The technological revolution continues with the launch of the all-new Huawei Mate 70 smartphone and its HarmonyOS Next operating system. The announcement marks a major turning point in the smartphone industry, offering users an innovative alternative to dominant operating systems such as Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS.
The Mate 70, starting at 5,499 yuan ($760), features the HarmonyOS Next operating system, developed entirely in-house by Huawei engineers. The system is intended to be a “purebred” technology, offering an unprecedented experience to users.
Richard Yu, President of Huawei’s Consumer Division, stressed at the launch event that the Mate 70 is the most powerful Mate series phone to date. He also highlighted Huawei’s dedication to technological innovation, saying that despite constant copying, the brand has never been surpassed.
One of the most important criteria for this breakthrough is Huawei’s desire to detach itself from the Android ecosystem. Starting next year, all of the brand’s new phones and tablets will run exclusively on HarmonyOS. This transition marks a decisive shift in the company’s software evolution.
According to Lucas Zhong, a research analyst at Canalys, the Mate 70 represents a critical step in Huawei’s software evolution. The transition from the Android ecosystem will be essential for the brand to maintain its momentum in the premium segment, consolidate consumer loyalty, and attract new users.
It is worth noting that this breakthrough was made possible by the launch of the Mate 60 Pro in August 2023, a milestone in the technological rivalry between the United States and China. The latter has sparked renewed interest in the brand’s premium smartphones.
In China, Huawei managed to increase its market share in the $600+ phone segment from 11% in Q3 2022 to 33% in the same period this year. This is an impressive performance, as Apple, over the same period, saw its market share in this segment decrease from 72% to 52%.
Huawei’s path to software autonomy has not been easy. With the export restrictions imposed by the United States in 2019, the brand had to face major challenges. However, thanks to its commitment and expertise, Huawei managed to develop HarmonyOS, an ecosystem that competes with Western standards.
Huawei’s then rotating chairman Eric Xu stressed the need to develop a strong app ecosystem for HarmonyOS. He indicated that the brand aims to have 100,000 apps developed for its operating system in the coming year, a crucial step to ensure its value and relevance.
With the launch of the Huawei Mate 70 and the deployment of HarmonyOS, the Chinese brand opens a new chapter in its history. This new smartphone promises to offer users a unique experience, combining power, innovation and reliability. Huawei is thus positioning itself as a major player in the technology industry, ready to meet the challenges of the future.