Huawei fills Apple's AI gap in China with HarmonyOS 7.
"China's smartphone market sees a shift as Huawei's new OS gains ground. Apple's AI limitations leave room for competitors."
Huawei has taken a significant step forward in the Chinese smartphone market with the introduction of HarmonyOS 7, its latest operating system. This move comes just days after Apple announced that its Siri AI feature would not be available in China. HarmonyOS 7 is built around an "intent-as-service" model, allowing users to access multiple app functions with a single natural-language command.
At the heart of HarmonyOS 7 is Xiaoyi, Huawei's AI assistant, which has been rebuilt from a conventional voice tool to a system-level intelligence agent. Xiaoyi now controls over 2,100 system-level capabilities and coordinates with more than 2,000 third-party AI agents developed across Huawei's developer ecosystem. This represents a significant improvement over previous versions of the operating system and provides users with a more seamless and intuitive experience.
The introduction of HarmonyOS 7 is a major milestone for Huawei, which has been working to develop its own operating system since 2019. The company was forced to accelerate its development after US sanctions restricted its access to Google's Android operating system. Despite these challenges, Huawei has made significant progress, and HarmonyOS 7 is now poised to become a major player in the Chinese smartphone market.
According to recent data, HarmonyOS held 19% of China's smartphone OS market in Q1 2026, surpassing Apple's iOS, which held 16%. This trend is expected to continue, with Huawei's operating system gaining ground in the market. The company's ability to optimize its operating system for the Chinese market has been a key factor in its success, and its partnerships with local companies such as Ctrip and Ant Medical have helped to integrate its services into the Chinese consumer stack.
The implications of Huawei's move are significant, not just for the Chinese market but also for the global smartphone industry. Apple's decision not to launch Siri AI in China has left a gap in the market, which Huawei is now filling with its own AI-powered operating system. This could have major implications for Apple's market share in China, where the company has traditionally been strong.
The introduction of HarmonyOS 7 also highlights the growing importance of artificial intelligence in the smartphone market. As users become increasingly accustomed to using voice assistants and other AI-powered features, companies that fail to invest in these technologies risk being left behind. Huawei's decision to prioritize AI development has helped the company to stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.
In terms of technical specifications, HarmonyOS 7 delivers a 15%-plus performance improvement over its predecessor, HarmonyOS 6.1. The operating system also features an updated foundation model, openPangu 2.0, which has 505 billion parameters in its Pro version and 92 billion in the Flash variant. On-device models at 30 billion parameters are due to be released on Kirin chips by autumn 2026.
The design of HarmonyOS 7 has also been updated, with a new Liquid Glass aesthetic that is similar to the design language used by Apple and Samsung. This convergence of visual design languages is notable, given the significant differences between the underlying architectures and regulatory environments of the three companies.
Despite the significance of Huawei's move, it is worth noting that the company still faces significant challenges in its bid to expand globally. The US sanctions that forced Huawei to develop its own operating system also restrict its ability to access certain markets and technologies. As a result, the company's ambitions to take HarmonyOS international remain aspirational for now.
In conclusion, Huawei's introduction of HarmonyOS 7 represents a major milestone for the company and a significant challenge to Apple's dominance in the Chinese smartphone market. As the global smartphone industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these two companies compete and innovate in the years to come. With its strong focus on AI development and its growing market share in China, Huawei is well-positioned to become a major player in the global smartphone market.
