Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has made a bold move by fully committing to its HarmonyOS NEXT platform, which will no longer support Android apps, according to a report from 9to5google. The company has been diligently working on developing HarmonyOS, its proprietary platform for smartphones, tablets, and more ever since facing a ban in 2020 that significantly impacted its operations.
Originally conceived as an Android fork, HarmonyOS has undergone significant evolution, with the most substantial changes being introduced in the latest iteration. Huawei claims that the new platform has completely moved away from the Android code base in favor of a fully independent architecture. This transition reportedly led to a 30% improvement in performance and a 20% reduction in power consumption.
Harmony Intelligence: A New Era of AI Capabilities
Additionally, the new platform features "Harmony Intelligence," Huawei’s unique approach to AI capabilities. These include functionalities such as:
- Image generation
- Sound enhancement
- Image-to-audio descriptions for visually impaired users
- The ability for third-party apps to leverage AI for tasks like translations
Throughout 2023, developers have been actively working on adapting their apps for HarmonyOS NEXT, ensuring compatibility with Huawei devices. A key focus for Huawei is enabling apps on the platform to seamlessly adapt to various screen sizes, offering a more versatile user experience.
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