ASUS said in January 2026 that it had no plans to introduce new smartphone models that year. Later in January, chairman Jonney Shih was reported to have said the company would no longer add new phone models in the future—a broader statement, but one Ars Technica says was machine-translated. ASUS’s assurances about support for existing phones are a separate matter from whether it launches successors.
What ASUS has said about future phones
The stated plan for 2026
ASUS told DigiTimes it had no new smartphone models planned for 2026. The company also said smartphone operations would continue, including maintenance, software upgrades, and warranty services for existing products. That announcement described a launch pause for the year; on its own, it did not establish that ASUS had ended its phone business.
The later, broader remark
Later that month, Ars Technica reported that chairman Jonney Shih said, “Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models in the future.” Ars notes that the English wording is machine-translated. It should therefore be treated as a reported rendering of Shih’s remark, not as a separately verified official English transcript.
The two statements differ in scope: the first names 2026, while the later reported remark points beyond that year. Neither report establishes a schedule for any future change in policy.
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What this means for ROG Phone and Zenfone
The reports identify the ROG Phone 9 series and Zenfone 12 Ultra among ASUS’s recent phones. The 2026 announcement means ASUS had no new smartphone models planned for that year; the later remark suggests a more open-ended halt to new models. It does not establish that either named phone is available in every country, or that all models have identical support terms.
The change contrasts with ASUS’s 2023 statement that it would “continue our two main phone business product lines, the ROG Phone and the Zenfone.” That was historical messaging, published before the January 2026 statements, rather than a current launch commitment. See the 2023 ASUS Pressroom statement.
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Will existing ASUS phones still get updates and warranty service?
ASUS’s reported assurance covered continued maintenance, software upgrades, and warranty services for existing products. That does not mean every phone will receive updates or repairs indefinitely. Support dates and terms vary by model, and warranty coverage has its own conditions.
ASUS’s official phone support list gives model-specific hardware and software support information. For older examples, ASUS lists ROG Phone 6 hardware support through 2025, with two OS upgrades and security updates through 2024; for Zenfone 7, it lists hardware support through 2023, with two OS upgrades and security updates through 2022. These dates apply to those models only, not to the ROG Phone 9 series, Zenfone 12 Ultra, or other devices.
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- NOTE: Global Version. No Warranty. This device is globally unlocked and ready to be used with your preferred GSM Carrier. THIS DEVICE IS NOT COMPATIBLE with CDMA carriers such as Cricket, Verizon, Sprint, Boost Mobile, US Cellular, etc. SIM CARD NOT INCLUDED. Please confirm device compatibility with your service provider before placing your order
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- Platform: Android 15, up to 2 major Android upgrades, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform 4.3GHz, 64-bit, Octa-core Processor GPU: Qualcomm Adren 830
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The same ASUS page says that post-warranty repair and parts access may depend on parts availability and legal requirements. Check the exact model entry and your warranty terms rather than assuming the general assurance overrides them.
What current and prospective buyers should check
- If you own an ASUS phone: Look up its exact model on ASUS’s support list for the applicable update and hardware-support dates, then check warranty status separately.
- If you are considering a recent model: Confirm local availability and the seller’s warranty and repair arrangements. The reported launch pause is not a promise that a particular model will remain in stock.
- If you are waiting for a successor: The January 2026 reporting offers no confirmed launch date or successor. The later statement points to no new models in the future, but its English wording is machine-translated.
Why ASUS is pausing launches
The cited reports establish ASUS’s statements about new models and support for existing users, but they do not provide a substantiated phone-division sales figure or a direct financial explanation for the decision. A specific sales-based reason cannot be concluded from these statements.
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