Overview
Asus, the company from Taiwan that makes good gaming computers and Zenfone phones has made a big decision. It is going to stop making smartphones for now. The reason is that Asus wants to focus on something which is Artificial Intelligence. This is because the price of computer memory also known as RAM is going up fast and the market is tough. So Asus is going to make Artificial Intelligence robots, smart glasses and computers for businesses. People who like Asus Republic of Gamers and Zenfone products might be sad, about this. Asus will still take care of the people who already use their products.
Asus Shifts Gears to AI Devices
According to Inside TW Asus chairman Jonney Shih said something at the 2025 Year-End Gala in Taipei on January 16. He said Asus is stopping the production of ROG and Zenfone models for a little while. Asus is going to use the money they would have spent on phones to make hardware for Artificial Intelligence like computers that can think because they think this will make them a lot of money. Asus will not make phones right now they are going to make Artificial Intelligence devices, like robots and smart glasses instead. Asus thinks these Artificial Intelligence devices will be very popular.
Shih talked to journalists before the event. He said they will keep helping people with the phones they already have. They will give them updates. Fix them when they are broken. They will also honor the warranties on these phones.
What about the retailers, in Taiwan? They can not get any new phones to sell. This means that the company is really done making phones.
Why Ditch Smartphones?
The world of smartphones is really tough at the moment. Shih said that there are problems with the supply chain especially when it comes to memory and this is causing prices of RAM to go up. This is making things hard for smartphones that do not have intelligence like regular phones. It is very different from the areas where artificial intelligence is doing well. There were rumors going around that we would not see Zenfone or ROG phones in 2026 and now we know that these phones are not coming out anytime soon the delay is going to be for a long time for smartphones, like Zenfone and ROG.
Asus is not ignoring their customers. They will send out updates for their products over the internet. They will also provide service after the products are sold. Asus will give warranties on the models that are already, out. This is an idea because it will help Asus keep their customers happy while they use their resources for other things. Asus wants to make sure their customers are taken care of and that they keep buying Asus products.
This pivot feels like a bold reinvention. Asus has flirted with phones for years but never dominated like Samsung or Apple. AI robots and glasses? That’s where the real action is—think practical bots for homes or offices, and sleek AR wearables. If they nail it, this could be genius. We’ll see if “temporary” turns permanent, but for now, the Zenfone era might be winding down.
