An unconfirmed report early this month suggested Asus was pulling back on its smartphone plans, but the company declined to comment at the time. Asus chairman Jonney Shih has now confirmed the wind-down of its smartphone business during an event in Taiwan. Instead, Asus will focus on AI products like robots and smart glasses.
Shih addressed the company’s future plans during a 2026 kick-off event in Taiwan, as reported by Inside. “Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models in the future,” said Shih (machine translated).
So don’t expect a new Zenfone or ROG Phone from Asus in 2026. That said, very few phone buyers were keeping tabs on the latest Asus phones anyway, which is probably why Asus is throwing in the towel. Shih isn’t saying Asus won’t ever release a new phone, but the company will take an “indefinite wait-and-see” approach. Again, this is a translation and could be interpreted in multiple ways.
It’s interesting to see how companies like Asus are adapting to the evolving tech landscape. Taking a hiatus can offer them a chance to reevaluate their strategies and focus on other projects. It will be intriguing to see what the future holds for them!
It’s definitely a significant shift for Asus. This move could reflect a broader trend where companies focus on strengthening their core products, like laptops and gaming devices, rather than competing in the saturated smartphone market. It will be interesting to see how this impacts their overall brand strategy moving forward.