Huawei Technologies’ launch of its fully self-developed mobile operating system next year will focus on the Chinese market, as attempts to push the Android-free platform overseas face challenges, according to analysts.
The US-sanctioned Chinese handset maker said on Tuesday that all of its smartphones and tablets to be launched in 2025 will run on HarmonyOS Next, the latest iteration of Huawei’s self-developed mobile platform that no longer supports Android apps.
The flagship Mate 70 series, launched on Tuesday and shipping on December 4, is the Chinese tech giant’s first line of smartphones running on HarmonyOS Next. However, users who wish to can still choose the older, Android-based HarmonyOS 4.3, according to Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group.
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Huawei’s planned roll-out of HarmonyOS Next on all its new devices next year will be “challenging”, given the limited pool of compatible apps at the moment, according to Rich Bishop, CEO of AppInChina, which publishes international software in China.
Visitors check out Huawei’s Mate 70 smartphones at a store in Beijing. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Visitors check out Huawei’s Mate 70 smartphones at a store in Beijing. Photo: EPA-EFE>
It would be particularly difficult to engage international developers that make little money in China, as they may find the cost of developing and maintaining dedicated versions of apps for HarmonyOS Next too high, according to Bishop.
“If a user isn’t able to access even one app that they use on a regular basis, then this is likely to put them off from buying a Next device,” he said. “Users will also face substantial challenges when travelling abroad where the vast majority of apps that they’ll need to use will not be available on Next.”
The HarmonyOS Next ecosystem, in its current state, is “basically usable”, with over 15,000 native apps and services as of October 22, Huawei’s rotating chairman Eric Xu Zhijun said last week. The company expects the OS to reach “maturity” by achieving 100,000 apps in the next six months to a year, he added.
Huawei has been pushing for the adoption of HarmonyOS Next in an effort to break the dominance of Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS in China, as the Shenzhen-based company grapples with US sanctions that have barred it from buying US-origin technologies, including software, without Washington’s approval.
Shenzhen-based Huawei launched HarmonyOS for the domestic market in August 2019. Local adoption only jumped last year with the release of the Mate 60 series, which marked the company’s return to the 5G handset market.
HarmonyOS held a 17 per cent share in the China market in the second quarter of this year, surpassing iOS’ 16 per cent share, but still behind Android’s 68 per cent share, according to the latest data from Counterpoint Research. Globally, Huawei’s system had a mere 4 per cent share, far behind Android’s 80 per cent and iOS’ 16 per cent.
Huawei’s new Mate 70 and Mate 70 Pro smartphones. Photo: AFP alt=Huawei’s new Mate 70 and Mate 70 Pro smartphones. Photo: AFP>
“The development of HarmonyOS Next is still largely focused on the Chinese market for now, as it remains challenging to break the consumer stickiness with the Google Mobile Services ecosystem outside China,” said Will Wong, senior research manager for client devices at IDC Asia-Pacific. “Once Huawei conquers the learning curve, it could help a better roll-out outside China.”
Without access to Google Mobile Services, the US company’s suite of popular apps, Huawei has sharpened the focus of its smartphone business on the mainland. In the third quarter, 94 per cent of its smartphone shipments were destined for China, roughly the same level as the first two quarters of the year, IDC data showed.
Xu said in April that Huawei will strengthen the HarmonyOS ecosystem in China first, before introducing it to other parts of the world gradually. He did not provide a timeline.
Huawei is unlikely to be content with remaining a domestic brand, according to Wong.
“The launch of the Pura 70 series outside China is a key indication that the overseas market remains important to the brand, especially since there are still Huawei loyalists there,” Wong said.
HarmonyOS Next, which Huawei touts as being independently developed and has been dubbed “pure blood”, is currently in public testing and available only in mainland China.
But the company has been building partnerships with overseas developers, including Singapore’s ride-hailing platform Grab and Dubai’s state-owned airline Emirates, to launch native services on HarmonyOS Next.
Krista Sullivan, who writes about politics, health, business, and finance for Hermes News, is a lifelong news junkie. She spent her childhood reading the newspaper from front to back every day and developed an interest in politics at a young age.
After graduating from college, Krista worked as a reporter for several local newspapers before moving to Hermes News in 2015. She has been covering the economy since then and enjoys writing about new developments in the field.
