Huawei has launched its latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 70, featuring the HarmonyOS NEXT operating system—a fully homegrown alternative to Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Priced from 5,499 yuan ($760), the Mate 70 represents a critical move in the Chinese tech giant’s bid to counter US sanctions and regain its foothold in the global smartphone market.
A Game-Changer in Mobile Technology
The HarmonyOS NEXT system no longer supports Android-based apps, positioning itself as a truly independent platform. Huawei Chairman Richard Yu described the Mate 70 as the company’s “most powerful phone” in the Mate series, emphasizing that Huawei has “always been copied but never surpassed.”
From 2025 onwards, all Huawei phones and tablets will exclusively run on its in-house operating system. This milestone marks a significant step in Huawei’s software evolution, as the company moves away from reliance on Android.
Remarkable Market Recovery
The Mate 70 follows the success of the Mate 60 Pro, launched in August 2023, which surprised industry experts with its advanced chip capabilities despite US restrictions on semiconductor technology. Huawei’s share of the premium smartphone market in China—phones priced over $600—jumped from 11% in 2022 to 33% in 2024, according to Canalys. Meanwhile, Apple’s share fell from 72% to 52%.
Huawei’s comeback is particularly impressive considering the setbacks it faced after being placed on a US trade blacklist in 2019, which barred access to critical technology and forced the sale of its budget smartphone brand, Honor.
Building a Global Ecosystem
The original HarmonyOS, introduced in 2019, still supported Android apps. However, Huawei has since invested heavily in developing a fully independent platform. The company is now encouraging developers to create HarmonyOS-compatible apps, aiming for 100,000 applications within a year to establish a competitive ecosystem.
Eric Xu, a Huawei executive, highlighted the importance of building an extensive app ecosystem, starting with the Chinese market and gradually expanding globally. “If no one uses it, no matter how advanced the operating system is, it will have no value,” Xu said.
Strong Pre-Orders and High Expectations
The Mate 70 series has already garnered over three million pre-orders, signaling strong consumer interest. Analysts predict it could achieve 10 million shipments over its lifetime. However, expanding the developer community and app ecosystem remains a challenge for Huawei.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS NEXT positions itself as the world’s third major mobile operating system, presenting a bold challenge to Android and iOS. As the tech rivalry between China and the US intensifies, Huawei’s latest innovation underscores its determination to lead in mobile technology and redefine the global smartphone landscape.
