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Huawei has no plan to launch Harmony OS phone this year

Beijing, Aug 23 

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has officially denied its plans to launch a smartphone with its home-brewed Harmony operating system (OS) this year.

Vincent Yang, Senior Vice President, Huawei, said in a media event in New York that the company has no plans to launch a Harmony OS-powered smartphone in the coming months, GSMArena reported on Thursday. 

"Huawei would like to maintain its current Android ecosystem on smartphones and will only use Harmony OS as a plan B in the case sanctions are again imposed on it," Yang said. 

In the wake of the US-China trade war, the company has recently launched its own operating system which is aimed to reduce the company's reliance on the Google-developed Android OS. 

Focused on improved cross-platform working, Harmony OS would work across a wide range of devices, including smart speakers, automobiles, computers, smartwatches and wireless earbuds apart from smartphones and tablets. 

In addition, to be on a par with Google Maps, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is also planning to unveil its own mapping service known as Map Kit.

Map Kit would offer developers a street navigation system as well as a way to show users real-time traffic conditions. It would support augmented-reality mapping and would not be for direct consumer use.