Important points
- Huawei has officially released its own HarmonyOS NEXT, which does not include Android and supports over 15,000 apps.
- This OS is currently in public beta and is only available on select Huawei devices in China.
- Huawei has hinted that it will eventually expand the OS to other markets, potentially making it the world’s third major mobile operating system choice after Android and iOS.
After being cut off from the US market and gradually losing support for Android, Huawei, based in Shenzhen, China, built its own HarmonyOS. First released in 2019, the operating system was essentially an Android fork and supported Android apps.
Then, in 2023, Huawei announced HarmonyOS NEXT. This is an operating system that completely eliminates Android and AOSP code and only supports the HarmonyOS kernel and HarmonyOS applications. At the time, this OS was limited to internal testing and public developers. Fast forward to this year, and the proprietary OS was hinted to be announced in late September. After a brief delay, the OS was introduced to select Huawei devices in public beta on October 8th.
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It is said to meet 99.9% of consumer needs.
Now, the new OS has been officially announced by Huawei and is available for trial on several devices. These include:
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huawei mate 60 |
HUAWEI Mate X5 |
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HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro+ |
HUAWEI Mate X5 Collector’s Edition |
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HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro |
HUAWEI Pura 70 |
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HUAWEI Mate 60 RS Ultimate Design |
HUAWEI Pura 70 Pro |
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HUAWEI Pura 70 Ultra |
HUAWEI Pura 70 Pro+ |
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huawei pocket 2 |
HUAWEI Pocket 2 Art Edition |
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HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2 inch |
HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2 inch Collector’s Edition |
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HUAWEI MatePad Pro 11 inch 2024 model |
HUAWEI Watch Ultimate |
Other Huawei devices such as Nova Flip, Nova 13 and 12 series, MatePad Pro 12.2 inch, and MatePad Air 12 inch are expected to receive the update in 2025. According to a report by AndroidHeadlines, the OS supports over 15,000 native apps, which the company claims meets 99.9% of consumer needs.
HarmonyOS NEXT is currently limited to China, but is expected to become more widely available
Source: Huawei
The Chinese manufacturer’s chairman, Xu Zhijun, has previously confirmed that HarmonyOS will expand to other countries, reportedly potentially becoming the world’s third-largest operating system choice after Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. It is said that there is. Expansion will be necessary if manufacturers want to gain global appeal.
Here’s what we know so far about the OS: AI is “deeply integrated” within the system, with capabilities such as: audio repair (which may enhance the audio of recorded audio), on-screen context, and the AI-powered Xiaoyi Assistant. Although not mentioned, the OS may use AI to power other features and apps that improve photography and productivity.
Source: Huawei
Elsewhere, on-screen elements look different than the traditional HarmonyOS experience. For example, the lock screen appears to have been redesigned with an iOS-like look, with tools to automatically rearrange on-screen widgets to complement the wallpaper.
The timeline for when HarmonyOS NEXT will be available is currently unknown, but what is clear is that the success of this OS will depend on Huawei’s ability to attract developers to port applications to the platform. And ultimately, deploy the OS globally.
