Asus has reportedly dissolved its Zenfone division and may have absorbed its employees directly into the ROG Phone team or other departments in the business.
Technews Taiwan claims Asus is implementing an internal reorganization and has shut down certain departments as part of the process.
Unfortunately, one of the divisions that was shut down is the Zenfone team, which was some, if not the only, brand that makes impressive compact flagships in recent memory.
If the report is true, this leaves the Zenfone 10 71 as the last phone in the series with no successor in sight.
The Zenfone 10’s screen only measures 5.9 inches.
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Lay-offs and other signs of Zenfone shutdown
This news comes after other incidents around Zenfone, such as ASUS stopping bootloader unlocks for Zenfone owners. Though the company insists that the possibility of unlocking is not permanently gone, just currently unavailable.
A member of Asus’s ZenTalk community forum previously spotted that older Zenfone firmware versions were no longer available on the website.
A moderator confirmed this and explained that Asus no longer offers previous firmware versions or downgraded software packages on their official website.
According to the moderator, this is done to ensure that users’ phones receive the latest firmware versions and remain up-to-date with security updates.
Furthermore, as part of the reorganization, some employees have been laid off. The report (in Chinese) claims that some units in the ‘commercial sector’, including engineers and procurement, were cut in half.
Sources familiar with the matter say that some members of the ‘commercial computer team’ have been merged into the mobile phone department.
However, it is unclear whether they were also laid off, as there are discrepancies in the vacancies listed through its human resources department.
Asus denies the rumor on Zenfone line shutting down
In Asus’ official statement, dated August 29, the company denied the rumor surrounding its Zenfone line. The company confirmed that they will continue two of their main product lines: ROG Phone and Zenfone.
We would like to address the rumor that ASUS Zenfone 10 will be the last generation of the series and the ASUS Zenfone product line will be shut down. This is not true. We will continue our two main phone business product lines, the ROG Phone and the Zenfone. ASUS has a strong commitment to our smartphone business and customers. Please reference our Q2 earnings call for more information. Please stay tuned for our 2024 product lineups.
UPDATE (August 30, 2023): Added official statement from Asus.
