Asus plans to launch a WiFi 8 router at CES, but the relevant standards have not been determined yet

Wi-Fi 8 is expected to be the next-generation wireless standard, but as of now, the official specifications have not yet been finalized. Despite this, some manufacturers appear to already be using "Wi-Fi 8" as a marketing buzzword. Reports suggest that ASUS plans to unveil a router supporting Wi-Fi 8 networking at CES 2026 to deliver better network performance.
According to ASUS’s own promotional image, this is an entirely new router—and the "Wi-Fi 8" logo is prominently displayed on the router’s casing, strongly hinting that the device will support Wi-Fi 8 technology. However, what’s surprising is that, to date, the entire industry has not yet confirmed the technical specifications for Wi-Fi 8. Samsung released a preliminary version of Wi-Fi 8 in January 2025, while MediaTek believes the full Wi-Fi 8 standard won’t be finalized until 2028. As a result, it remains unclear exactly what technology ASUS’s so-called "Wi-Fi 8" router will actually implement.
Analysts have pointed out that before the standard is officially ratified, all technical specifications remain subject to change. For example, early drafts of Wi-Fi 7 initially used 160 MHz channels, but the final specification ultimately adopted 320 MHz ultra-wide channels—leading to potential channel mismatches and even connectivity issues with earlier implementations.
That said, it’s also possible that ASUS will only unveil a concept router at CES 2026, with a formal product launch delayed until after the Wi-Fi 8 standard is fully locked down. After all, the PC market is currently sluggish, and major vendors are eager to leverage emerging technologies as marketing hooks to capture consumer attention.