Huawei has said farewell to both the Linux kernel and Android with HarmonyOS NEXT. Put differently, Huawei has fully broken away from its Android history and created a stand-alone operating system. Due to the unavailability of apps, it is unlikely to be installed on laptops, tablets, or smartphones outside of China.
Given Huawei’s tense history with Android over the years as a result of a US ban, this has been a long time coming. The Chinese company has been leading the way with its HarmonyOS, a so-called Android derivative. Like Amazon’s Fire OS, Google’s proprietary services have been eliminated, but the company’s open-source operating system remains the foundation.
Presenting a new version of its operating system at its HDC2024 developer conference, Huawei dropped a bombshell. According to Gizmochina, this operating system is built on its own kernel. The current HarmonyOS also includes the Linux kernel, which is utilized by Google as the foundation for Android and ChromeOS, however that will no longer be the case.
The indigenous Hongmeng kernel from Huawei will take its place; it will appear as HarmonyOS NEXT. Stated differently, HarmonyOS NEXT is based on an entirely new operating system that, in Huawei’s words, delivers 20% less power consumption and 30% more performance.
The operating system is anticipated to be utilized on a variety of devices in addition to smartphones. In China, it might eventually be utilized on notebook computers in addition to smartphones and tablets. This is a result of US trade restrictions placing an increasing amount of regulation on American CPU and operating system manufacturers.
Huawei guarantees developers that their applications will adjust to various screen sizes on their own. A single tap can be used to move apps from one device to another with the “App Continuation” feature. It is also claimed to be equally simple to exchange data. Users can crop an image on their smartphone and then put it onto a tablet, for example.
AI and HarmonyOS NEXT
Huawei’s HarmonyOS NEXT operating system, like those of Apple and Google, is likewise dependent on artificial intelligence. There are rumors that sound correction and an AI image generator will be included. Xiaoyi, the virtual assistant, has been enhanced using Pangu Big Model 5.0 help.
It assists in improving the content on the device in addition to analyzing it. Having it create summaries or pictures from text is one useful application. In addition, it can recognize photos and assist those with impairments in identifying their environment.
Additionally, HarmonyOS NEXT prioritizes security. Codes and applications that do not adhere to the requirements set forth will not be installed. For end-to-end communications from one device to another, data is encrypted and stored on the corresponding device. The resources that apps need to access should be limited.
For those who are not in China, what does HarmonyOS NEXT mean?
There are 3,000 testers presumably testing the new Huawei operating system, which is presently in the beta phase. The fourth quarter of this year is when the official release is scheduled to occur. HarmonyOS NEXT will probably only be available in China at first.
The mismatch with current offerings is further exacerbated by the absence of an Android foundation. Applications would need to be created especially for the operating system or provided via emulators. On the other hand, consumers in Europe have already started using shady methods to install Play Store apps on their Huawei tablets and smartphones.
