Huawei's Android-rivaling smartphone may launch this year

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Huawei could launch its first smartphone running its in-house Hongmeng OS before the end of 2019.

While the Huawei Ban that came into effect earlier this year threw the firm's Android alternative platform - Hongmeng OS - into the spotlight, the Chinese firm has actually been developing the software for a while.

Details around Hongmeng are pretty scarce, but Huawei executives have referred to it as an operating system designed for connected internet-of-things products. An upcoming range of Honor TVs is expected to form the first wave of Hongmeng powered devices.

Earlier this year, Huawei was subject to trade sanctions which disallowed any American company to trade with them. Companies like Qualcomm, Google, and Corning pulled their hands off Huawei, which led to a global crisis for the Chinese company.

Ending partnership with Google means no access to Google Play services, hence no Android for Huawei phones. With the unparalleled market domination in the smartphone OS market, it’s unimaginable for any OEM to survive in the business without Android.

Even though the trade ban is lifted, Huawei has learned from the past and wants to be more cautious with its dependence on these partners.

Huawei's Android replacement might arrive sooner than expected

Huawei’s solution included creating Hongmeng OS which would go on to act as an Android replacement and is being developed inhouse. Details around Hongmeng are pretty scarce, but Huawei executives have referred to it as an operating system designed for connected internet-of-things products. An upcoming range of Honor TVs is expected to form the first wave of Hongmeng powered devices.

However, Huawei is yet to confirm if Hongmeng will power future smartphones. The company’s chairman said that they prefer using Google’s Android for smartphones, but the switch could happen in the future as a part of their long-term strategy.

A report by the Global Times via Reuters suggests that the first Hongmeng-powered smartphone will be a budget smartphone priced at around CNY 2,000 (approximately INR 21,000) and could go on sale later this year. No other details have been mentioned yet, and we will have to wait to learn more about this upcoming low-end smartphone.

Historically, no other smartphone manufacturer has been able to split from Google and continue to flourish with Android and ancillary services. It will take a lot of R&D, developer support, and investment by the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer to be able to break that deadlock and emerge a victor. Even amidst this geopolitical trade war, Huawei exhibited steady growth in the first half of 2019, growing by 23%.

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