No ROG Phone 10, No New Zenfone: Asus Confirms It's Sitting Out 2026 Entirely

Fans of the Asus ROG Phone line, reviewed elsewhere on this site, have an unusually direct answer as to why a successor hasn't appeared: Asus has confirmed it won't be releasing any new smartphones in 2026 at all — not the widely-expected ROG Phone 10, and not a new Zenfone either. This is a company statement, not a rumour or a leak that fizzled out.

A Direct, Company-Sourced Confirmation

According to reporting corroborated by Notebookcheck citing Taiwanese industry publication Digitimes, Asus responded to distributor concerns after being unable to obtain new Asus smartphone stock, confirming the company has no plans to launch new phones in 2026. Asus was clear that this is a pause rather than an exit: existing ROG Phone and Zenfone devices will continue to receive software updates, warranty service, and maintenance as normal. The company has not, as of this writing, confirmed whether phone releases will resume in 2027 or beyond.

Why Asus Is Stepping Back

The stated reasoning centres on increasingly fierce competition from Chinese and South Korean smartphone brands, several of which are covered extensively elsewhere in this site's device database. Notebookcheck's reporting frames this as Asus struggling to compete on the same terms as rivals who've been pushing gaming-phone hardware and pricing aggressively. Pocket Tactics adds a specific example of who benefits most directly: Nubia's REDMAGIC line, and specifically the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, is now positioned as the presumptive default pick for anyone shopping in the dedicated gaming-phone category this year, given it no longer has to compete against a new ROG Phone generation.

What This Means for the ROG Phone 9 Pro and Zenfone 12 Ultra

Both devices — the ROG Phone 9 Pro, reviewed elsewhere on this site, and the Zenfone 12 Ultra — are now Asus's most current phones by default, likely to remain so for longer than a typical single product cycle. The ROG Phone 9 Pro in particular was a strong performer in its category before this pause was confirmed, so buyers specifically seeking Asus hardware aren't being left with an outdated product, just one without an imminent successor.

The ROG Phone 10 Rumours That Never Materialised

Before Asus's confirmation, scattered reporting had suggested a ROG Phone 10 was still technically in the pipeline — 9meters cited unnamed Asus Netherlands representatives reportedly confirming production was underway, alongside a Weibo source claiming the phone was "on its way." Notably, almost no concrete leaks or spec sheets ever surfaced for it, which several outlets flagged at the time as unusual for a flagship gaming phone this close to an expected launch window. With Asus's direct confirmation of a 2026 pause, that unusual quiet now reads as an early signal rather than a coincidence.

Asus's statement that it has no plans for new phones in 2026 is company-confirmed, not a rumour. Whether or how the ROG Phone and Zenfone lines resume beyond 2026 has not been confirmed by Asus and remains genuinely unknown.