Huawei has succeeded where Microsoft failed miserably: HarmonyOS is now on nearly a billion devices, and China’s largest mobile phone maker has eliminated Android altogether.
While Microsoft’s venture into the smartphone operating system market ultimately ended in failure, Huawei’s HarmonyOS has proven to be a huge success and a real rival to Android and iOS, at least in its home country.
The operating system is found on more than 900 million devices in China and is growing rapidly. It currently relies on Android, but Huawei has taken steps to change that.
At HDC 2023, Huawei unveiled HarmonyOS Next, or Hongmeng as it’s known in China, the latest version of its operating system. This new version marks a significant departure from the Android-based EMUI used globally, and is a completely independent platform.
Yu Chengdong, president of Huawei’s consumer division (which includes smartphones, PCs and IoT devices), revealed at HDC 2024 that the “pure” operating system is now in beta testing.
Harmony Intelligence
Up to 3,000 volunteers in China will test HarmonyOS Next on a range of Huawei smartphones, with the operating system expected to officially roll out to users by the end of the year.
HarmonyOS Next replaces the Linux kernel and Android Open Source Project (AOSP) components with Huawei’s proprietary architecture. The Chinese company claims that system performance has been improved by 30% and power consumption has been reduced by 20%.
By removing its dependency on Android, HarmonyOS Next will not be able to run apps built for Google’s OS, and Huawei is working to close any gaps in its ecosystem. There are currently 4,000 native apps available for HarmonyOS Next, developed by over 200 industry partners.
While HarmonyOS Next will undoubtedly have a big impact on Android’s presence in China, it will also allow Huawei to steal more market share from Apple there. The new operating system promises a number of innovations, including AI features in the form of Harmony Intelligence (sounds familiar), Star Shield Security to enhance user privacy and data protection, and Full-Scenario, which allows users to launch an app on one Huawei device and continue on another without interruption.