Huawei Shuns Android With HarmonyOS Next, Its Own Mobile Operating System

Huawei has decided to eschew its Android-based mobile OS and go the route of Apple and Google, which is to create its own grassroots operating system called HarmonyOS 5.0, also known as HarmonyOS Next. In doing so, Android-based applications are no longer supported, possibly forcing app developers to increase their development budgets to cater to yet another mobile OS.

Shenzhen, China-based Huawei has made HarmonyOS Next official, and in doing so writes a new chapter in the company's bid for mobile phone and tablet dominance. The new OS is reportedly built from the ground up with unique code with no Android roots. Some would say that the birth of HarmonyOS Next was out of necessity as a result of the U.S. tech blockade.

So far, the company says that there are 15,0000 native apps and services available for users. Richard Yu, chairman of consumer business group at Huawei shared that native apps have grown 10 times since June (when the beta version was released). Yu said, "We have carved out a new field in just one year, and achieved what foreign ecosystems have been doing for over a decade."

This progression demonstrates the confidence the consumer electronics giants have in their rather iOS-like operating system and subsequent growth. However, time will tell if Huawei can attract big-name apps to the ecosystem. We've seen examples like Palm and Amazfit go all in with their own OS and app ecosystem with varying success—one is dead, while the latter arguably continues to struggle to pull in big-name app developers. Time will tell, we suppose.

HarmonyOS Next is available right now on Huawei Mate 60 line of phones, the Mate X5 foldable, and the MatePad Pro tablet, with more devices coming soon, including the Mate XT tri-fold and Nova phones. Huawei has also opened up public beta testing for the Pura 70 and Pocket 2 line of smartphones.

Adding a new mobile operating system in the mix could have repercussive effects on other sectors. End users could see increases in app prices or paid services due to the costs of developing for a third OS. Similarly, we could see price increases in consumer electronics (especially from China-based brands) that rely on companion applications, such as headphones, quadcopters, and cameras. 

Currently, Android sits at roughly 68 percent market share in China. Apple iOS' foothold fell to 16 percent, allowing HarmonyOS to take 17 percent of the share.