"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."
"The Zenfone line might not be missed-its claim to fame was being slightly smaller and cheaper than competing devices, but Asus' support and update policy were lightyears behind the market leaders. The ROG Phone line has been prominent in the gaming phone niche, offering the latest chipsets with active cooling, multiple USB-C ports, game controller accessories, blinking lights, and even a headphone jack."
"Existing Asus devices should continue to get updates, but Asus never took the lead there. The lavishly expensive ROG Phone 9 Pro is only guaranteed two OS updates and five years of security patches. The most recent Zenfones are also only eligible for two Android version updates, but they get just four years of security support."
Asus confirmed a wind-down of its smartphone business and will no longer add new mobile phone models, shifting focus to AI products such as robots and smart glasses. The company will take an indefinite wait-and-see approach that could allow future phone releases but not in the near term. The Zenfone line offered smaller, cheaper devices but suffered from weak update support. The ROG Phone line targeted gaming with premium features and high prices, while current Asus phones receive limited OS and security update guarantees.
Read at Ars Technica
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