After all those setbacks to Huawei users on android, they have something to cheer about. HarmonyOS from Huawei is the answer to android stopping Huawei from using its software. The Harmony OS was already in use with Huawei smart home devices.
Technically speaking, this is actually HarmonyOS 2, because the software has previously been used on smart home devices. HarmonyOS is arriving on consumer gadgets, with updated Metepa tablet models and the Huawei Watch 3 which takes its homegrown OS mainstream globally.
HarmonyOS from Huawei
According to initial user reviews, HarmonyOS has a very Android-like feel to it. Huawei hasn’t commented on reports that it shares a lot of code with the stripped-down, open-source, Google-free version of Android that it’s had to use on recent devices such as the Huawei P40.
The launch of this new OS will give Huawei a foundation to build on top of and gradually break links with the software that Google largely controls. The plan is for the software to reach more and more devices, and even attract other manufacturers.
HarmonyOS might be very much based on Android, it has a definite iPadOS look on the MatePad tablets. There’s a dock of app icons at the bottom for example. And the home screen can be configured with a range of widgets for easy access to information.
With the software, users will also get a host of new devices from Huawei to enjoy. The Latest Huawei MatePad tablets come in three sizes and carry three different processors. The 10.95-inch MatePad (running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865). The 10.8-inch MatePad Pro (with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870) and the 12.6-inch MatePad Pro (with Huawei’s own Kirin 9000E chipset).
There’s also a brand new smartwatch, the Huawei Watch 3, with HarmonyOS on board. The wearable features a 1.43-inch OLED display running at a 60-Hz refresh rate. And all of the usual fitness and health tracking features are built in. Heart rate, SpO2 and sleep tracking are included as well.