Asus, a major player in the technology and smartphone market, may soon announce significant changes that will mark the end of an era for the Zenfone line of phones.
According to recent information from DigiTimes, Asus is currently undergoing an organizational restructuring that will have a significant impact on its smartphone lineup. Indeed, the Zenfone line, which has coexisted with the well-received ROG Phone series, will be absorbed by other departments or merged with the ROG Phone team.
In other words, this change will mean that the latest Zenfone 10 will be the last model in this series. However, in general, this series was very popular with Android smartphone users, since these devices were much more compact than competitors.
The Android smartphone market is losing a major player
Launched since 2014, the Zenfone series has been praised for its its unique features including retaining the 3.5mm audio jack., which is becoming increasingly rare in modern smartphones. Recent models such as the Zenfone 9 and 10 have been praised for top performance while maintaining a fairly compact form factor, another rare feature in this market.
Asus’ decision to ditch the Zenfone line and focus on the ROG Phone series and other divisions is part of a larger trend. The smartphone market has experienced a downturn that has forced manufacturers like Apple to adjust their estimates for production and shipments for the year. According to some estimates, Asus occupies only 0.26% of the global smartphone market. so ultimately it is not surprising that the company made such a decision. Two years ago, we also saw LG exit the smartphone market for good.
This transition is likely to affect small phone enthusiasts the most, who appreciate the compactness of Zenfone devices. Opportunities are dwindling, in particular, with Apple ending its iPhone mini models. Consumers looking for handheld devices will have fewer alternatives and will now have to look to the Pixel 8 or even the upcoming Xiaomi 14.