When we reviewed the ZenFone 8 back in 2021, we regarded it as the best compact flagship one can buy officially in the Philippines. Since then, ASUS has decided to not offer both the ZenFone 9 and 10 to the Philippines–and the latest reports that they plan to end the ZenFone line made us feel more sad about not getting our hands on the last 2 generations of the compact flagship.
According to reports by Taiwanese media, ASUS is said to undergo an “organizational restructuring” that involves cutting down a number of employees in its PC department across Taiwan and China. As for its mobile division, the initial plan was to split it between the ZenFone and ROG Phone divisions–but later developments indicate that the ZenFone 10 will be the last phone from the line, as the ZenFone team will be merged into the ROG team instead.
If true, this does indicate that ASUS will end the ZenFone line after it entered the mobile phone space back in 2014. We find that sad, considering that this reduces the number of compact flagship phones that people can actually buy. Let’s face it: not everyone is a fan of big phones, and there’s a market for compact phones (even if Apple ended production of its iPhone Mini series due to “sluggish sales”).
While ASUS has yet to confirm or deny whether they will end the ZenFone line, Digitimes reported last July that ASUS is undergoing a major restructuring to counter the profit slump–though there was no mention of the Taiwanese brand’s mobile division.
