Huawei likely to release a smartphone running HarmonyOS later this year

An earlier report told us that Huawei planned on transitioning all of its devices to its in-house HarmonyOS. A smartwatch running the software is expected to be released later this year. It will likely be joined by a smartphone, too, if an industry insider is to be believed.

Renowned analyst Ma Jihua told Global Times that Huawei is on track to release a HarmonyOS-powered smartphone before the end of 2020. The device will debut in China and will be restricted to that market for the foreseeable future. The transition should be a lot easier in the Chinese market as the lack of Google Play services gives Huawei complete control over app distribution ecosystems. We can also expect the smartphone version of HarmonyOS to reuse elements of EMUI to maintain familiarity.

Huawei will possibly tell us more about its plans with HarmonyOS this September at its annual developer conference. Earlier this year, a Huawei executive said that the company would launch ultra-affordable 5G-ready smartphones. The endeavor should be a lot less daunting thanks to MediaTek's vast range of low-cost 5G-enabled SoCs. That should convince enough people to make the switch to HarmonyOS in both global and domestic markets.