This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Asus may be getting out of the smartphone business. The company allegedly told telecoms in Taiwan that it has no plans to release new smartphones in 2026. This might come as a shock to some people, while others would say that they saw it coming.
I've been a huge fan of Asus smartphones ever since I tested the Zenfone 6 almost seven years ago, but the news that Asus might be pulling out made me realize the company has lost everything that I used to be excited about.
The cool Asus era
My first encounter with Asus phones was back in 2019 when I had the chance to test the Zenfone 6. The phone featured a unique camera system that flipped up when you needed to take a selfie.
Back in those days smartphone companies were fighting the edge-to-edge battle to offer a full-screen experience with no notches, punch-holes, or pill-shaped cutouts, and with minimal bezels on top of that.
Some companies, such as OnePlus, tried the pop-up camera, while others created strange sliders with rotating camera systems. The Zenfone 6 idea was quite ingenious, as the main camera was used on selfie duties, providing the flexibility and quality of two main camera modules—wide and ultrawide.
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The system wasn't perfect, it took time for the module to flip up, and the motor behind it required energy, meaning battery life suffered the more selfies you took per day. However, Asus liked the design so much that they branched the Zenfone lineup into two models next year.
The Zenfone 7 Pro perfected the flip camera system and added a third camera to the mix. A high-quality 64MP selfie? You got it! An ultrawide shot to get all your friends in it? Sure, no problem. You could even use the 3x telephoto for some artsy close-ups.
These models were a breath of fresh air and engineering marvels. It wasn't just about the camera system; they sported flagship processors and screens, quality materials, and cool colors.
The compact Asus era
Then, when the smartphone world slowly started to move away from small phones, Asus decided to go against the grain and launched the Zenfone 8. That was a cute little flagship, meant to be used comfortably with one hand.
During the official launch, Asus even showed the process of choosing the exact dimensions for the Zenfone 8, and it involved measuring a lot of human hands and how they wrap around the device, as well as how far the thumb reaches.
Some might argue that this compact move was a reaction to the launch of the iPhone 12 mini. The Zenfone 8 launched in 2021, while the Mini was on the shelves a year prior in 2020. But when Apple decided to pull the plug on the Mini, Asus carried on with the Zenfone 9 and the Zenfone 10.
The latter won many awards, and popular influencers such as Marcus Brownlee (MKBHD) hailed it as one of the best Android smartphones that year. What went wrong?
The beginning of the end
In a stroke of marketing genius, Asus decided to turn the Zenfone idea on its head and launched the Zenfone 11 Ultra in 2024. It was not compact, it was not pretty, and it for sure was not Ultra. The company just hopped on the "ultra" train without doing much more than rebranding an ROG 8 phone and removing some of the gaming features. To me this move felt lazy, to say the least, and I was severely disappointed.
Not only did this phone fail to live up to the “Ultra” name with its mediocre camera system, but there was also no real alternative in the portfolio. No "pro" model or base Zenfone 11. People were left with no choice but a huge ROG phone rework for the masses, which, by the way, wasn't cheap at $899.
The Zenfone 12 Ultra followed in the footsteps of its predecessor. There were no upgrades beside the chipset. The camera system was identical to the previous model, as were the battery, the screen, and the overall look of the phone. The company decided to play it safe and optimize resources but in the end this backfired.
No new Asus phones in 2026
According to the latest report, no Zenfone 13 Ultra or ROG Phone 10 is expected on the 2026 horizon. The news broke out on January 3, when some distributors in Taiwan said they are no longer able to obtain Asus handsets and claimed they had received information that Asus's smartphone unit would operate only through December 31, 2025.
Asus allegedly told Taiwanese telecoms that smartphone operations will continue and that maintenance, software upgrades, and warranty services for all existing products will not be affected. However, the company said it currently has no plans to introduce new smartphone models in 2026.
Asus does not publicly release specific sales figures for individual Zenfone models, including the Zenfone 12 Ultra, but reports suggest that overall, Asus smartphones have not been selling in high volume in the past couple of years.
I won't miss the Zenfone in 2026
For me, in the past two years, the Zenfone has transformed into a generic version of the Asus ROG phone. The last two models didn't bring anything exciting to the table, and I highly doubt that anyone needs a trimmed-down ROG phone that costs 1,100 euros/USD.
I miss the Zenfone models of the past, but I won’t miss another generic smartphone with little to no upgrades in 2026.
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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