Huawei presented this Wednesday its own operating system HarmonyOS and the first products equipped with the new multi-device operating system worldwide. In Portugal, the presentation was accompanied by the launch of smartwatches (smart watches) Watch 3 Series and Computer tablet, which will be available from July.
Named Hongmeng in Chinese, HarmonyOS was launched by Huawei in August 2019 in the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT, Anglo-Saxon acronym), having been prepared even before the sanctions imposed by the United States. But the scenario changed when the American blockade emerged and the Chinese technological giant made HarmonyOS evolve into a multi-device operating system, that is, more complete.
“From internet connected to inter-connected”, salientou o head of ecossystem and senior business developer of Huawei Consumer Business Group Portugal, Marco Paiva, at the national presentation of the new operating system and new products, in Lisbon. This means that HarmonyOS will allow different devices to be connected to each other, guaranteeing the interoperability of Huawei’s products.
“It’s not a copy of [sistema operativo] Android”, assured Marco Paiva. The official also rejects that it is a response by the brand to US sanctions, as Huawei, although only launching it now, created the new operating system in 2016. It is, then, an “answer to the challenges of IoT” .
Seeking to maximize the potential of the new operating system, which allows connecting different devices to each other and thus dividing the answer to the daily and technological needs of Huawei users, the Chinese company determined that HarmonyOS 2.0 becomes the basis of the strategy that Huawei defines as 1+8+N. In other words, it will be one of the main foundations for Huawei to create a digital ecosystem with smart devices, with the smartphone being the control center for a wide variety of smart devices.
For now, Huawei has not introduced smartphones equipped from scratch with HarmonyOS. However, there are models that from today can be updated with Huawei’s new operating system (Mate40 Pro; Mate40 Pro+; Mate40 RS; Mate40; Mate40E; Mate X2; P40; P40 4G; P40 Pro; P40 Pro+; Mate 30 Pro ; Mate 30 Pro 5G; Mate 30E Pro 5G; Mate 30 RS; Mate 30; Mate 30 5G; MatePad Pro; MatePad Pro 5G; Mate Xs), although the transition starts in the Chinese market and extends to 2022, covering other devices beyond of smartphones. In other words, Huawei wants to move the Android system away from its products.
As for Portugal, HarmonyOS hits the ride of smart watches in the Watch 3 Series range and tablet computers. The first big news is the Waych 3 or Watch 3 Pro smart watch that comes with the new operating system, but also with greater communication independence thanks to eSIM with support for 4G. In other words, this smartwatch works without the smartphone around, being able to download and install applications. This is the main feature of Huawei’s new product, which will be available in stores on July 1st. There is a pre-sale from the 7th of July. Prices range between 369.99 and 599 euros.
Also in July comes FreeBuds 4. The new wireless headphones from Huawei have better sound quality, being also lighter, according to the brand. These freebuds “inherit the first active noise cancellation (ANC) technology open-fit of the previous generation”. “With ANC 2.0 open-fit comfort technology, high resolution sound quality and intelligent audio connectivity, the Huawei FreeBuds 4 offer the user an open-fit ANC listening experience to a whole new level”, assures the brand. Prices range from €159.99 for the wired charging version to €189.99 for the wireless charging version.
Another new product from Huawei is the MatePad 11 tablet, but this will only hit stores in August, with prices not yet known. MatePad 11 is equipped with a Snapdragon 865 processor, a screen with 2560×1600 pixels resolution, capable of updating to 120 Hz, and with the HarmonyOS operating system instead of Android. The big news of this tablet, in addition to the operating system, is that it can work as a second screen on a laptop, in any chosen mode. If the laptop is from Huawei, it is possible to share files directly between the laptop and tablet. This product also has a version premium, or MatePad Pro.
In addition to smart watches and tablets, Huawei introduced MateView, the brand’s first standalone monitor.
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