Huawei launches smartphones with its own operating system

Huawei launched its new P50 models on Thursday, the first smartphones with its HarmonyOS system.

More than 40 million users have upgraded to HarmonyOS since its debut in June, said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Unit.

The P50 and P50 Pro are Huawei's new flagship models, with a starting price of 4,488 yuan (US$694) and featuring AI-powered photography, as well as improvements on color management, display, waterproofing and batter life.

 TheHarmonyOS makes them easily interactive and synchronizable with other smart devices.

But Huawei's P50 models only support 4G because of chip supply problems.

The release date of the P50 models was delayed several times because of chip supply issues as Huawei faces strict US tech sanctions.

HarmonyOS, or Hongmeng in Chinese, is an operating system designed for various devices. Huawei has a target of making HarmonyOS cover 300 million devices by the end of 2021.

Besides the P50, Huawei will allow older Huawei phones to upgrade to HarmonyOS, said Yu.

Huawei also released smart TV models with 75-inch and 98-inch screens and Sounder X speakers on Thursday, all supporting HarmonyOS.

Ti Gong