Handset shipments in Taiwan hit the lowest level thus far this year in June as consumers withheld their buying activities due to the expanded impacts of the COVID-19 infections on the local market.

According to data compiled by retail channels, handset shipments in the local market fell to 360,000 units in June compared to 404,000 units shipped in May and 393,000 units in April.

In June, Apple remained the top vendor in terms of unit shipments but saw its share edged down to 30.2% from the previous 34.5%. It was also the number one brand in shipment value, accounting for a 59.1% share.

Samsung Electronics was second in unit shipments with a 27.5% share, up from 26.4% seen in the previous month, bolstered by robust sales of its mid-range Galaxy A-series models.

Oppo ranked third and saw its share move up to 11.4% from 11%. Vivo stayed flat at 6.3%, while Realme and Sony Mobile Communications managed to ramp up their shares to 6.1% and 3.1%, respectively, up from the previous 4.8% and 1.5%.

Market sources expect local handset shipments to stage a rebound in the second half of the year, as Apple and Samsung are expected to launch their respective flagship models in the third quarter, stimulating replacement demand.

The top-10 best-selling models in June were: iPhone 12 128GB, Galaxy A52 5G 56GB, Galaxy A42 5G 6GB/128GB, Galaxy A52 5G 128GB, iPhone 12 Pro 128GB, Oppo A54, Oppo Reno5 5G, iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB, Galaxy A32 5G 128GB, and iPhone 11 128GB.