Asus has halted smartphone development for 2026, suspending new Zenfone and ROG models as it pivots toward AI hardware, leaving the future of its mobile lineup uncertain.
If you’re waiting for a Zenfone upgrade, you’ll need more patience
It is a tough day for anyone who loved the underdog energy of the Zenfone or the sheer overkill of the ROG Phone. Asus has officially confirmed what the rumors were hinting at: there will be no new smartphones in 2026.
They are calling it a “strategic pause,” but let’s be honest—this feels a lot heavier than just taking a gap year. According to reports from early January, the company has basically frozen its development pipeline. That means no ROG Phone 9, no Zenfone 12 Ultra, and likely nothing else for a long time. They are taking the resources that used to go into building cool pocket computers and shifting them toward the unsexy-but-profitable world of AI hardware and enterprise tech.
