HarmonyOS Next is a new operating system by Huawei, and for the first time ever it is built on an in-house kernel, completely independent from AOSP. The first devices that ship with the OS are the recently launched Mate 70 family, Mate X6 foldable, and the new MatePad Pro tablet.
Richard Yu, company CEO, revealed that this is only the beginning – all Huawei devices the company will launch in 2025 will be powered by HarmonyOS Next. However, he omitted one major detail – the change applies only to phones and tablets launched in China, as the company struggles to roll out the OS overseas.
Richard Yu
South China Morning Post spoke with several analysts, and they all agree that the main hurdle Huawei faces is the availability of apps. Rich Bishop, CEO of AppInChina, said that engaging international developers to build apps for the Chinese markets is hard because they would make little money.
The executive also added that even if one frequently used app is unavailable, this would put the user off from buying a Next device. Another challenge that Next adopters will face is the inability to use apps abroad.
Richard Yu, who is Chairman of the Consumer Business Group, revealed during the event on Tuesday that users can pick whether their phone comes with HarmonyOS 4.3 or HarmonyOS Next. We checked Huawei stores, and customers really do have a choice – the phones are sold with different SKU numbers (stock-keeping unit, the number used for tracking inventory of different products).
The report by SCMP reveals that HarmonyOS held a 17% market share in China, ahead of iOS with 16%. However, Android remains a clear leader with 68%, which is two-thirds of the biggest smartphone market in the world. Globally, the picture is even darker – Huawei’s OS has a mere 4% share, while Android has 80% and iOS is second with 16%.
Huawei flagship store in Shenzhen, China
The lack of Google Mobile Services definitely hurt Huawei, which was once aiming to be the best-selling smartphone maker in the world and now doesn’t even make the Top 5. However, the company still tries to stay in the user’s field of vision – one testament is the launch of the Pura 70 series in April.
Clearly, we will have to wait a bit more to see globally available HarmonyOS Next devices. SCMP pointed out that Huawei already has international partners, including the ride-hailing platform Grab, which is from Singapore, and Emirates – the Dubai state-owned airline. They both have apps, and Huawei hopes others will follow suit soon.