Huawei’s new HongMeng OS may be revealed later this week
The OS will launch alongside a new Huawei phone before the end of 2019
If a recent report is to be believed, Huawei will reveal their new HongMeng OS later this week.
This is according to the Chinese publication Global Times, which claims the OS will be announced during the Huawei Developer Conference on 9 August. The HongMeng OS will supposedly serve as an alternative to Google’s Android OS, despite rumours claiming it was not intended for smartphones.
The first batch of devices that will come equipped with Huawei’s HongMeng OS will be the company’s own Honor Smart TV series. The operating system will in the long term roll out across a host of non-consumer devices such as “autonomous driving, remote medical services and industrial control”.
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While the HongMeng OS was originally intended solely for IoT and industrial devices, it seems that the OS might be incorporated into future Huawei smartphones as well. The trade ban imposed upon Huawei by the US government originally prevented the Chinese manufacturer from working with Google’s Android OS, forcing the firm to begin repurposing HongMeng for its smartphone range.
Indeed, the Global Times report also claims that the company is working on a completely new smartphone, with plans to launch it by the end of the year. While no official name was given for Huawei’s new phone, it will apparently come packaged with the HongMeng OS.
When the phone does launch, it’s expected to target the low-to-mid range market, retailing for 2000 yuan, which roughly translates to about £235. There’s also potential for the new smartphone to debut alongside the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, with both targeted for release in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2019.
What this likely means is an October or November release – the Huawei Mate 10 and 20 launched in October 2017 and 2018, respectively. If the Huawei Mate 30 follows suit, both the mysterious new smartphone and the HongMeng OS will be on store shelves in just a few short months.