Apple's iOS and Google's Android are currently used in the vast majority of mobile phones, but Huawei is looking to change that with its newest Mate 70 devices, which run on the company's own HarmonyOS Next, the Channel News Asia reported.
The launch caps a major turnaround in the fortunes of Huawei, which saw its wings clipped by gruelling US sanctions in recent years but has since bounced back with soaring sales.
"Today, the long-awaited Mate 70, the most powerful one ever, is here," Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, told a raucous launch event Tuesday at the firm's Shenzhen headquarters.
The risks are high - unlike a previous iteration, based on Android's open-source code, HarmonyOS Next requires a complete rewiring of all apps on the smartphones it powers.
"HarmonyOS Next is the first home-grown operating system, a milestone for China to move away from reliance on Western technologies for software with performance improvement," Gary Ng, a senior economist at Natixis, told AFP.
More than three million have been pre-ordered, according to Huawei's online shopping platform, though that does not require them to be purchased.
MNA
Your Comment