Huawei’s HarmonyOS strengthens its position in China’s smartphone market, challenging Android

Huawei has made an unexpected breakthrough in the Chinese smartphone market: the HarmonyOS operating system has significantly strengthened its position and is now seriously competing with Android. According to a new TechInsights report, HarmonyOS’ market share has grown from 13% to 15% in the third quarter of 2024, while Android’s share has fallen from 72% to 70%.

Huawei’s market share has increased from 13% to 15% in the third quarter of 2024, while Android’s share has fallen from 72% to 70%.

Factors contributing to the growth of HarmonyOS

This success is due to several key factors:

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1. Huawei’s desire for independence: In the face of tough US sanctions, Huawei actively invested in HarmonyOS development to minimize its dependence on US technology.
2. Launch of HarmonyOS Next: The company recently unveiled a fully independent version of the system that no longer requires support for Android apps. This move has bolstered user confidence in the new OS.
3. HarmonyOS Next.
4. HarmonyOS Ecosystem Development: With the increasing number of proprietary apps and services, such as the expected WeChat version of HarmonyOS, the OS is becoming increasingly attractive to Chinese users.

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Huawei first surpassed iOS in market share in the first quarter of 2024, remaining part of the Android ecosystem at the time. Now, HarmonyOS is emerging as a standalone alternative with potential for further growth.

Huawei’s first market share surpassed iOS in the 2024 quarter.

Three-way competition in China

Apple’s iOS maintains a stable market share of 15%, but the Chinese market is now shared by three major OSes – HarmonyOS, Android and iOS. This situation suggests that the technology sector is no longer a monopoly of the two major platforms and is opening the door for new operating systems.

Android and iOS are now sharing the Chinese market.

China’s smartphone market and brand positions

China remains the world’s largest smartphone market, with shipments here growing 3% over the past year. Vivo remains the leader with a 19% market share, followed by Xiaomi and Oppo/OnePlus with 15.5% each. Honor, Huawei and Apple round out the top six brands, each with about 15% of the market.

Honor, Huawei and Apple round out the top six.

As competition among the top six manufacturers grows, market concentration is increasing, posing additional challenges for smaller brands. At the same time, the recovery of China’s smartphone market points to stable demand and a steady replacement cycle for devices.

At the same time, China’s smartphone market is recovering.

HarmonyOS Outlook

With its rapid expansion and development, HarmonyOS has a significant impact on China’s smartphone ecosystem. Huawei continues to actively develop HarmonyOS, releasing more and more apps and services targeting Chinese users. The question is whether HarmonyOS will be able to keep up the momentum and further reduce Android’s market share in the coming quarters.

The question is whether HarmonyOS will be able to keep up the momentum and further reduce Android’s market share in the coming quarters.