Huawei is bringing its new cross-platform HarmonyOS operating system to its smartwatches. Over the weekend, the Honor Vision TV was revealed as the first device to run the new software.
HarmonyOS is expected to be implemented across Huawei’s suite of hardware offerings – and it will replace Lite OS on the Huawei Watch GT range. We don’t yet know if the Google Wear OS-based Huawei Watch range will continue.
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According to GSMArena, Huawei decided to develop a HarmonyOS-powered smartwatch because of the middling performance of the company’s previous efforts.
The report comes at an interesting time, given some of the other recent rumours we’ve seen. Huawei recently applied for Bluetooth certification for a range of smartwatches, which indicated that a Huawei Watch 3 could be on the way.
It’s possible that the first HarmonyOS Huawei smartwatch could launch with its own distinct new brand name, but there’s no information yet on what that might be.
During the Honor Vision TV launch event, Huawei went into greater detail about how HarmonyOS will work across different platforms. The Honor Vision TV – itself – appears to be a fairly run of the mill smart TV but for the inclusion of a pop-up camera.
Related: What is Huawei HarmonyOS?
While there had been rumours of Huawei working on its own Android alternative for some time, the embattled Chinese company’s plans for HarmonyOS seem to have ramped up of late. The speedy launch of HarmonyOS seemed to happen in response to the Huawei Android ban.
The Huawei Mate 30 Lite looks like it could be the first phone to run the company’s new OS. In China, HarmonyOS will be referred to as a HongmengOS. The switch to the new operating system will only affect handsets sold in China though – in other markets, the phone will run Android.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.