Here's why ASUS won't make any phones this year — and maybe never again

At the start of the year, we heard that ASUS is pausing the development of new smartphones. Back then, the company hadn’t confirmed the news directly, but now, we finally have a much clearer explanation for why ASUS has decided to stop making new phones. And if you were hoping for a comeback promise, you may be disappointed.

According to a report from Inside, citing comments made at ASUS’ 2025 Year-End Gala in Taipei (h/t Notebookcheck), Jonney Shih, the company’s Chairman, has confirmed that ASUS will temporarily halt new mobile phone launches and fully shift its R&D resources elsewhere. Specifically, ASUS is betting big on AI-powered commercial PCs and “Physical AI,” including robotics and smart glasses.

During a pre-event media interview, Shih reportedly said that ASUS will no longer add new mobile phone models in the future. He added that the company will continue to take care of existing phone users and that internal measures are still being finalized.

The company reportedly believes that the smartphone market no longer offers the growth potential it needs, especially compared to what AI hardware can offer. As a result, resources once tied up in phone development are being redeployed into other AI devices like PCS and smart glasses.

These comments cast serious doubt on the future of ASUS’ phones, with 2026 shaping up as a possible end rather than a reset. While Shih stopped short of explicitly saying that ASUS is fully exiting the smartphone business, the language used and the scale of the pivot suggest that the development of new Zenfones and ROG Phones may be frozen indefinitely.