ROG Gaming Phone And Zenfone Future In Doubt As ASUS Puts New Models On Ice

ASUS is not planning to release any new smartphones this year, and may be exiting the mobile phone business altogether. That means no more new ROG Phone iterations (making the ROG Phone 9 we reviewed its last gaming handset) and no more premium Zenfone handsets (the last Zenfone model we reviewed was the Zenfone 9 in 2022).

News of the pivot comes straight from ASUS chairman Jonney Shih during a year-end banquet celebration at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. According to a machine-translated Inside report, Shih made clear that ASUS is not planning to release any new smartphones in 2026. What's less clear, however, is whether this is a temporary pause or the end of an era.

If it's the latter, I'll admit to being disappointed, though mainly in regards to the ROG Phone line. I reviewed the original ROG Phone back in 2018 and appreciated the ...