With the launch of the Mate 70 and Mate X6 foldable smartphones, Huawei launched its latest OS that no longer uses any open source Android code, Bloomberg report. HarmonyOS Next is said to be developed in-house as part of Huawei’s plans to build a platform free of major US technology sources, both hardware and software.
The Mate 70 series arrives in China on December 4 as a follow-up to the Mate 60. The latter model was also significant as it was Huawei’s first smartphone to use a processor fully developed in China, indicating that the company can trade in the US . restrictions. However, Huawei will be limited to 7 nanometer technology in the next few years, while rival Apple is ready to move to 2 nanometer chips.
Having internal chips and software has long been Huawei’s goal. The company first announced its operating system back in 2012, expecting that partners like Google “will not allow us to use their system.[s] another day.” Seven years later the company confirmed it had a home-grown operating system that was later revealed as HarmonyOS. That still uses Android’s open source code, but Huawei says the latest version doesn’t have full Android.
Despite the company’s claims of in-house chip manufacturing, it was recently discovered that TSMC chips may have been illegally shipped to Huawei through a third-party company. The US imposed trade restrictions on Huawei in the first place after it tried to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile and circumvent Iran sanctions.
Huawei said the new OS still needs several months of refinement to improve the user experience, but the aim is to install it on all future smartphones. Mate 70 models will start at $760 for the 6.7-inch system and go up to the pro models, and Huawei is promising a 40 percent performance boost, in part thanks to the new OS.
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