Its Official! Huawei Launches HarmonyOS For Smartphones And Smart Devices As A Replacement For Android

Chinese electronics giant Huawei has launched its open source Harmony operating system for smartphones, tablets and smart IoT gadgets at the Huawei Developer's Conference (HDC) 2019 in China today.

HarmonyOS has just been announced at #HDC2019! How are we going to build an all-scenario smart ecosystem and experience? How will we overcome the challenges of future OS for connected things? Stayed tuned with us to find out. pic.twitter.com/x7ZbgcEy2d

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) August 9, 2019

According to Huawei, Harmony is the first microkernel-based distributed OS for all scenarios and was created with four major building blocks in mind, ensuring a new generation OS that is best suited for the digital world today.

Harmony's Fuchsia like microkernel architecture allows the OS to run on a wide range of devices like TVs, smartwatches, smart home devices, etc., while also having better security than Android that is based on Linux.

Also, HarmonyOS is faster than the Android operating system. Unlike Android, the HarmonyOS is built with a "Deterministic Latency Engine" that reduces input and animation lag by allocating system resources.


Developers can also code in languages such as C/C++, Java, and Kotlin and translate their apps with Huawei's own ARK compiler. With a "shared developer ecosystem," cross-platform development should be easily achievable.

The US ban on Huawei restricts it from using Android and Microsoft operating systems on its smartphones and PCs. The company in turn has introduced HarmonyOS as an alternative to Android and Windows.

Huawei claims it could easily switch from Android to HarmonyOS with one or two days if it wanted to. However, it says it wants to stick to Google's Android OS for its smartphones because of its existing partners.

During this year's G20 summit, US President Donald Trump said that the US would lift the ban on Huawei and allow them to trade and deal with US tech firms again. Though, the US is yet to relax the ban on the Chinese electronics giant.


Here's what CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, Richard Yu had to say;

"We're entering a day and age where people expect a holistic intelligent experience across all devices and scenarios. To support this, we felt it was important to have an operating system with improved cross-platform capabilities. We needed an OS that supports all scenarios, that can be used across a broad range of devices and platforms, and that can meet consumer demand for low latency and strong security.

"HarmonyOS is completely different from Android and iOS. It is a microkernel-based, distributed OS that delivers a smooth experience across all scenarios. It has trustworthy and secure architecture, and it supports seamless collaboration across devices. You can develop your apps once, then flexibly deploy them across a range of different devices.

"We believe HarmonyOS will revitalize the industry and enrich the ecosystem. Our goal is to bring a truly engaging and diverse experience. We want to invite developers from around the world to join us as we build out this new ecosystem. Together, we will deliver an intelligent experience for consumers in all scenarios."

HarmonyOS Roadmap

HarmonyOS 1.0 in 2019: In-house development for key modeuls based on open source framework will debut with HONOR Vision Smart TV, and will be launched tomorrow, August 10.

HarmonyOS 2.0 in 2020: In-house development for kernel and app framework will support PCs, smartwatches, smart bands and head units.

HarmonyOS 3.0 in 2021: Optimization in software-hardware synergy and support speakers and headsets.

HarmonyOS in 2022: Support VR glasses and other products.