Huawei Technologies’ mobile platform HarmonyOS is projected to surpass Apple’s IOS as the second-biggest operating system in China this year driven by the US-sanctioned firm’s comeback with the Mate 60 series, according to a report by TechInsights.
While Google’s Android and Apple’s IOS will continue to dominate the global smartphone operating system sector, Huawei’s self-developed HarmonyOS will take some ground from both US giants in China, Canadian research firm TechInsights said in a report released on Wednesday.
Increased HarmonyOS adoption will be driven by Huawei’s return to the 5G smartphone segment, which started with the surprise launch in late August of its Mate 60 Pro, a handset equipped with an advanced, home-grown 5G chip despite US tech sanctions intended to block access to such technology.
TechInsights also expects Huawei to make a solid recovery in 2024, according to the report.
Huawei sees 9 per cent sales growth in 2023, boosted by Mate 60 Pro 5G comeback
Huawei sees 9 per cent sales growth in 2023, boosted by Mate 60 Pro 5G comeback
TechInsights expects Huawei’s supply challenge, driven by shortages of Kirin 9000s chipsets, to ease in the next few months. Huawei’s product portfolio further expanded last week when it launched new smartphone models under its mid-range Nova series.
HarmonyOS is also projected to reach a milestone in 2024 with the launch of HarmonyOS Next, which will not support Android-based apps.
Huawei is expected to launch a developer preview version of HarmonyOS Next in the first quarter of 2024, and is already working with China’s major companies to develop native apps based on the system.
It remains to be seen whether these efforts will have a halo effect on other smartphone makers and make HarmonyOS a default operating system for not just smartphones but also laptops and cars in China, TechInsights said.