With the homegrown operating system HarmonyOS Next, Huawei seems to be about to complete its exit from Google Android this year.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS Next operating system will be available on the Mate 70 flagship model expected to launch later this year. It uses memory three times more efficiently than the current operating system, HarmonyOS, and supports on-device artificial intelligence (AI).
Last month, the Chinese technology giant said the HarmonyOS ecosystem had expanded to 4,000 applications, including Alibaba’s Alipay platform and McDonald’s application. Huawei aims to reach 5,000 applications in 2024 and eventually 500,000.
Xu Zhijun, Huawei’s rotating chairman, called the new operating system the company’s “top priority” this year and that the company will “strategically invest” in it.
Huawei’s Harmony operating system is used on car dashboards. Photo: Reuters
Before the US issued an export ban in 2019, Huawei used Google Android for devices. Due to the inability to access Google services, the company must switch to HarmonyOS from 2021. Although Huawei develops it itself, HarmonyOS is still based on Android because applications designed for Android will not be able to be used on a complete operating system. Totally incompatible.
HarmonyOS Next, built entirely in-house, marks a major step forward in mitigating the risks posed by US sanctions. HarmonyOS was initially aimed at IoT applications, so was designed to work on devices such as home appliances. Meanwhile, HarmonyOS Next is aimed at a broader range.
Huawei seems to be aiming for the car business. In addition to providing automotive chips, the company also cooperates with other car manufacturers in the Harmony Smart Mobile Alliance. Some car models use HarmonyOS to handle features like air conditioning and music.
When HarmonyOS was introduced in 2021, even many Chinese companies remained on the sidelines. Huawei smartphone sales dropped sharply because US sanctions prevented them from accessing 5G chips.
However, this changed in 2023 when Huawei smartphone sales increased again in the second half of the year, sparked by the launch of the Mate 60 Pro in August, using a “homegrown” chip that supports 5G .
More hit products followed. When Huawei announced the Pura 70 on April 18, customers lined up at its Shenzhen store to get their hands on the new model. A woman in her 40s shared that she is using a Huawei phone and will do so in the future.
Research firm TechInsights predicts Huawei will sell 10 million Pura 70 this year. Combined with the Mate 70, it is expected to bring the technology company back to the top of the Chinese smartphone market this year after a long absence.
However, the possibility of HarmonyOS Next taking off is still open. Companies have to rewrite their applications for the new operating system at great cost.
A key factor determining the platform’s success will be Tencent Holdings. Tencent has not yet said whether it will port its super app WeChat, with more than 1 billion users, to the new operating system.
(Theo Nikkei)