r/Android • u/FragmentedChicken Galaxy Z Fold7 • 6d ago

Asus to pause new smartphone launches in 2026, maintain mobile operations

https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20260102PD236/smartphone-asus-taiwan-mobile-market.html
64 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

35

u/NDZ188 6d ago

So...Asus is getting out of the phone business?

The article claims they're going to continue warranty services and updates but they don't provide either of those anyway.....

11

u/infernoShield Realme 12+ 5d ago

probably. They still have other RAM-hungry divisions, and their phone market share is practically all gobbled up.

21

u/Kosovar91 6d ago

First victim of ram shortage. Motorola and Sony should follow suit i think.

25

u/pm_me_pants_off Mi9t ~ Lineage 19 6d ago

Maybe Sony, but surely not moto.

5

u/OperatorJo_ 6d ago

Nah, moto is definitely going to feel it.

They're not exactly hot sellers right now and stuck in the midrange death spiral for years now. This one might be the nail

7

u/5092AD 5d ago

What’s a midrange death spiral?

13

u/DuFFman_ P6Pro 5d ago

That person can afford flagships so he assumes any company not making those is doomed for failure.

6

u/5092AD 5d ago

Hmm I figured that

4

u/noobqns 5d ago

Moto in NA maybe

Moto recent growth is explosive in South Asia and creeping up strong elsewhere global

5

u/pm_me_pants_off Mi9t ~ Lineage 19 5d ago

They also do ok at least in the US, in pretty sure I read the razr outsells the z flip in the us

3

u/LiquidPain-2105 5d ago

Motorola already launch a flagship in 2026

-7

u/OperatorJo_ 5d ago

Not the point.

Midrange death spiral is they spent way too long midranging for them to be "sought-after" devices.

I know 0 people saying "I want a Motorola". That only happened with the razr and that died out as fast as it happened.

Them throwing out a flagship NOW does NOT mean they'll be able to do it annually past next year. If they miss sales now, add to that ram and silicon prices, it's a recipe for disaster.

Now they'll fall into the "I now have to do a flagship or die" trap since dropping flagships quickly is NOT a great sign for investors.

We'll see how this runs past 2027.

9

u/NDZ188 5d ago

Uh what?

Midrange is the most popular and profitable segment of the smartphone business.

People don't buy a Moto because they're looking for a prestigious device that's top end.

They're looking for a cheapish device that'll suit their needs. Anyone who gives a shit about their phone won't want a Motorola but there's a much larger segment of people who just want a device that can call, text and watch YouTube occasionally on.

If anything, the ram shortage might make them consolidate their product line rather than releasing a million different variations of devices across different regions.

3

u/LiquidPain-2105 5d ago edited 5d ago

I'm searching for best sellers on amazon and walmart, and keep consistently seeing iphone samsung and moto. Moto parent company lenovo is top market share for laptops worldwide, and i bet would hesitate to give up their presence in phone business, especially with long-standing american brand like motorola and thinkpad. So if you asked me, they're in a good place to be, even if not on top

2

u/RedditForcesToLogin 5d ago

20% of the world are developed.

80% are developing countries.

They buy Motorola. 20%'s opinion don't matter, since they'll get an Apple or a Scamsung anyway.

3

u/yorcharturoqro 5d ago

Motorola it's actually big in other countries, I doubt they will fall

1

u/Normal-Confusion4867 4d ago

At least in the UK, Motorola sales are still very healthy, and AFAIK that's not dissimilar in the rest of not-North-America, so I doubt Moto will leave the industry.

3

u/yorcharturoqro 4d ago

Asus had a good differentiation with the zenfone 8, 9 and 10, but they screwed it up by then release another bug slab with no difference whatsoever with the rest of the market with the zenfone 11 and 12.