Huawei launches HarmonyOS Next, its first homegrown operating system

The company claims that its new OS now supports 15,000 apps.

Huawei has officially launched beta testing of its operating system HarmonyOS Next, which was first released a few weeks ago.

Currently, the Chinese smartphone makers' flagships use the fourth version of Harmony OS, an OS version that can also run Android. However, in the near future, smartphones, tablets, and even laptops should operate on the updated version called HarmonyOS Next, which no longer supports Android.

It will initially be available in China on selected Huawei devices, though the company may later expand to other markets, bringing competition to Android and iOS.

So, what will the new OS be capable of?

Huawei claims that the HarmonyOS Next will bring 30% smother performance, nearly one hour of improved battery life as well as increased memory by 1.5 GB over its predecessor, Harmony OS.

Among the best features, Huawei lists its virtual assistant Xiaoyi, which is based on Huawei’s own Pangu large language models.

According to the machine translation of Huawei's webpage, Xiaoyi can transcribe recordings in real-time and generate quick summaries. The assistant can also understand contextual information, explain what is happening on the user's screen, and provide information on various documents and images.

There is also a search feature similar to Google’s Circle, though to search for an object, one needs to circle the screen with one's knuckles.

On its webpage, Huawei also says a lot about its OS privacy and security. However, considering US spying allegations, which led to a ban on Huawei devices in the US, one might perceive them with caution.

According to the company, HarmonyOS Next will ensure strict security requirements for apps, grant only necessary permissions, and not share users' personal data with third parties. Users will be able to visually see information, such as what data the application has obtained, and see privacy suggestions.

The new OS has some fun features, such as providing different emojis based on how strongly you shake your smartphone.

Huawei claims that currently, its OS supports around 15,000 native apps.

In addition to OS for mobile devices, Huawei also plans to use HarmonyOS beyond mobile devices.

In September, Yu Chengdong, the head of Huawei’s consumer business group, said that future machines will run on its own HarmonyOS.

Previous reports indicated that the company may launch its PC version in the last quarter of this year.