Huawei presents its first smartphones without Android: the beginning of a new era for the industry

© Huawei

In 2019, when Huawei was sanctioned by the United States, it was no longer able to install its Google services on its devices. The manufacturer was therefore forced to market smartphones that, instead of using the official version of Android, used the open source version, without the Play Store, Gmail, and other Google apps. But, Huawei subsequently launched a new platform called HarmonyOS.

Although it is a different operating system, HarmonyOS is partly based on Android code. As a result, it supports apps designed for Google's operating system. But now, Huawei wants to fly entirely on its own. For some time now, the Chinese manufacturer has been developing another operating system called HarmonyOS NEXT that is no longer linked to Android, and which no longer supports Android applications.

In essence, if the development of HarmonyOS was a step towards autonomy, HarmonyOS NEXT allows Huawei to completely cut ties with Android. And this week, as reported by Reuters, Huawei finally made official its first smartphones under HarmonyOS NEXT. These are the models of the Huawei Mate 70 series, which succeed the Mate 60 launched in 2023.

Already 15,000 applications

Obviously, for a platform to attract the masses, it must have applications available. And currently, there are already 15,000 applications designed for HarmonyOS NEXT. In addition, the manufacturer estimates that there will be 100,000 of them within a few months. Otherwise, Reuters explains that for the moment, Huawei offers a choice to its users.

Indeed, users of the Huawei Mate 70 series would have the choice between using HarmonyOS NEXT and HarmonyOS 4.3, which is compatible with Android applications. In other words, if the user is not satisfied with the HarmonyOS NEXT catalog, he can choose another operating system that allows installing Android apps. This allows Huawei to advance its pawns, without taking the risk of losing users due to the lack of applications. Otherwise, according to an article from CNN, Huawei will first focus on the HarmonyOS NEXT ecosystem in China, before tackling other markets.

The end of the Android-iOS duopoly ?

In any case, the launch of HarmonyOS NEXT could mark the beginning of a new era for the smartphone industry, since this new platform could end the duopoly of Android and iOS platforms. As a reminder, if Huawei was hit hard by US sanctions, it was able to recover in 2023, by finally having 5G chips for its products.

According to an IDC report, in the third quarter, Huawei was the third largest smartphone manufacturer in China (behind Vivo and Apple), with a market share of 15.3% and a year-on-year growth of 42% in its shipments. During the quarter, 68.8 million smartphones were shipped in China, representing a year-on-year growth of 3.2%.

• After being sanctioned by the United States, Huawei launched a platform called HarmonyOS
• However, HarmonyOS still uses Android code and is compatible with Android applications
• HarmonyOS Next, meanwhile, cuts ties with Google's operating system
• And the first smartphones using this new platform have just been unveiled in China
• Currently, HarmonyOS NEXT has a catalog of 15,000 applications, but the manufacturer plans to reach 100,000 in a few months

📍 To not miss any news from Presse-citron, follow us on Google News and WhatsApp.

[ ]