Huawei follows up. After smartphones, which have long since left Western markets, now comes the big desktop launch: HarmonyOS Next. It sounds like a promise of the future, but above all it brings a clean break with the past. This is because old devices are consistently locked out, as are apps that do not want to be in Huawei’s own App Gallery. Openness? Not at all. They prefer to create a nice little cheese box with a dock and pretty UI, but leave the fresh air outside.
An operating system under quarantine
Huawei cannot be accused of a lack of consistency. If it’s going to have its own operating system, then please do so with all the consequences: no sideloading, no old devices, no problem – at least from the manufacturer’s point of view. User-friendliness? That is being redefined. Anyone who needs third-party software is clearly out of place here. The times when a desktop OS still shone with flexibility are a thing of the past at Huawei anyway. Instead, the company has opted for a closed system – in keeping with its mobile strategy. The App Gallery serves as a bottleneck, control seems to be the overriding goal.
Textbook hardware binding
HarmonyOS Next is reserved exclusively for the latest Huawei laptops. Older models, including those from Huawei’s own product line, are excluded. The technical reason? Unclear. More likely: it’s about promoting sales. If you want the new OS, you have to buy a new one. That’s it. This is reminiscent of Apple’s philosophy, without its software maturity or long-term update strategy. At least the whole thing is nicely packaged – with a dock that looks almost suspiciously like macOS and a user interface that is also less reminiscent of Windows 11 than Apple. So it’s better to copy from those who have dominated the market for years instead of going your own way.
AI assistance with system integration
Included: “Celia”, the AI assistant with ambitions. It is designed to take over tasks from the user – creating presentations, executing commands, perhaps even transmitting some data. All in the service of the user, of course. But only within the system, please. There are no plans for open interfaces or expandable features. People prefer to keep to themselves.
Market focus: China instead of the world
Huawei is deliberately targeting the Chinese domestic market with HarmonyOS Next. A closed system without Western software dependencies is definitely politically desirable there. The restrictions are not an accident, but a feature. For international markets, however, this means that HarmonyOS remains a niche product with clear limitations. Technically, more could be done – but it is obviously not wanted.
Technical classification: Between UI glamor and system isolation
The user interface of HarmonyOS Next is smooth and tidy, with an appealing design. Solid components are obviously working in the background, much of it is probably based on the Linux kernel, even if Huawei is not playing its cards close to its chest here. The performance on current devices is – unsurprisingly – smooth. After all, the OS was built precisely for this hardware. But that’s not enough. Without the option to install your own software, the computer remains a mere playback area for App Gallery content.
Beautiful shell, solid cage
With HarmonyOS Next, Huawei delivers a visually appealing but functionally limited operating system. The clear rejection of sideloading and backward compatibility makes it clear that the focus is on control rather than openness. The OS therefore remains largely irrelevant for Western markets – unless you voluntarily live in a digital biotope.
Source: MyDrivers
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