Huawei has introduced HarmonyOS Next, a new operating system built on its own kernel, independent of Android.
The first devices to use this OS include the Mate 70 family, the Mate X6 foldable, and the MatePad Pro tablet. CEO Richard Yu confirmed that all Huawei devices in 2025 will feature HarmonyOS Next.
However, this will only apply to phones and tablets sold in China. Huawei faces difficulties in expanding the OS internationally, mainly due to the lack of apps for global users.
Experts say that getting international developers to create apps for the Chinese market is challenging because they don’t expect to make much money.
Moreover, the absence of popular apps could discourage users from buying Huawei’s new devices. This issue is even worse for users outside China, who won’t be able to use HarmonyOS apps abroad.
In China, HarmonyOS holds a 17% market share, ahead of iOS with 16%, but still far behind Android, which leads with 68%.
Globally, HarmonyOS only holds a 4% share, while Android controls 80% of the market. Despite these challenges, Huawei is trying to stay visible by forming partnerships with international companies like Grab and Emirates. The company hopes that more global businesses will follow suit soon.
