Every Huawei phone next year will run on its own operating system
In Shenzhen, Huawei has unveiled the Mate 70 — a smartphone that carries more symbolic weight than most devices ever will. Born from years of American trade restrictions that nearly dismantled the company, the Mate 70 arrives as a declaration of technological self-sufficiency, running on HarmonyOS NEXT, an operating system entirely of Huawei's own making. It is a moment that speaks not just to one company's resilience, but to the broader human story of nations and corporations seeking to chart their own technological destinies.
- Huawei, once crippled by U.S. export restrictions that sent its shipments plummeting to 4.1 million units in a single quarter, has clawed back to over 10 million units shipped in Q3 2024.
- The Mate 70's dual operating system offering — one Android-compatible, one entirely independent — reflects the tension between ecosystem survival today and full technological sovereignty tomorrow.
- With only 15,000 apps currently available on HarmonyOS NEXT against a target of 100,000, Huawei is racing to build an alternative digital world before it fully closes the door on Android.
- New U.S. export controls threatening up to 200 Chinese chip companies loom on the horizon, making Huawei's domestic semiconductor reliance both a shield and a statement.
- By next year, every new Huawei device will run HarmonyOS NEXT exclusively — a point of no return the company is approaching with deliberate, accelerating confidence.
Huawei unveiled the Mate 70 smartphone series in Shenzhen, and the launch was as much a political statement as a product announcement. The company offered buyers a choice between two operating systems: HarmonyOS 4.3, which still supports Android apps, and the entirely new HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0, which severs ties with Android altogether. Consumer division head Richard Yu called it "the most powerful Mate phone ever," but the deeper message was about independence — from American software, American chips, and American goodwill.
The choice of operating systems reflects Huawei's careful pragmatism. HarmonyOS NEXT currently supports around 15,000 apps, far short of the 100,000 the company is targeting. So for now, users can choose the safety of Android compatibility. That option, however, is temporary. Starting next year, all new Huawei smartphones and tablets will ship exclusively with HarmonyOS NEXT — a deadline that signals the company's confidence in its own ecosystem, whether or not the rest of the world shares it.
The hardware tells a similar story. The Mate 70 is reported to run on Kirin 9100 chipsets made by SMIC, China's domestic semiconductor manufacturer — though Huawei has stayed characteristically quiet on the specifics. The phone is, from software to silicon, a Chinese-made product, and that fact carries weight as the U.S. prepares new export controls targeting up to 200 Chinese chip companies.
Huawei's recovery in China has been remarkable. From a low of 4.1 million shipments in Q2 2022, the company surged past 10 million units in Q3 2024, now ranking as China's second-largest smartphone vendor. Analysts expect the Mate 70 alone to exceed 10 million shipments. Fueled in part by patriotic consumer sentiment, Huawei has rebuilt itself into a formidable domestic force — and with the Mate 70, it is signaling that it intends to keep building long after the restrictions that once threatened to end it.
Huawei has unveiled the Mate 70 smartphone series in Shenzhen, a deliberate statement of technological independence that arrives as the company continues its climb back into the premium phone market. The new lineup represents more than a hardware refresh—it is the company's most visible commitment yet to breaking free from American software infrastructure, offering buyers a choice between two operating systems: HarmonyOS 4.3, which still runs Android apps, and the entirely new HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0, which abandons Android altogether.
Richard Yu, who leads Huawei's consumer division, called the Mate 70 "the most powerful Mate phone ever" during the launch event. The framing matters. This is not a phone company simply releasing a new model. This is a company that spent years under U.S. export restrictions, watched its market share collapse, and is now announcing that next year, every Huawei smartphone and tablet it releases will run on its own operating system. The shift signals a company that has decided it can no longer depend on American technology—and that it believes it can build an alternative that works.
The operating system choice reflects Huawei's pragmatism. HarmonyOS NEXT, which the company tested earlier this year, is a complete break from Android. But the company knows its ecosystem is still small. It currently has about 15,000 apps available and is targeting over 100,000 within the coming months. So the Mate 70 gives users a safety net: stick with Android compatibility if you want, or jump to the new system if you're willing to experiment. By next year, that choice disappears. New devices will run HarmonyOS NEXT only.
The hardware itself carries geopolitical weight. The Mate 70 series is reported to use Kirin 9100 chipsets manufactured by SMIC, China's domestic semiconductor company. Huawei has not officially confirmed these details—the company typically avoids discussing chip specifics at launch events—but the reports underscore how far Chinese semiconductor manufacturing has come despite years of Western restrictions designed to slow it down. The phone is, in other words, a product of Chinese technology from top to bottom.
Huawei's recovery in its home market has been striking. In the second quarter of 2022, the company shipped just 4.1 million phones. By the third quarter of 2024, that number had surged to over 10 million units. Huawei now ranks as China's second-largest smartphone vendor, a position built partly on patriotic sentiment—Chinese consumers choosing a homegrown company over foreign competitors. Analysts at Counterpoint Research expect the Mate 70 series alone to exceed 10 million shipments, which would further solidify Huawei's foothold in the market.
The timing of this launch carries strategic significance. The United States is preparing new export controls that could affect up to 200 Chinese chip companies. Huawei's announcement of a fully independent operating system and its reliance on domestic semiconductors reads, in that context, as both a response to those restrictions and a demonstration that the company has found ways to work around them. The Mate 70 is not just a phone. It is evidence that Huawei has built the infrastructure to survive without American technology, and that it intends to keep building.
Citas Notables
The most powerful Mate phone ever— Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's consumer business group, describing the Mate 70
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Why does it matter that Huawei is offering two operating systems instead of just one?
Because it shows the company understands it can't force users into a new ecosystem overnight. HarmonyOS NEXT is the future Huawei wants, but HarmonyOS 4.3 is the bridge that gets people there. It's a pragmatic move—give people an exit ramp while you build the destination.
The app ecosystem is still tiny compared to Android or iOS. How does Huawei expect to convince developers to build for HarmonyOS NEXT?
Partly through scale—if 10 million people buy a Mate 70, developers follow the money. But also through nationalism. In China, there's real appetite for homegrown alternatives. That sentiment is worth something to developers who want to be seen as supporting Chinese technology.
What does it mean that the chips are made by SMIC, not Huawei itself?
It means Huawei doesn't have to be vertically integrated to survive. It just needs reliable partners. SMIC is Chinese, so the supply chain stays within China's control, which is the real point. Huawei can't be cut off if the entire chain is domestic.
Is this phone actually competitive with an iPhone or a Samsung flagship?
That depends on what you value. The hardware is probably comparable. The software is the question mark. If you're in China and you want a phone that works with Chinese apps and services, the Mate 70 is fine. If you're outside China and you need access to the global app ecosystem, you're taking a real risk.
Why announce that all next year's devices will use HarmonyOS NEXT? Isn't that risky?
It's a commitment device. It tells developers, investors, and consumers that this isn't an experiment—it's the direction the company is going. It removes the option to retreat. That kind of public promise can actually accelerate ecosystem development because everyone knows the deadline is real.