Huawei‘s developer conference this June is shaping up to be quite exciting, with the anticipated Beta release of Android-Free HarmonyOS NEXT, the latest version of their own operating system. While official details are still being kept under wraps, a recent leak hints at a wider rollout come September, spanning various device categories.
A tip from Digital Chat Station reveals that Huawei is planning to launch HarmonyOS NEXT in September, targeting flagship smartphones, foldable devices, mid-range phones, tablets, and smartwatches in the latter half of 2024. The candy bar flagship mentioned in the leak likely refers to the upcoming Huawei Mate 70 series, which is expected to debut in early September.
With HarmonyOS NEXT, Huawei is taking a big step away from Android, completely abandoning the traditional Android Open Source Project (AOSP) codebase. Instead, it will rely entirely on Huawei’s self-developed system, making it incompatible with Android apps.
Despite this significant change, Huawei has been successful in getting thousands of companies and institutions to develop native applications for HarmonyOS NEXT. The company announced that over 4,000 native apps have already been developed for the new OS, covering a wide range of categories like navigation, news, finance, and games.
Huawei aims to have 5,000 native apps available by the end of 2024, with a long-term goal of reaching 500,000. The success of this transition will largely depend on how well developers adopt the new platform and how users experience the new app ecosystem.
The ambitious plan for a September launch shows Huawei’s confidence. But can HarmonyOS NEXT become a strong competitor in the mobile OS market? What do you think?