In a surprise move, Huawei has finally cut ties with Android and introduced the Mate 70 series, its first line of devices to run on HarmonyOS Next. The major milestone was announced at an event in China, marking a crucial turning point in the industry of smartphones.
HarmonyOS Next: The Evolution
Introduced in 2019 amidst growing US-China trade tensions, HarmonyOS ran on AOSP and could support ported Android apps. However, this new HarmonyOS Next is all standalone, with native HarmonyOS apps. It seems like a development that indicates Huawei’s resolve to establish a separate identity in the mobile OS market.
Mate 70 Series: New Choices Ahead
This will give users a choice of going back to the legacy HarmonyOS or using the new HarmonyOS Next. While HarmonyOS Next currently supports about 15,000 apps, Huawei ambitiously aspires to reach 100,000 native apps by 2025. The Mate 70 series also boasts Huawei’s in-house Kirin 9100 chipset, underscoring the company’s commitment to innovation and independence.

Competitive Pricing and Market Impact
Priced competitively, the Mate 70 series starts at 5,499 yuan, or about $758, a formidable challenge to rivals like the iPhone 16, which starts at 5,999 yuan in China. The prices for the Mate 70 Pro and Pro+ were 6,499 yuan and 8,499 yuan in that order, thus giving a wide leeway of choices depending on the purse.
Implications for the Smartphone Industry
But Huawei’s exit from Android is not all about geopolitical trade policy responses; it could well mean a whole new lease on life for the entire smartphone ecosystem with a real competitor to the Android-iOS stranglehold. With Counterpoint estimating that shipments of Mate 70 will be over 10 million units, HarmonyOS Next may well change the market landscape and increase competition.
But this, however, may force Google to revisit its strategy once the devices go global. The ecosystem is new, and both consumers and developers are adapting to it; maybe the industry will see innovation and choice in a whole new way.
Stay tuned for more updates on Huawei’s ambitious journey!
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