Asus out of the smartphone world? It’s official now

Facing an increasingly competitive and polarized market, the Taiwanese giant has decided to pull the plug on the mobile division to focus on fast-growing areas such as physical AI and servers.

After weeks of rumors, leaked reports and half-denials that had characterized the start of the month, the definitive confirmation has arrived that many technology enthusiasts feared: Asus officially leaves the smartphone market.

No more Asus or ROG smartphones, at least in 2026

This is no longer a matter of rumors, but a clearly outlined corporate strategy by the company’s leaders. The era of the Zenfone and the ROG Phone, devices that managed to carve out a niche of loyal fans thanks to often bold and unconventional choices, comes to an end, marking a watershed change for the Taipei giant.

The announcement came directly from Jonney Shih, Asus president, during a gala event held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

In a speech that outlined the year’s balance and sketched future prospects, Shih confirmed that the brand has no plans to release new smartphones. The decision appears irrevocable and falls within a broader restructuring of the company’s priorities.

According to what emerged from the event, resources that until yesterday were allocated to mobile phone development, including R&D funds, will now be redirected toward sectors deemed more strategic and profitable.

In particular, Asus intends to focus on commercial PCs and on what is defined as “Physical AI”, i.e., artificial intelligence applied to the physical world.

This new horizon includes the advanced development of robotics and smart glasses, technologies that the company believes represent the real future of digital interaction, effectively replacing the centrality that smartphones have had in the last decade.

Record numbers and the AI boom

Supporting this drastic decision are the numbers, painting an extremely positive financial outlook for the company, but driven by sectors far different from mobile.

Jonney Shih proudly shared the financial results of 2025, the year Asus achieved revenue of NT$738.91 billion. This is a notable leap forward, with a 26% growth compared to 2024.

The true engine of this expansion was not traditional consumer hardware, but the AI server sector.

This specific division recorded an impressive 100% growth, effectively doubling the targets the company had set.

Facing such a disproportionate return between the AI infrastructure business and the increasingly stagnating smartphone business, the management’s choice appears as a logical and almost inevitable consequence of a cost-benefit calculation.

The slow farewell to mobile telephony

The company’s exit from the stage of Asus was not a bolt from the blue, but the ending of a wear-and-tear process that lasted several years. Recently, in fact, the company had progressively reduced the breadth of its catalog, limiting the releases of the famous Zenfone series and drastically cutting the variants of gaming phones under the ROG brand.

2025 was the year that definitively marked the decline of this segment for the brand. Asus launched only two models: the ROG Phone 9 FE and the Zenfone 12 Ultra. It’s no secret that both devices did not meet the public’s approval, recording sales well below expectations.

The tepid reception given to these latest attempts probably sped up the decision to close the mobile chapter, making clear that competing in a saturated market against established giants was no longer sustainable.

What changes for current users?

Despite stepping away from producing new hardware, Asus wanted to reassure its current user base. During the conference it was specified that the brand will continue to honor its commitments to customers who own an Asus smartphone.

Maintenance services, software updates and warranty coverage will remain active. Those who recently bought a ROG Phone or a Zenfone will not be left to fend for themselves, but it is clear that these devices will be the last witnesses of an entrepreneurial venture that, for Asus, belongs now to the past.