Huawei Technologies introduced its first laptop powered by the company’s own operating system, HarmonyOS, on Thursday, following the expiration of its Microsoft Windows license for PCs in March. The laptop, which is yet to be named, runs HarmonyOS 5 (also known as HarmonyOS Next), the latest version of the OS. While most of Huawei’s laptops still run Windows, some models offer an option to use open-source Linux.
This new device comes equipped with Huawei’s AI assistant, Celia, which can perform tasks like creating slides, summarizing meeting minutes, and retrieving information from local documents, as long as it has access to the necessary third-party software. This was reported by state-run newspaper Securities Times, citing Huawei’s president of tablets and PCs, Zhu Dongdong.
HarmonyOS on PCs offers a broad range of software tailored to both professional and personal use, including WPS (China’s alternative to Microsoft Office) and Alibaba’s enterprise collaboration platform, DingTalk, as noted by Chinese tech news outlet ITHome. Alibaba also owns the South China Morning Post.
The new Huawei laptop is also compatible with a growing number of mobile apps available on HarmonyOS smartphones, including social media platform RedNote, video-sharing site Bilibili, and ByteDance’s enterprise tool, Feishu. By the end of the year, the device is expected to support over 2,000 apps, according to state-backed newspaper Nanfang Daily.
The laptop’s user interface blends elements of traditional PCs and smartphones. It features a software shortcut bar at the bottom, similar to the Dock on Apple’s macOS, while the home screen displays shortcuts in the form of icons, cards, or folders.
Huawei plans to officially launch the laptop on May 19, according to Chinese media. The announcement was made by Zhu Dongdong, Huawei’s president of tablets and PCs, during a closed-door event in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, where the company is headquartered. He stated that Huawei had “fully entered the era of HarmonyOS” for terminal devices.
HarmonyOS, which Huawei has been developing since 2015, was first introduced on the company’s smartphones last year. In 2023, Huawei launched the Mate 70 series, its first smartphones running a version of HarmonyOS that is not compatible with Google’s Android. The second HarmonyOS handset, the foldable Pura X, was unveiled in March. Huawei has also rolled out updates for at least 160 older devices, including smartphones, tablets, TVs, and wearables, allowing them to run various versions of HarmonyOS instead of Android.
Huawei’s progress with HarmonyOS highlights China’s resilience in the face of ongoing U.S. technology restrictions. The operating system saw increased adoption last year, capturing a 19% market share in China from October to December, according to consultancy Counterpoint Research. This marked the fourth consecutive quarter that HarmonyOS outperformed Apple’s iOS, which held 17% of the market share during the same period. However, Android still dominates the Chinese mobile OS market with a 64% share.
