Neither Android nor iOS: this is HarmonyOS Next, Huawei's OS

Huawei wants to say goodbye to Google once and for all. To achieve this, it has launched HarmonyOS Next, its new operating system completely independent from Android.

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The release of HarmonyOS Next represents a historic milestone for the Chinese company, as it is their own operating system developed from scratch. However, having no relation to Android also reveals one of its major disadvantages: Android applications are not supported by HarmonyOS Next. Even so, Huawei claims that there are already more than 15,000 compatible applications and many more are on the way.

The innovations included in HarmonyOS Next compared to its predecessor feature a new interface with dynamic wallpapers. As it is a system designed to run on different types of devices, it has a unified aesthetic to look the same on mobiles and tablets.

Uniformity is not just about aesthetics: Huawei will allow us to share files between devices with HarmonyOS Next in true AirDrop style thanks to the Huawei Share 2.0 feature. The company promises transfer speeds of up to 1.2 GB in just 8 seconds.

In the security section, Huawei has introduced its “Star Shield” architecture, which prevents third parties from accessing our data. In terms of performance, HarmonyOS Next comes with an Enhanced Ark Engine, resulting in a 30% improvement in smoothness and 20% in energy consumption.

As expected, AI also has its share of prominence. HarmonyOS Next integrates Xiaoyi, a virtual assistant based on the Pangu model. Users will be able to ask Xiaoyi to set alarms, reminders, and it can also identify documents and images.

The public beta of HarmonyOS Next is only available in China and there is no date for a global launch at the moment.

Where does HarmonyOS come from?

The first time we heard about HarmonyOS was in 2019. During that same year, the Donald Trump’s government included Huawei in the Entity List, a list that compiles foreign entities that could threaten the national security of the United States. This technological war has led Google to cut all kinds of relations with Huawei, which includes not using its services within the Chinese company’s devices.