End of the Line: Asus Zenfone 11 Might Never Materialize
The Asus Zenfone 10 could very well be the last entry in the series. This information came about after a new report suggested the company will terminate the department responsible for the line. If it were to materialize, this move would not see the Zenfone 11 launch and leave the ROG Phone series as the only mobile offering.
According to Taiwanese outlet TechNews, Asus has an ongoing restructuring exercise in its PC division, with most of the employees being transferred to its two mobile divisions, Zenfone and ROG. However, a new internal letter claimed that these employees were either laid off or transferred to the latter team, with plans to dissolve the entire Zenfone department surfacing instead.
Such development lends weight to previous news that Digitimes covered in July, having described the regional Asus offices in Taiwan and China as being affected. The reason behind this move is widely believed to be the declining PC and mobile market trends that began last year and persisted until the first half of 2023.
This now leaves Asus with the Zenfone 10 (review) as the last flagship from the company. The device was launched this year and released in most markets recently. While it's a compact flagship Android smartphone with a cheaper price tag than most alternatives, it appears that the demand and sales figures are simply not up to mark.
Moving forward, Asus would eventually cancel the Zenfone 11, which is supposedly in the pipeline for next year. At the same time, it has positioned the Asus ROG Phone range—check out our ROG Phone 7 review here—as the only mobile offering from the company in the future. Even then, there is no guarantee this handset line continue.
What do you think of Asus' plans? Would it be logical for them to end the Zenfone series? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Via: Android Authority Source: Digitimes, TechNews TW