Huawei’s upcoming developer conference in June is anticipated to debut the Beta version of HarmonyOS NEXT, marking a crucial development for its proprietary operating system. Although specific details remain confidential, recent leaks indicate a broader release in September across multiple device segments.
Expected Device Compatibility
According to the tipster Digital Chat Station, internal schedules point to a September release of HarmonyOS NEXT with support for “candy bar flagships, folding flagships, mid-range phones, tablets, and smartwatches” projected for the latter part of 2024.
The candy bar flagship referred to in the leak is likely the forthcoming Huawei Mate 70 series, which, based on prior reports, is slated for an early September launch.
A Shift from Android
Technically, HarmonyOS NEXT signifies Huawei's total departure from Android. It abandons the conventional Android Open Source Project (AOSP) codebase and is built solely on Huawei’s own Hongmeng kernel and system applications, rendering it incompatible with Android apps.
Despite this major shift, Huawei has successfully persuaded thousands of companies and institutions to create native applications for HarmonyOS NEXT. The company has announced that over 4,000 native apps have already been developed for the new OS, with additional ones in progress. These applications cover a range of categories, including navigation, news, finance, and gaming.
App Development and Market Adoption
Huawei’s official target is to have 5,000 native apps available by the end of 2024, with a long-term objective of reaching 500,000. The success of this transition hinges significantly on app developer participation and the user experience within the new app ecosystem.
The planned September launch sets an ambitious timeline for Huawei. Whether HarmonyOS can emerge as a credible competitor in the mobile OS market remains uncertain.
