Huawei Launches Mate 70 with HarmonyOS Next, First Phone Running Own OS Amid US Sanctions

Nov 26, 2024, 07:00 AM

Huawei has launched the Mate 70 series smartphones, marking a significant move as they are equipped with the company's own operating system, HarmonyOS Next, independent of Google's Android platform. Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, called the Mate 70 'the most powerful Mate yet' and highlighted new features such as AI air transfer and advanced AI capabilities enhancing user experience. The Mate 70 series was unveiled at the Huawei Mate Brand Festival on November 26th, with pre-orders reaching 3.34 million as of November 18th. HarmonyOS Next had over 15,000 native apps and services as of October 22, and Huawei aims to have 100,000 apps on the platform within the next 6 to 12 months. Starting next year, all new Huawei smartphones and tablets will be equipped with HarmonyOS Next, a move that signifies Huawei's efforts to compete with Google's Android and Apple's iOS, and represents a significant step in the ongoing tech split between China and the US amid US sanctions on Huawei.