Huawei has officially taken a major leap forward in the smartphone industry. This week, the company unveiled HarmonyOS Next, its first truly independent operating system, signaling a complete departure from Android. Unlike earlier versions of HarmonyOS, which were heavily modified Android skins, this new iteration is built entirely on Huawei’s self-developed Harmony kernel. Notably, it does not support Android apps, meaning developers will have to create native HarmonyOS applications using the RTS programming language.

A Fully Integrated Ecosystem

With this move, Huawei is establishing itself as a fully vertically integrated company, much like Apple. It now controls its own operating system, app ecosystem, and even its own chipsets. The rollout of HarmonyOS Next will begin with Huawei’s flagship devices, including the Pura 70 series and their latest M-Pad tablets. Eventually, it is expected to extend to older Huawei phones, though it will remain exclusive to Huawei devices and won’t be available for non-Huawei users.

Dominating the Chinese Market

According to data from Counterpoint Research, Huawei now holds between 15% and 17% of the Chinese smartphone market, surpassing Apple in China, the world’s largest smartphone market. The company also has the second-highest average selling price in the region, just behind Apple. This strong market position provides Huawei with a substantial user base, making it increasingly attractive for developers to create apps for HarmonyOS Next.

Huawei has already secured 15,000 native applications and services for HarmonyOS Next, a significant jump from the 200 reported in earlier versions. However, this still pales in comparison to the millions of apps available on Android and iOS. Nonetheless, Huawei claims that its new OS offers significant performance improvements, including 30% smoother performance and extended battery life by an additional hour compared to its previous Android-based OS. Other claims include faster file-sharing speeds, an advanced AirDrop-like feature for multiple devices, and even enhanced image quality for cameras by 1.6x.

The Challenges Ahead

Despite these impressive strides, Huawei faces significant hurdles. While it continues to dominate the Chinese market, its presence in international markets has dramatically declined due to U.S. sanctions and restrictions. Expanding HarmonyOS outside China remains a massive challenge, given the absence of Google services and the global dominance of Android and iOS.

Regardless, Huawei’s progress is nothing short of remarkable. From being on the brink of collapse due to trade sanctions to developing its own independent smartphone ecosystem, the company has demonstrated resilience and innovation. The big question now is whether Huawei can sustain this momentum and expand beyond China’s borders. If successful, it could reshape the smartphone industry as we know it.