Huawei's HarmonyOS Next to defy Windows and Linux
HarmonyOS Next is not only coming to smartphones. Huawei is also expected to install it on notebooks from next year.
The components of the Huawei Matebook X Pro.
(Image: Huawei)
Huawei is preparing to move away from Windows operating systems on its notebooks. Instead, the Chinese manufacturer will be using a new version of its self-developed operating system HarmonyOS – previously called HarmonyOS Next.
According to Huawei, it has designed HarmonyOS Next from scratch using a Harmony kernel, also known as the Hongmeng kernel, without a Linux or Unix base. Huawei has already announced the operating system several times over the course of the year, but so far only for its own smartphones.
In the meantime, Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei's consumer business division, has made it clear that HarmonyOS Next is also coming to notebooks. A video clip is circulating on Weibo in which Yu Chengdong briefly explains the background.
Changeover from 2025
According to the video, the current generation of notebooks will "probably" be the last with pre-installed Windows. The 2025 generation is therefore likely to run HarmonyOS Next. Yu Chengdong cites new sanctions imposed by the USA as the reason for the switch. Hardware manufacturers and software developers are now only allowed to supply Huawei with exceptional licenses – Microsoft previously had such a license for Windows. It is unclear whether Huawei will continue to use Intel processors in the new notebooks.
Huawei itself advertises a significantly better performance of HarmonyOS Next compared to Linux-based operating systems. However, those interested will also have to live with considerable disadvantages in terms of app availability. At best, Huawei has a translation layer so that Linux apps can run. Otherwise, there will probably only be a small selection at launch and a large proportion will not be available in the long term.
According to market observer Canalys, around 41.2 million notebooks were sold in China in 2023. Huawei is the third-largest provider with a market share of 10 percent – just behind HP (also a good 10 percent) and well behind Lenovo (38 percent). Microsoft is thus losing a significant Windows customer.
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