT, while Arima's shipments continued to decline in the third quarter as it has been producing handsets for lesser brands in Europe and emerging markets.

On a yearly basis, handset shipments by Taiwan's brand vendors and ODMs are expected to tumble 30% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, with vendors rankings to remain unchanged, Digitimes Research estimates.