The smartphone world is losing one of its most unique voices. Asus CEO S.Y. Hsu recently confirmed that Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models to its roadmap, bringing a sudden halt to two of the most enthusiast-focused brands in the business. It is a move that catches many off guard, especially since the company just recently launched high-profile hardware. But the reality of the current tech landscape is that artificial intelligence is sucking the oxygen out of every other room in the building.
For years, Asus carved out a niche that nobody else wanted to touch. They gave us the Zenfone, which remained one of the last holdouts for people who wanted a powerful phone that actually fit in one hand. On the other side of the spectrum, the ROG Phone was the undisputed heavyweight champion of mobile gaming. Seeing these projects come to an end marks a turning point for the company as they move their engineers toward a future centered on AI products.
The end of the Zenfone and ROG era
The decision to stop development means that the current generation of handsets will be the last of their kind. The Zenfone series was a bit of a cult classic among tech journalists and power users who hated the trend of massive, unwieldy screens. It was a pocketable powerhouse in a sea of giants. Similarly, the ROG Phone lineup pushed the boundaries of what mobile hardware could do, often featuring cooling fans and massive batteries that made standard flagship phones look like toys.
Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models because the leadership sees the writing on the wall. The smartphone market is mature, crowded, and incredibly expensive to compete in if you are not one of the top three global players. By stepping back now, Asus is essentially cutting its losses to ensure they have the capital and the brainpower to dominate the next big thing in computing.
Why the shift to AI products is happening now
It is no secret that every major board meeting in Silicon Valley and Taipei is focused on generative AI. Asus is shifting its entire organizational weight toward developing AI-first hardware. This likely includes specialized servers, AI PCs, and perhaps even wearable devices that rely on large language models rather than traditional app ecosystems.
When a company like Asus decides to stop making phones, they are looking at where the growth is going to be in five years. The smartphone has reached a plateau where year over year upgrades are incremental at best. Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models because they believe the “intelligent agent” or the “AI PC” is the hardware that will define the next decade. They would rather be pioneers in that space than a niche player in a declining phone market.
What happens to current Asus users
If you currently have a Zenfone or an ROG Phone in your pocket, you might be feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse right about now. However, the company has clarified that they are not just vanishing into thin air. While Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models, they plan to continue supporting existing devices with software updates and security patches for the foreseeable future.
The engineering talent that was previously tasked with optimizing gaming triggers and camera software is being reassigned to the new AI divisions. It is a practical move from a business perspective, but it is a tough pill to swallow for fans who appreciated having an alternative to the Samsung and Apple duopoly. Since the news confirmed that Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models, the current stock in the channel is effectively the “collector’s edition” of the brand.
