Huawei Returns with With a Powerhouse Phone, Watch, and New OS
Starting today, Huawei is back with the first rollout of its new HarmonyOS 2, as it looks to leave Android and those troubles behind. During a 2-hour long product launch demo, the company showcased several new products, new software for its phones, and much more.
For starters, HarmonyOS is a fork of Android but does not have any Google apps or services. It’s Huawei’s replacement for the old software. From what we understand, HarmonyOS 2 will initially arrive for all recent flagship Huawei smartphones. These include the Mate 40, P40, and Mate 30 series, the NOVA 6+ series, M6 tablets, along with the upcoming Huawei P50 later this year, then slowly roll out to older devices at a later date.
Then, if all goes according to plan, older phones and product lines such as the Mate 9, Mate 10, P10, P20, Nova 5, and more will get the HarmonyOS 2 update early next year. That’s certainly good news for current smartphone owners.
It looks like the overall “HarmonyOS” for phones and tablets is a version of Android, while Huawei’s watch, TV, and connected devices version of HarmonyOS is based on Huawei’s LiteOS.
The company originally used Google’s Wear OS for watches, then Huawei’s own LiteOS, and now it looks like these will run on a modified version of its all-new HarmonyOS.
The Watch 3 has a circular 1.43-inch OLED screen, 60Hz refresh rate, gets plenty bright, and has a rotating digital crown similar to the Apple Watch. Even with the new software, the Watch 3 offers all the same features as its older devices. Then, new goodies include a redesigned home screen that looks similar to Apple’s WatchOS, and there’s support for video calling through Huawei’s own MeeTime service.
Additionally, you can look forward to a high-end titanium Huawei Watch 3 Pro with 4G built-in, using an eSIM. The Pro model has a bigger battery which offers up to five days of battery life with 4G turned on and up to 21 days without 4G.
The Huawei Watch 3 will cost £349.99 in the UK come June 18th, while the Pro model arrives for £499.99 on June 28th.
We can clearly see two huge camera bumps housing at least four camera modules, with that lower circle likely a periscope zoom lens to take on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The company claims it will “lift mobile photography to a new level.” We even see “Leica” camera branding on the back, suggesting some type of camera lens partnership. In closing, Huawei mentioned this phone will feature an iconic and lightweight design, but that’s all we know thus far.
Either way, Huawei is back with a revamped operating system, a sleek new smartwatch, and a new phone coming soon. That said, we’ll have to wait and see how app compatibility and development pans out for the watch and phone.
For starters, HarmonyOS is a fork of Android but does not have any Google apps or services. It’s Huawei’s replacement for the old software. From what we understand, HarmonyOS 2 will initially arrive for all recent flagship Huawei smartphones. These include the Mate 40, P40, and Mate 30 series, the NOVA 6+ series, M6 tablets, along with the upcoming Huawei P50 later this year, then slowly roll out to older devices at a later date.
Then, if all goes according to plan, older phones and product lines such as the Mate 9, Mate 10, P10, P20, Nova 5, and more will get the HarmonyOS 2 update early next year. That’s certainly good news for current smartphone owners.
It looks like the overall “HarmonyOS” for phones and tablets is a version of Android, while Huawei’s watch, TV, and connected devices version of HarmonyOS is based on Huawei’s LiteOS.
Huawei Returns with With a Powerhouse Phone, Watch, and New OS
Huawei Watch 3 & Watch 3 Pro
Huawei hasn’t released an all-new smartwatch in nearly four years, so this newest edition is pretty exciting. Called the Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro, these two smartwatches certainly look good, but we’ll have to wait for more information.The company originally used Google’s Wear OS for watches, then Huawei’s own LiteOS, and now it looks like these will run on a modified version of its all-new HarmonyOS.
The Watch 3 has a circular 1.43-inch OLED screen, 60Hz refresh rate, gets plenty bright, and has a rotating digital crown similar to the Apple Watch. Even with the new software, the Watch 3 offers all the same features as its older devices. Then, new goodies include a redesigned home screen that looks similar to Apple’s WatchOS, and there’s support for video calling through Huawei’s own MeeTime service.
Additionally, you can look forward to a high-end titanium Huawei Watch 3 Pro with 4G built-in, using an eSIM. The Pro model has a bigger battery which offers up to five days of battery life with 4G turned on and up to 21 days without 4G.
The Huawei Watch 3 will cost £349.99 in the UK come June 18th, while the Pro model arrives for £499.99 on June 28th.
Huawei P50 Series
In the middle of the HarmonyOS live stream, Huawei took a moment to show off its powerhouse new smartphone that’s on the way. Of course, this is the upcoming Huawei P50, and unfortunately, the company didn’t give us much to go on.We can clearly see two huge camera bumps housing at least four camera modules, with that lower circle likely a periscope zoom lens to take on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The company claims it will “lift mobile photography to a new level.” We even see “Leica” camera branding on the back, suggesting some type of camera lens partnership. In closing, Huawei mentioned this phone will feature an iconic and lightweight design, but that’s all we know thus far.
Either way, Huawei is back with a revamped operating system, a sleek new smartwatch, and a new phone coming soon. That said, we’ll have to wait and see how app compatibility and development pans out for the watch and phone.