HUAWEI ROLLS OUT ITS OWN OPERATING SYSTEM TO SMARTPHONES

Huawei launched its own HarmonyOS mobile operating system on its handsets on Wednesday as it adapts to having lost access to Google mobile services two years ago after the U.S. put the Chinese telecommunications company on a trade blacklist.

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The Shenzhen-based company announced that about 100 Huawei smartphone models will use its proprietary HarmonyOS system and that the operating system will also be available on certain tablets and smart screens in the fourth quarter of the year.

The launch of the operating system comes as the company is still cut off from American technologies including Google’s services and some computer chips to power its devices after the U.S. put it on an “entity list,” saying Huawei might aid China’s espionage efforts, an accusation the company vehemently denies.

Huawei’s inclusion on the list restricts American companies from doing business with Chinese telecommunications equipment and smartphone maker. The blacklist has been a critical blow for Huawei, which has relied on essential technologies from the U.S.

“The user experience of HarmonyOS has surpassed the experience of the Android era. We solved issues such as the slowing down and lagging of devices over time in the Android era,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer unit, in an online product launch event Wednesday.