In recent years, Huawei faced challenges due to U.S. trade blacklists, leading to the sale of its budget smartphone division. However, the Chinese tech giant is making a remarkable return to the high-end phone market, posing a potential threat to Apple’s iPhone dominance in China.
According to a report, Huawei’s homegrown operating system, HarmonyOS, is expected to surpass Apple’s iOS in China this year, showcasing the company’s resilience in the face of U.S. sanctions.
HarmonyOS, introduced in 2019, has gained traction with over 700 million devices running on it and more than 2.2 million third-party developers creating apps for the platform.
Huawei’s decision to develop HarmonyOS became crucial after U.S. sanctions restricted its use of the Android operating system.
The success of HarmonyOS marks a strategic move by Huawei, now planning to abandon Android entirely with the upcoming update, creating what the company calls a “pure” operating system.
As Huawei’s technological expertise shines through, the company is not only thriving in the 5G smartphone market, as exemplified by the successful release of the Mate 60 Pro, but also experiencing significant growth in China’s smartphone market. Huawei captured about 13% of the market in 2023, up from 7.6% in 2022.
The success of the Mate 60 Pro, featuring a locally developed seven-nanometer chip, is seen as a national achievement, selling 1.6 million units in its first six weeks.
According to estimate, Huawei’s sales reached almost $100 billion in 2023, showcasing a rebound from the recent low in 2021.
While Huawei’s resurgence is evident, Apple faces challenges in the Chinese market, with the iPhone 15 underperforming in its initial sales compared to previous models.
Moreover, new regulations from Beijing may impact Apple, as all programs on Chinese app stores, including Apple’s, will soon require government licenses.
