- In the UK, a Zenfone buyer sued ASUS over the company’s broken promise to provide bootloader unlocking support for its phones.
- The buyer won, getting a full refund for the £770 (~$973) purchase.
- If you have similar issues, this case proves you have a shot at getting a refund, too.
Over the past few months, there’s been a growing controversy among buyers of ASUS phones. Although ASUS makes some of the best Android phones you can buy, the company has fallen short in making bootloader unlocking tools available to buyers. Previously, these tools were easy to operate and readily available, but in November last year, things took a turn. Now, unlocking the bootloader of a recent ASUS phone — including the Zenfone 9, Zenfone 10, and Zenfone 11 Ultra — is not possible.
One buyer in particular, who we’ll call Timothy (not their real name), was very upset about this. Timothy told us that they bought an ASUS Zenfone specifically for the ability to unlock its bootloader. Upset by this broken promise, Timothy — who lives in the United Kingdom — sued ASUS in the UK’s version of small claims court.