Is ASUS Exiting the Smartphone Market? What You Need to Know

Recent reports suggest ASUS is moving out of the smartphone market. The company’s chairman, Jonney Shih, was quoted as saying ASUS will not launch any new phones this year. The shift away from smartphones is said to be opening up the path for more AI-powered wearables from the company. ASUS is a well-known name when it comes to PCs, laptops, monitors, and gaming devices, but the company also manufactures smartphones. While South Africa does not receive many of these devices, it has, in the past, seen the likes of the ROG Phone 6 debut locally. That could soon change, however, following recent reports regarding some significant translated quotes by ASUS chairman, Jonney Shih, per Taiwanese publication Inside. Shih is quoted as saying that the company will not be launching any new smartphones in 2026, with said translations seemingly hinting that ASUS is moving out of the smartphone business altogether. At the time of writing, the smartphone lineup includes the Zenfone and ROG Phone offerings, although the latter has sometimes operated a little independently from the main company, so it remains to be seen whether we will see more gaming-focused phones down the line. For now, though, consumers should not expect to see any new mobile hardware to come out of ASIS this calendar year. As for why ASUS is doing this, the company’s market share in the global smartphone space stands at roughly 2 to 2.5 percent, meaning it does not truly compete with the likes of brands from China and South Korea. As such, shifting away from the space, although saddening for some consumers, does not leave a massive vacuum in the mobile industry. Explaining the move, Shih noted that ASUS is prioritising other emerging categories, with AI-powered wearables in particular being an area he wants the company to become a market leader and innovator in. Per Engadget, this may include venturing into consumer-facing robotics and extended reality (XR) headsets and smart glasses. While new phones are not likely to move forward from ASUS, we should still have plenty of intriguing hardware, with the company already investing heavily in dual-screen laptops.