Chinese technology giant Huawei on Tuesday unveiled its first smartphone equipped with an operating system entirely developed in-house, a crucial step in its desire to counterbalance the dominance of foreign technology leaders.
Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android systems are used in the majority of mobile devices today. But Huawei is looking to buck the trend with a new series of Mate 70 phones, powered by its HarmonyOS Next operating system.
This launch marks a major turning point for the firm, which was once paralyzed by American sanctions, but whose sales have rebounded for two years. More than three million devices have already been pre-ordered, according to Huawei’s online sales platform, although this does not necessarily mean they have been purchased. The sale officially begins this Tuesday evening in China.
Huawei is at the heart of technological rivalries between China and the United States, which claim, without proof, that Chinese equipment could be used for espionage purposes. These accusations are strongly denied by Beijing. Since 2019, American sanctions have hit Huawei’s phone production hard, notably prohibiting the group from using American technologies and components.
HarmonyOS
“This trend toward self-sufficiency within China’s technology sector has made Huawei’s progress possible,” says Toby Zhu, an analyst at market research firm Canalys. According to him, the success of this new product will be a key indicator of whether the group’s efforts have paid off. “This new generation of products cannot afford to miss the boat, because expectations are considerable,” adds the analyst.
Huawei was China’s largest smartphone maker until the tech conflict between Beijing and Washington erupted. In the third quarter of 2024, Huawei only represented 16% of sales in the Chinese market, for less than 11 million units sold, according to a Canalys report.
But it is not certain that all application designers agree to invest sums, often considerable, to create new versions compatible with HarmonyOS, underlines to AFP Rich Bishop, director of AppInChina, which adapts software foreigners for the Chinese market.
