All articles tagged with #asus
A leak reveals Asus's ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026), an 18-inch gaming laptop with a 4K Mini LED display (3840×2400, 240 Hz, 100% DCI-P3) paired with Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and Nvidia RTX 5090; it’s heavier (+~430 g), uses a new 450 W adapter, and is expected to launch between April and June 2026 with pricing undisclosed.
ASUS today announced the 2026 TUF lineup with OLED 16-inch options on select F16 and A16 models and a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus option on the F16, plus RTX 5070 variants; the refreshed A18 supports up to RTX 5070 Ti, while A16 gains OLED options on certain configs and Ryzen/RTX combinations are expanded (e.g., Ryzen 7 260 on A16, Ryzen 9 8940HX on another A16). Availability and pricing have not yet been disclosed.
Asus refreshes its ROG Strix G16 and G18 for 2026, equipping them with Intel's Arrow Lake-HX Plus CPUs (up to Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus) and Nvidia RTX 5080 laptop GPUs, widening power with 380 W adapters, and packing 90 Wh batteries, up to 64 GB RAM, 2 TB PCIe 4.0 storage, dual Thunderbolt 5 ports and Wi‑Fi 7. The G18 gets a Mini LED display with over 2,000 local dimming zones (240 Hz); the G16 sticks with a 2.5K 300 Hz IPS panel. Weighs about 2.7 kg (G16) and 3.5 kg (G18); finishes in Eclipse Grey and Volt Green. Pricing and availability are not yet announced.
ASUS announces the 2026 TUF Gaming lineup: 16-inch A16 and F16 offer two premium display configurations (2.5K OLED at 165Hz or 2.5K IPS at 300Hz with ACR anti-reflection), with the F16 upgrading to Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus; an 18-inch A18 tops the range with up to RTX 5070 Ti and a 2.5K 300Hz IPS display, plus a revamped cooling system featuring second-generation Arc Flow Fans for quieter, more capable sustained performance.
Asus has begun selling its first AMD Strix Halo-powered 14-inch gaming laptop in the US (TUF Gaming A14 FA401EA) with a 165 Hz 2.5K display, a 73 Wh battery, and 100 W USB-C charging, but US buyers cannot opt for the 64 GB RAM variant that would unlock up to 48 GB VRAM on the Radeon 8060S; price listings have fluctuated between about $1,799 and $2,199 with Best Buy and Amazon listings showing varying stock.
ASUS unveils the NUC 16 Pro Mini PC, a Copilot+ edge‑AI system powered by up to Intel Core Ultra Series 3 with an Intel Arc GPU and a 50 TOPS NPU delivering up to 180 Platform TOPS. It supports up to 96GB LPDDR5x, dual 2.5G LAN, Wi‑Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.0, plus two HDMI 2.1 ports and multiple USB/Thunderbolt 4 options. The compact 0.7‑liter chassis uses Tool‑Less Chassis 2.0 and offers onboard M.2 slots. ASUS AI SuperBuild enables local deployment of customized LLMs offline for 24/7 AI workloads, while fTPM 2.0 and MIL‑STD‑810H durability address security and reliability for enterprise and edge AI tasks.
ASUS CFO Nick Wu called Apple's new MacBook Neo a 'shock' to the PC industry on an earnings call, noting its low price and modest 8GB RAM; while reviewers praised real-world performance for creative apps, PC vendors say they will respond with competing products, though the MacBook Neo's ultimate market impact remains uncertain.
ASUS’s ExpertBook B5 G2 includes a Windows 11 pure OS option—a clean Windows 11 install with no ASUS software, intended for enterprise deployments and tender/RFP use. It’s not offered to regular consumers; ASUS also sells models with no OS installed for organizations to image under existing licensing agreements.
A Munich Regional Court ruled that ASUS and Acer cannot directly sell PCs in Germany due to Nokia’s patent claims on HEVC/H.265 video encoding, ordering removal of their German online listings and allowing sales only via other OEMs or existing stock. The injunction focuses on the OEMs’ sales channels rather than retailers and hinges on licensing compliance under FRAND rules; the duration of the ban is not yet determined and may be revisited in follow-up court action.
A Windows Central writer’s Xbox ROG Ally X dies after about five months, prompting an ASUS RMA via Currys; she describes frustrating retailer support, notes ASUS’s claim of high repair volume, and questions whether her premium handheld was the right purchase given the short lifespan and repair delays.
ASUS confirms it will stop making smartphones to focus on AI-powered PCs, robotics, and smart glasses, while promising continued support for existing devices. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup is tipped for a Feb 25 reveal with late February–early March pre-orders and a March 11 sale, with hints of more color options for the S26 Ultra. OnePlus rumors of a shutdown are debunked. Honor launches the Magic8 Pro Air (6.3” display, 5,500mAh, advanced cameras). TENAA leaks outline Galaxy A57 specs. The iQOO 15 Ultra hits a new AnTuTu high thanks to a massive cooling fan. Rumors suggest iPhone 18 Pro LTPO+ OLEDs with a hidden IR Face ID camera, potentially shrinking the notch. Redmi’s Turbo 5 Max teased with a 9,000mAh battery and Dimensity 9500s.
A Reddit user cancelled an Amazon order for the ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5080 (about $1,850) and got a refund, but the GPU still arrived days later. After contacting Amazon, the company said the refund was processed and the error was on their end, so the user was allowed to keep the high-end graphics card, effectively receiving a free upgrade in a rare mix-up.
Asus chairman Jonney Shih confirmed at a 2026 Taiwan event that Asus will stop launching new mobile phones, placing its smartphone business on an indefinite hiatus to focus on AI products like robots and smart glasses; existing devices will continue to receive updates for a time, but no new Zenfone or ROG Phone models are planned in 2026 as the company pivots toward AI growth and an expanded server business that boosted 2025 revenue.
Asus reportedly will stop adding new mobile phone models, effectively exiting the Android market and ending the Zenfone and ROG Phone lines, with chairman Jonney Shih noting a period of “indefinite observation” but not fully ruling out a return; the company has released few flagship phones in recent years, and its latest Zenfone 12 Ultra and ROG Phone 9 FE were not launched in the US, while Asus says it will continue to support existing mobile users.
At CES, a pre-production Asus Zenbook A16 with Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme impressed with its light 16-inch chassis, 48GB RAM, 2TB SSD, and a 2880×1800 OLED display, delivering strong Windows-on-Arm performance and capable Lightroom editing on battery; however, the unit had pre-release bugs (Windows Hello issues and occasional sleep) and gaming remains limited. Pricing isn’t final but is eyeballed around $1,600–$1,700; final hardware/software refinements are expected in a full release.