HarmonyOS Next: China's Huawei Unveils New OS, Marking Official Break From Android

Hyderabad: Huawei has marked its official separation from Google's Android as the company announced its latest operating system -- HarmonyOS Next -- in China. Developed independently of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and built on the Hongmeng kernel and system architecture, the new HarmonyOS Next will power Huawei's smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.

Huawei has officially started the public beta testing of the HarmonyOS Next for its devices powered by Kirin and Kunpeng chips in China. The operating system is said to bring new home and lock screen customisation options, faster animations and app launch speeds, and AI-powered features.

Major Chinese shopping, payment, and social media services appear to have no problem shifting to the HarmonyOS Next as Huawei cites Alipay, JD.com, Taobao, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu among those who have developed native apps for the new OS. The company says that HarmonyOS Next has over 15,000 apps and more will arrive soon.

HarmonyOS Next compatible devices:

Smartphones:

• Huawei Mate 60
• Huawei Mate 60 Pro
• Huawei Mate 60 Pro+
• Huawei Mate 60 RS ULTIMATE DESIGN
• Huawei Mate X5
• Huawei Mate X5 Tibet version
• Huawei Pura 70
• Huawei Pura 70 Pro
• Huawei Pura 70 Pro+
• Huawei Pura 70 Ultra
• Huawei Pocket 2
• Huawei Pocket 2 Art customised version

Tablets:

• Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 inches
• Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 inch classic version
• Huawei Mate 60 Pro+ Huawei MatePad Pro 11 inches 2024

Smartwatches:

• Huawei WATCH Ultimate
• Huawei WATCH Ultimate Design Extraordinary Master

HarmonyOS Next Features

Huawei's new OS introduces customisable home and lock screens, borrowing design elements from Harmony OS. It features a physical light engine for smoother interactions and a wallpaper feature that suggests compositions.

The OS integrates AI deeply, using the Celia AI agent built on the Pangu LLM, offering personalised content and smart services. It enhances system fluency by 30 per cent and increases system memory by up to 1.5GB while providing robust security with the star shield architecture.