HTC continued its downward trend in sales, with the first six months of the year seeing it bring in around half of its total from the same period in 2017.

Total sales of TWD15.56 billion ($510.7 million) compared with TWD30.67 billion in the first half of 2017. And the launch of its latest flagship, U12+, did little to cheer: its June revenue of TWD2.23 billion was down 67.6 per cent year-on-year and 8.8 per cent lower than the previous month.

HTC does not provide profit (or loss) figures alongside its monthly sales report, although full numbers for Q2 will follow in due course.

The weak sales performance comes shortly after it was reported the company is set for yet another round of job cuts, this time centred on its manufacturing capabilities in its home market of Taiwan.

While the company has been struggling for sales despite well-received products for some time, U12+ generated a mixed response, with critics often citing HTC’s second-generation pressure-sensing input as a weak point.

With the company having sold smartphone assets to Google earlier this year (in return for a healthy wodge of cash) and trimmed its manufacturing capabilities, it is perhaps not surprising HTC’s commitment to smartphones has again been questioned, particularly as the company presses ahead with its VR activities.