Huawei unveils HarmonyOS NEXT, its first mobile OS without Android

Huawei is finally breaking free from Google’s clutches by ditching Android for good. At this year’s Huawei Developer Conference (HDC), the company officially unveiled HarmonyOS NEXT, its first mobile operating system not based on Android. Although it will be initially available in beta to users, the new HarmonyOS NEXT will power smartphones and devices such as tablets and smartwatches, among others.

What is HarmonyOS NEXT Beta?

The new HarmonyOS NEXT Beta is an extension of the HarmonyOS Huawei has been offering on its smartphones for some time. However, it is not based on Android or Linux, making it completely different from the ground up. That also means Huawei’s new platform is incompatible with Android’s APK files. Based on OpenHarmony and HarmonyOS microkernel, HarmonyOS NEXT supports native ‘APP’ apps via Ark Compiler with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) Core support. This removes the native support for APK files, as well as any app from the Play Store.

According to Huawei, HarmonyOS NEXT uses an entirely different architecture from previous versions to offer 30 percent better performance efficiency, while enhancing connectivity by three times. The company says the new operating system has better latency, resulting in faster device connections. It is also 20 percent more power efficient than Android, according to Huawei. But, more importantly, the HarmonyOS NEXT looks like a mobile OS without shifting the core smartphone experience. From downloading apps to managing them on the screen, HarmonyOS NEXT supports every function the same way as Android just so users can find familiarity.

Better than Android?

Still, it is not identical to Android. HarmonyOS NEXT supports a unified architecture combining local and cloud services for better interconnectivity. In other words, users can share a file or photo with other devices without relying on different apps and going through their installation. This also allows for connecting applications across devices for better data synchronisation. Huawei’s new operating system also integrates generative artificial intelligence (AI) heavily to offer features such as object remover in photos, image generator, AI sound repairer, and AI-powered tool for summarisation. The new OS also supports Ark Multimedia Engine, Ark Graphics Engine, and FFRT, which is equivalent to the technology that enables ray tracing in PC games.

Huawei’s HarmonyOS NEXT will be available in China only for now, and the company has not revealed plans for its international debut.