Huawei’s pure HarmonyOS system expands and now powers more than 27 million devices in China

Huawei celebrates significant progress in consolidating its own operating system in the Chinese market. The company confirmed that HarmonyOS NEXT, in its latest versions, is already active on more than 27 million devices, a number that reflects the rapid adoption of local consumers to the independent platform.

The accelerated growth is mainly driven by robust sales of the recently launched Mate 80 series of smartphones. The rate of new activations is also impressive, with the platform registering around 100 thousand new devices connected daily, highlighting the strength of the ecosystem.

This expansion is a fundamental step in the company’s strategy to establish a solid alternative to dominant operating systems globally. The initial focus on the domestic market has proven effective in building a loyal user base and robust application environment.

The consolidation of an independent ecosystem

The ecosystem around HarmonyOS demonstrates maturity and vitality, supported by a community of more than 10 million registered developers. Esse engagement resulted in the creation of more than 300,000 native apps available on AppGallery, the official Huawei store. The platform processes around 88 million downloads and updates daily, a volume that proves the high level of user interaction. The company has invested heavily in tools and development kits to facilitate migration and creation of new applications, attracting programmers and large Chinese companies, which now offer optimized versions of their most popular services, covering all essential needs, from productivity to entertainment.

Dominance in the Chinese mobile market

Recent data from the technology sector shows that HarmonyOS gained a 17% share of the mobile operating system market in China. Esse percentage places the Huawei platform ahead of iOS, from Apple, which holds 16%, marking the sixth consecutive quarter in which the Chinese system outperforms its direct competitor. Embora o Android still maintain the lead with approximately 66%, the advancement of HarmonyOS signals a significant change in the local competitive scenario.

The Mate 80 series was a determining factor in this market recovery, allowing Huawei to temporarily return to the top of the ranking of manufacturers in the country. The success of the new devices, which already come with HarmonyOS 6 pre-installed, not only boosted sales, but also reinforced the perception of the system as a premium, stable and feature-rich platform, capable of competing on equal footing with Western solutions.

Version 6 innovations and performance

HarmonyOS 6, released to the public in October 2025, brought with it a series of improvements focused on the user experience and integration between devices. One of the main new features is a fast and secure file transfer system, which simplifies sharing content between Huawei devices and even with devices from other brands.

The system interface has also been refined, featuring more fluid animations and advanced customization options, which gives the platform a unique visual identity. In terms of performance, the new version demonstrated gains of up to 40% in efficiency in everyday tasks, optimizing battery consumption and application response speed.

Additionally, deep integration with artificial intelligence capabilities provides more intuitive experiences, such as proactive virtual assistants and automations that work seamlessly across multiple connected devices, from smartphones and tablets to watches and automotive systems.

The role of the Mate 80 series in growth

The Mate 80 line, including models such as the Mate 80 Pro and the Mate 80 RS validating the company’s bet on its own software.

The evolution to HarmonyOS NEXT

The creation of HarmonyOS was a direct response to trade sanctions imposed by Estados Unidos in 2019, which restricted Huawei’s access to American technologies, including Google’s mobile services. Diante In this scenario, the company directed its efforts to develop a completely autonomous and independent platform.

HarmonyOS NEXT represents the culmination of this project, completely eliminating any dependence on Android source codes. With this transition, Huawei has established a proprietary software foundation, ensuring full control over the future development and security of its ecosystem, a crucial milestone for its technological sovereignty.

The strength of the developer community

The success of any operating system directly depends on the support of its developer community, and Huawei understood this from the beginning. The milestone of 10 million programmers registered on the platform is a reflection of the incentives and technical support offered by the company.

The company provides comprehensive development kits and tools that accelerate the process of adapting and creating applications for the native HarmonyOS environment, making the transition smoother for those coming from other platforms.

Strategic partnerships with China’s largest technology and services companies were key to ensuring the most popular and essential apps were available on AppGallery from the start.

This successful strategy significantly reduces the barriers for new users to migrate from Android or iOS, as they find HarmonyOS a familiar and complete environment in terms of available features and services.

Strategy focused on the domestic market

Currently, Huawei positions HarmonyOS as a viable and competitive alternative to the operating systems that dominate the global market. On the Chinese scene, the platform has already established itself as a force to be reckoned with, competing directly with iOS in terms of market share and consumer preference.

To reinforce this technological independence, new releases from the company, such as tablets, smartwatches and other smart devices, are now hitting the market exclusively with pure versions of HarmonyOS. Essa unified approach strengthens the ecosystem and improves the integration experience between the brand’s different products, consolidating the user base before planning more aggressive international expansion.