What began as an urgent response to crushing U.S. sanctions has morphed into one of the most ambitious software revolutions in recent tech history. Huawei’s HarmonyOS, once just a lifeline when the Chinese giant was banished from the worlds of Windows and Android, is now evolving rapidly into a unifying digital fabric that aims to connect over a billion devices—from smartphones and tablets to TVs and PCs—under one homegrown platform.
Founded on the heels of geopolitical restrictions in 2019, HarmonyOS was never simply a stopgap. From the outset, the company invested seven years of research and vast engineering resources. Internally known as Hongmeng in China, the earliest deployment was on smart TVs, then quickly moving into the mobile sphere. By late 2024, HarmonyOS boasted over 900 million devices, making it the world’s fastest-growing next-generation operating system by adoption rate.
This hyperspeed expansion isn’t just a matter of numbers. Recent market dynamics reflect Huawei’s new dominance: in China, its smartphones eclipsed Apple, nabbing 19% of the market share—two points higher than the longtime rival. Such momentum underscores not only the mass appeal but also the political and technological significance of a Chinese tech company securing autonomy in software platforms.
The technical implications are profound. HarmonyOS Next is built to speak the same language across device categories. Its microkernel architecture is engineered for device interoperability, security, and real-time responsiveness—traits prized in the world of IoT as much as in consumer tech. This positions HarmonyOS not merely as a Windows or Android substitute, but as a universal digital ecosystem bridging mobile, desktop, and smart devices seamlessly.
Significantly, this is more than just a new OS on familiar hardware. Huawei is intent on replicating the Apple playbook, unifying device classes with seamless interoperation. The HarmonyOS PC experience shares much with its mobile variant, even supporting thousands of HarmonyOS mobile apps out of the box. Tools serving the Chinese market, such as WPS Office (a leading productivity suite) and enterprise stalwarts like DingTalk, are already natively available.
This could emerge as a game-changer for enterprise and consumer users alike, especially in regions where access to Windows is restricted or subject to uncertainty. It’s also an opportunity for a global audience eager for alternatives to the Windows/macOS duopoly, particularly as Linux-based distributions, while powerful, remain niche for average consumers.
This strategy mirrors, and in some respects amplifies, the tight integration pioneered by Apple—where users gain continuity and cross-device functionality that makes switching to competitors less attractive. HarmonyOS’s distributed architecture enables features such as multi-screen collaboration, synchronized notifications, and file continuity across devices, further blurring the lines between phone, PC, and smart living environments.
Key Chinese apps across productivity, commerce, and communication—such as WeChat, Alipay, Meituan, and Baidu—are fully integrated. Global expansion, however, remains challenging given the entrenched positions of Apple and Google, as well as the reliance on Google Mobile Services (GMS) in most Western geographies for maps, cloud sync, and messaging.
Huawei’s pitch is that its open-API, cross-device framework will ultimately make porting easier and potentially more lucrative for developers targeting China’s massive hardware base. For Western developers, though, the calculation is less clear, especially as HarmonyOS’s user base outside China, while growing, remains relatively small.
However, practically, as U.S. sanctions remain in force, obtaining licensed Windows for new Huawei machines in official channels is likely to become increasingly cumbersome outside specialty channels in China or regions with less stringent controls.
Yet, the software giant’s ambitions to transcend its foundational moment—shifting from a regional survival strategy to a global challenger—are tempered by external realities. The operating system’s full independence from Android is both a technical marvel and a risk; sustaining rapid iteration and security standards with less international collaboration is difficult. Gaining mindshare in regions unconvinced of Chinese tech sovereignty remains a tough sell, especially where political tensions run high.
Still, if any company is equipped to bend the arc of software history, it may be Huawei. Its integrated hardware-software roadmap allows it to iterate both stack layers hand-in-glove, something that even Google, with its fragmentation challenges, sometimes struggles to achieve. No other non-Western tech company to date has come so close to dethroning the established duopoly in both consumer and enterprise operating systems.
For now, Windows and Android face their first truly formidable challenger in decades—one that could, if it continues its present pace and overcomes its challenges, rewrite the rules for what an operating system can, and should, be.
Source: TechRadar Forget Windows and Android: Huawei wants HarmonyOS running everything from phones to PCs for over a billion users
Founded on the heels of geopolitical restrictions in 2019, HarmonyOS was never simply a stopgap. From the outset, the company invested seven years of research and vast engineering resources. Internally known as Hongmeng in China, the earliest deployment was on smart TVs, then quickly moving into the mobile sphere. By late 2024, HarmonyOS boasted over 900 million devices, making it the world’s fastest-growing next-generation operating system by adoption rate.This hyperspeed expansion isn’t just a matter of numbers. Recent market dynamics reflect Huawei’s new dominance: in China, its smartphones eclipsed Apple, nabbing 19% of the market share—two points higher than the longtime rival. Such momentum underscores not only the mass appeal but also the political and technological significance of a Chinese tech company securing autonomy in software platforms.
HarmonyOS Next: Cutting Android Ties, Claiming Independence
Perhaps the most consequential shift is embodied in HarmonyOS Next—HarmonyOS 5—an iteration jettisoning its Android roots entirely. Unlike earlier builds that relied on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) as scaffolding, the latest release is designed and engineered entirely in-house by Huawei. This is no small feat; the Linux-based Android kernel has long underpinned much of the globe's mobile computing, and breaking away signals a resolve to eliminate reliance on any Western-originated technology, not just as a reaction to sanctions but as a strategic repositioning.The technical implications are profound. HarmonyOS Next is built to speak the same language across device categories. Its microkernel architecture is engineered for device interoperability, security, and real-time responsiveness—traits prized in the world of IoT as much as in consumer tech. This positions HarmonyOS not merely as a Windows or Android substitute, but as a universal digital ecosystem bridging mobile, desktop, and smart devices seamlessly.
Windows Out, HarmonyOS In: The PC Transformation
March 2025 marked a pivotal inflection point for Huawei’s PC strategy. With the termination of its license to Microsoft Windows—forced by continued U.S. export controls—the company announced it would ship all future laptops with HarmonyOS as the default operating system. The transition, previewed at China’s major tech expos, was realized through the unveiling of an unnamed laptop model powered by HarmonyOS 5.Significantly, this is more than just a new OS on familiar hardware. Huawei is intent on replicating the Apple playbook, unifying device classes with seamless interoperation. The HarmonyOS PC experience shares much with its mobile variant, even supporting thousands of HarmonyOS mobile apps out of the box. Tools serving the Chinese market, such as WPS Office (a leading productivity suite) and enterprise stalwarts like DingTalk, are already natively available.
This could emerge as a game-changer for enterprise and consumer users alike, especially in regions where access to Windows is restricted or subject to uncertainty. It’s also an opportunity for a global audience eager for alternatives to the Windows/macOS duopoly, particularly as Linux-based distributions, while powerful, remain niche for average consumers.
Beyond Mobile: A Billion Device Vision
Reaching for a billion users is not aspirational—HarmonyOS is poised to get there imminently, propelled by aggressive device launches, cross-category unification, and government-encouraged procurement in China. By centralizing everything from mobile devices and laptops to wearables, home appliances, and even automobiles on its platform, Huawei is building a formidable ecosystem.This strategy mirrors, and in some respects amplifies, the tight integration pioneered by Apple—where users gain continuity and cross-device functionality that makes switching to competitors less attractive. HarmonyOS’s distributed architecture enables features such as multi-screen collaboration, synchronized notifications, and file continuity across devices, further blurring the lines between phone, PC, and smart living environments.
Technical Strengths: Independence and Innovation
HarmonyOS’s technological backbone offers several notable strengths:- Microkernel Design: The in-house microkernel is said to be more lightweight and secure than traditional monolithic kernels. This architecture limits the ‘attack surface’ and isolates critical services, an advantage in both consumer and industrial automation deployments.
- Distributed Capability Framework: HarmonyOS enables “Super Device” scenarios—drag-and-drop device linking so that a phone and PC, or a speaker and TV, can share resources or screens at will. This could be revolutionary for smart homes, offices, and future city applications.
- App Portability: Compatibility layers and frameworks are designed to let developers write applications once and deploy them across vastly different device types, reducing fragmentation and developer workload.
- Security and Privacy: Insulated user-space management and resource control can, in theory, provide better user privacy and limit information leakage between different apps or system components. Official Huawei documentation continues to emphasize these traits in response to global privacy concerns.
App Ecosystem: Progress and Hurdles
Perhaps the greatest historical challenge for any new operating system is app availability. Early HarmonyOS adopters were encumbered by a lack of popular apps, mainly due to developers’ traditional focus on Android and iOS. However, Huawei is investing heavily in developer incentives, partnerships, and porting tools to speed up ecosystem growth. According to recent reporting, thousands of native and ported applications are now accessible in the HarmonyOS ecosystem, with further rapid expansion planned.Key Chinese apps across productivity, commerce, and communication—such as WeChat, Alipay, Meituan, and Baidu—are fully integrated. Global expansion, however, remains challenging given the entrenched positions of Apple and Google, as well as the reliance on Google Mobile Services (GMS) in most Western geographies for maps, cloud sync, and messaging.
Huawei’s pitch is that its open-API, cross-device framework will ultimately make porting easier and potentially more lucrative for developers targeting China’s massive hardware base. For Western developers, though, the calculation is less clear, especially as HarmonyOS’s user base outside China, while growing, remains relatively small.
Compatibility and User Flexibility
One of the more nuanced aspects of the HarmonyOS PC transition involves hardware compatibility. Huawei’s laptops continue to utilize mainstream AMD and Intel processors, which retain the ability—at least at the technical level—for users to install alternative operating systems such as Windows or Linux. This ensures users aren’t “locked in”; a critical reassurance for business and enthusiast communities wary of monoculture risks or seeking to run cross-platform applications.However, practically, as U.S. sanctions remain in force, obtaining licensed Windows for new Huawei machines in official channels is likely to become increasingly cumbersome outside specialty channels in China or regions with less stringent controls.
Risks, Trade-Offs, and the Global Landscape
While HarmonyOS’s ascent is remarkable, the journey carries significant risk and open questions:- Global Expansion Barriers: Although the platform enjoys strong government backing in China, international uptake faces headwinds due to existing app dependencies, the dominance of GMS, and geopolitical suspicions of Chinese technology. Concerns over data sovereignty and state surveillance may slow HarmonyOS’s spread in Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia.
- Security Through Obscurity?: Proprietary modules, limited open-source code publication (relative to Linux or Android), and a lack of independent audits have drawn criticism. If Huawei wishes HarmonyOS to be trusted globally for sensitive use cases, it will need to demonstrate transparency and submit to robust third-party scrutiny.
- Ecosystem Lock-In: The benefits of seamless device communication are real, but they come with the risk of ecosystem “stickiness.” If HarmonyOS achieves the same level of user dependency seen in Apple’s ecosystem, users could eventually find it just as hard to leave, raising legitimate concerns about future consumer choice and flexibility.
- Innovation vs. Control: China’s push for technological self-reliance is spurring rapid innovation within the country, but it also reinforces a bifurcated global tech landscape with competing standards. Interoperability with Western platforms may worsen if mutual suspicion and competitive regulation persist.
Critical Analysis: Can HarmonyOS Become a Genuine Global Contender?
The strategy underpinning HarmonyOS’s meteoric rise is multi-dimensional: it’s a work of necessity, nationalism, and remarkable engineering ambition. Huawei’s ability to build a fully in-house operating system, scale it across hundreds of millions of devices, and rally a domestic developer community in just half a decade is, by any measure, extraordinary.Yet, the software giant’s ambitions to transcend its foundational moment—shifting from a regional survival strategy to a global challenger—are tempered by external realities. The operating system’s full independence from Android is both a technical marvel and a risk; sustaining rapid iteration and security standards with less international collaboration is difficult. Gaining mindshare in regions unconvinced of Chinese tech sovereignty remains a tough sell, especially where political tensions run high.
Still, if any company is equipped to bend the arc of software history, it may be Huawei. Its integrated hardware-software roadmap allows it to iterate both stack layers hand-in-glove, something that even Google, with its fragmentation challenges, sometimes struggles to achieve. No other non-Western tech company to date has come so close to dethroning the established duopoly in both consumer and enterprise operating systems.
Future Directions and What to Watch
As HarmonyOS prepares to officially cross the billion-device threshold, several trends merit close scrutiny over the next year:- Expansion of Enterprise Features: If HarmonyOS can support core needs like office productivity, secure email, and collaboration tools at global standards, it will gain serious credibility among business users.
- Security Transparency: Moves by Huawei to further open its source code, subject it to international audits, and encourage community scrutiny will be crucial to overcoming persistent trust concerns.
- Global Developer Buy-In: Major milestones will hinge on attracting not only domestic, but international developers—particularly if HarmonyOS wants to thrive beyond Chinese borders and specialized appliances.
- Regulatory Climate: As tech standards diverge between China and the West, regulatory actions could either accelerate HarmonyOS adoption in many countries or, conversely, wall it further into the Chinese domestic sphere.
- User Experience: For end users, everything hinges on whether HarmonyOS can deliver seamless, stable, and feature-rich computing that rivals or exceeds existing platforms. Early reviews and user testimonials will carry outsized weight.
Conclusion: The Stakes of Sovereignty in the OS Wars
Huawei’s HarmonyOS is more than a symbol of technological resilience; it is a bold, ongoing experiment in building a new world-scale operating system outside of Western control. In a world where software sovereignty and cross-device unification are increasingly critical, HarmonyOS’s rise is both an opportunity and a challenge. The coming months, marked by new device launches and the first HarmonyOS laptops, will determine if Huawei can reshape the future of computing—not just for China, but potentially for the world.For now, Windows and Android face their first truly formidable challenger in decades—one that could, if it continues its present pace and overcomes its challenges, rewrite the rules for what an operating system can, and should, be.
Source: TechRadar Forget Windows and Android: Huawei wants HarmonyOS running everything from phones to PCs for over a billion users