Huawei's next Android-free HarmonyOS NEXT set to debut next week: Report

Reportedly, the operating system will first be available on the Mate 60, Mate X5, and MatePad Pro on October 15, but it is uncertain whether the Mate XT tri-fold smartphone will receive an update

Huawei has reportedly been working to prioritise its own operating software while removing support for Android. In an attempt to achieve this, the Chinese consumer electronics company is set to roll out its new OS, HarmonyOS NEXT, to Huawei devices next week. The operating system will first be available on the Mate 60, Mate X5, and MatePad Pro on October 15. It is uncertain whether the newly launched Mate XT tri-fold smartphone will receive an update.

Huawei has been using HarmonyOS in its devices for some time now. The OS started as just another Android skin, but a shift occurred when Huawei planned to move away from Android entirely, aiming to develop its own dedicated OS that would still support a wide range of applications.

The company has been striving for complete self-sufficiency since this transition. According to 9to5Google, Huawei recently announced that HarmonyOS NEXT brings support for 10,000 apps and covers “99.9 per cent of consumers’ usage time needs.”

Huawei has been developing a variant of HarmonyOS that does not support Android apps. Since transitioning from EMUI to HarmonyOS, Huawei smartphone users have been able to sideload most apps, although they still lack access to Google apps, including the Play Store. Since the new operating software will not support Android apps, Huawei has announced support for apps that users will require.

All of this indicates that Huawei is set to launch HarmonyOS NEXT and begin rolling it out to phones already available in the market. It is reported that 17 per cent of China’s smartphone market in the first quarter of 2024 is made up of HarmonyOS, representing a considerable number of devices shifting away from Android in a market largely dominated by either Android or iOS, according to 9to5Google.