Chinese tech giant Huawei on Tuesday unveiled its first smartphone equipped with an operating system entirely developed in-house, a crucial step in its desire to counter the dominance of foreign tech leaders.
Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android systems are used in most mobile devices today. But Huawei is looking to reverse the trend with a new “Mate 70” series of phones, equipped with its HarmonyOS Next operating system.
An important turning point
This launch marks a major turning point for the company, which was once crippled by US sanctions but whose sales have been recovering for two years. “Today the long-awaited Mate 70 is here, the most powerful ever created,” Richard Yu, president of the company’s consumer business, announced on Tuesday at a group conference from its headquarters in Shenzhen (southern China).
According to Huawei’s online sales platform, more than three million devices have already been reserved, although this does not necessarily mean that they have been purchased. The sale officially begins this Tuesday night in China.
Unlike previous versions, designed with support for Android, HarmonyOS Next requires, however, the adaptation of applications to this new operating system.
“Chinese companies are willing to invest to contribute to this new Huawei ecosystem, but HarmonyOS’s ability to provide the same number of applications and functions to consumers around the world remains a challenge,” says Gary Ng.
Compatibility issue
Huawei has announced that Mate 70 buyers will have the option of whether or not to use the new version of HarmonyOS Next. “Many” applications available on the platform are already updated daily, Richard Yu said during the launch ceremony.
But it is not certain that all application designers will agree to invest sums, often considerable, to create new versions compatible with HarmonyOS, emphasizes to AFP Rich Bishop, director of AppInChina, which adapts foreign software for the Chinese market.
To convince them, “Huawei will have to continually improve its software, provide better support to developers, and convince the developer community that it is determined to make a long-term commitment to developing the HarmonyOS ecosystem,” says Paul Triolo, director of technology policy. and China at the consulting firm Albright Stonebridge Group.
Consequences of US sanctions
Huawei is at the center of technological rivalries between China and the United States, which claim, without evidence, that Chinese equipment could be used for espionage purposes. Beijing firmly denies these accusations. Since 2019, US sanctions have hit Huawei’s phone production hard, notably prohibiting the group from using US technologies and components.
This confrontation is expected to intensify with the return of Donald Trump to the White House. The Republican magnate has promised to dramatically increase customs duties on imported Chinese goods, in response to trade practices he considers unfair.
“This trend toward self-sufficiency within China’s technology sector has made Huawei’s progress possible,” says Toby Zhu, an analyst at market research firm Canalys. According to him, the success of this new product will be a key indicator of whether the group’s efforts have borne fruit. “This new generation of products cannot afford to miss the boat, because the expectations are considerable,” adds the analyst.
Huawei was China’s largest smartphone maker until the technology conflict between Beijing and Washington broke out. In the third quarter of 2024, Huawei only accounted for 16% of sales in the Chinese market, with less than 11 million units sold, according to a Canalys report.
In September, the company presented the world’s first triple-folding phone, the Mate XT, sold for the equivalent of about 2,670 euros. The new Mate 70 smartphone is offered at a much more affordable starting price of $758 (721 euros), Huawei announced on Tuesday.
Source: BFM TV
