Huawei’s Bold Leap with HarmonyOS NEXT
On Wednesday, Huawei unveiled its latest innovation, HarmonyOS NEXT, signaling a definitive shift away from the Android ecosystem. This launch marks a significant milestone for the company as it embarks on a new journey with its proprietary operating system.
Huawei announced the commencement of public beta testing for HarmonyOS NEXT, which is now available for select smartphones and tablets powered by its own Kirin and Kunpeng chips. In a notable departure from previous versions, this iteration of HarmonyOS does not support Android applications, a move that underscores Huawei’s commitment to establishing a self-sufficient platform.
Despite the absence of Android app compatibility, Huawei asserts that leading Chinese companies remain undeterred. The tech giant highlighted a roster of prominent apps that have been developed natively for HarmonyOS NEXT, including Meituan, Douyin, Taobao, Xiaohongshu, Alipay, and JD.com. These applications represent some of the most popular shopping, payment, and social media platforms in China.
At the time of the announcement, Huawei proudly reported the launch of over 15,000 native applications and meta-services for HarmonyOS. While this figure is impressive, it pales in comparison to the vast libraries available on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
In terms of technical prowess, HarmonyOS NEXT boasts an impressive 110 million lines of code, promising a 30 percent enhancement in overall device performance. Additionally, the operating system claims to extend battery life by an average of 56 minutes while freeing up approximately 1.5GB of memory for other applications.
For those intrigued by the potential performance improvements for their devices, it is important to note that Huawei has no current plans to introduce HarmonyOS NEXT beyond China. This decision comes despite earlier intentions to export an older version of the operating system.
Huawei’s previous attempts to promote the last version of HarmonyOS internationally were met with challenges, although some offshore entities, such as Singapore’s Grab and Emirates Airlines, have successfully developed applications for the platform.
This launch represents a pivotal moment in China’s quest for technological independence. Previously, Huawei’s HarmonyOS relied on the Android Open Source Project for essential functionalities, a necessity imposed by US sanctions in 2019 that restricted Huawei’s access to Google Mobile Services. With HarmonyOS NEXT, Huawei has severed this dependency, positioning itself as a more autonomous player in the tech landscape.
Looking ahead, Huawei has aspirations to extend HarmonyOS to personal computers. Last month, Yu Chengdong, the chair of Huawei’s consumer business group, announced plans to phase out Windows in favor of HarmonyOS for future devices. However, the timeline for these machines and the potential for other PC manufacturers to adopt the operating system remain uncertain.
