ASUS confirms it will stop launching new smartphones: All the details

Asus

• ASUS confirms it will stop making new smartphone models.
• ROG Phone and Zenfone series will not see future releases.
• ASUS shifts focus to AI PCs, servers, robotics, and smart devices.

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ASUS stepping away from smartphones is now starting to feel real, even if the company has not officially used the word “exit”.

At the company’s end-of-year gala in Taipei on January 16, ASUS chairman Jonney Shih told the media that the company will “no longer add new mobile phone models in the future.” That one line has quietly confirmed what many industry watchers had suspected for months. ASUS is done making new smartphones.

This effectively brings an end to two well-known lineups. The gaming-focused ROG Phone series and the more mainstream Zenfone range will not see new models going forward. The ROG Phone 9 series launched in October 2024, while the Zenfone 12 Ultra arrived in February 2025. Since then, there has been no hint of what comes next. While ASUS has stopped short of a clear goodbye announcement like LG made in 2021, the message is hard to misread.

For fans, this is disappointing. ASUS was never a big seller on the scale of Samsung or Apple, but it built a loyal following by doing things differently. The ROG Phone stood out in a crowded market because it actually catered to mobile gamers. Features like physical shoulder triggers, loud speakers, strong battery life, and stable performance made a real difference. These were not gimmicks and many rivals only caught up years later.

The Zenfone series had its own identity. Phones with flip cameras were unusual and sometimes impractical, but they showed that ASUS was willing to experiment. Zenfone also kept the idea of a compact flagship alive long after most brands moved to bigger screens. When ASUS finally shifted Zenfone to larger designs, it lost some of its charm without gaining the scale needed to survive.

ASUS leaving the smartphone space also raises wider concerns. Fewer brands mean fewer choices for buyers and less pressure on prices. This comes at a time when phones are already getting more expensive. Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing, recently warned that rising memory prices are pushing costs up across the industry.

For buyers looking for alternatives, the picture is mixed. Flagships from Samsung and Apple offer power and polish but little focus on gaming. Brands like iQOO and OnePlus are trying to fill that gap, while niche players like RedMagic remain.

ASUS itself is not going away. The company is shifting its attention to AI-powered PCs, servers, robotics, and smart devices. Still, its quiet departure from phones removes one of the few brands that was willing to take risks, and the smartphone market will be poorer for it.