Huawei's so-called 'Plan B' HarmonyOS is happening. It's launched on tablets and smartwatches already, and now it's getting closer to ready for launch on smartphones.
While it'll undoubtedly be the software running on any new smartphones launching this year, Huawei has also announced that its software will be available as an update to a number of older phones currently running EMUI.
In fact, the company has announced that more than 100 Huawei devices will be getting the software as an update over the next year. That device list includes the Mate 40 and Mate 30 series, plus the P40 series and Nova 8.
The list of devices due to receive the software is extensive and even features phones as old as the Mate 9, Mate 10, P10 and P20 series of devices, plus a lot of others.
Of course, the newest phones will get it first. Huawei has stated that it'll be available for the Mate 40, P40 and Mate 30 initially, with other phones coming later in the year. As for those older devices, they'll likely get it in the first half of 2022.
In its announcement, the manufacturer lauded the ability of HarmonyOS to make your phone feel as fast and responsive as if it was new for up to 36 months, thanks to a new method of memory read/write management built within it.
It also stated that HarmonyOS will enable longer battery life, and used the Mate 40 Pro as an example; stating it could run a graphically intense game called 'Game for Peace' for 5.1 hours straight.
HarmonyOS is Huawei's big play into making a tightnit ecosystem of devices. It's been designed to enable seamless connectivity between your Huawei phone, tablet, watch, laptop, speakers, headphones and even fridge without any additional apps or logins required.
It also comes with redesigned widgets, giving you snippets of relevant information - similar to iOS 14 - while also giving you quicker access to controls for phone functions and apps.
The only downside: Huawei's press release only mentions devices in China for now and hasn't specified when the rollout will make its way to the UK and Europe.
We've reached out to Huawei for comment on when we can expect it over here and exactly what the process will be to update. We'll update this post to reflect that if and when we hear back from the manufacturer.