HarmonyOS NEXT will help Huawei to break free of Android

Huawei is building an independent and reliable software ecosystem with HarmonyOS NEXT and the new development will help the company to get a complete break from Android. That says a new report, hinting at OEM’s moves on the software path.

Even though Huawei hasn’t made any such official statement, the speedy HarmonyOS NEXT development implies that the company might dump Android completely by the end of this year. The firm is also focusing on a more definitive app ecosystem.

The HarmonyOS NEXT operating system is said to launch with the Mate 70 series later this year. Huawei already unveiled its developer preview in January for app developers, while the stable version will likely hit the consumer surface in Q1 2024.

New self-developed OS is entirely different from what we have seen in the past versions. It doesn’t rely on traditional Linux and is standalone on Harmony kernel which is 3 times more efficient and reduces overall power consumption. Read More…

Huawei being ready to cut off with the Android OS completely this year raises certain questions in minds. Let’s try to understand them one by one in detail.

HarmonyOS NEXT for the global market?

During the Analyst Summit 2024, the Rotating Chairman of Huawei – Xu Zhijun mentioned that the company plans HarmonyOS expansion for its global consumers.

HarmonyOS NEXT will help Huawei to break free of Android (Image Credits: Huawei)

While the Chinese OEM ships its smartphones in the global market with pre-install EMUI versions, it now aims to feed these devices with HarmonyOS NEXT build via native apps. Xu cited that initially, Huawei will work on a firm HarmonyOS app ecosystem in the home ground and then move to the regions outside China.

Chinese App Developers

It is worth noting that most developers participating in the HarmonyOS NEXT app ecosystem belong to China and not from the global regions. Thus it is unclear how the tech maker will ditch Android completely from its device and software ecosystem.

Android support for global phones!

Huawei allegedly said earlier that global phones won’t lose Android support so easily. It serves smartwatches and tablets in the global market with HarmonyOS while using Android-based EMUI for phones. Hence, it is unclear how the HarmonyOS journey will move to the global sector.

Huawei has taken a step towards a major change in the software aspect. It has already completed over 4000 app adaptations for the HarmonyOS NEXT-based versions. The OEM also looks forward to imposing its new self-developed OS on many smart products like wearables and IoT devices.