Huawei has officially launched its new line of laptops powered by its proprietary HarmonyOS, marking a significant milestone in the company’s ambition for technological self-sufficiency and a direct challenge to the dominance of Windows and macOS. The unveiling, which included models like the MateBook Pro and the innovative MateBook Fold Ultimate Design, signals a new era for Huawei’s PC strategy.
The MateBook Pro, a conventional clamshell laptop, and the highly anticipated MateBook Fold Ultimate Design, a foldable device that expands to an 18-inch OLED screen, are the first to run HarmonyOS 5. This latest iteration of Huawei’s homegrown operating system is no longer reliant on Android Open Source Project code, representing a complete in-house development effort.
Industry observers note that this strategic pivot was accelerated by ongoing U.S. restrictions, which led to the expiration of Huawei’s Windows licenses. Huawei has invested heavily in HarmonyOS since its initial launch in 2019, pouring resources into R&D and securing over 2,700 core patents for the PC version. The company reports that HarmonyOS is already running on over 900 million devices globally and has surpassed iOS in market share within China’s mobile OS landscape.
Key features of the new HarmonyOS laptops include seamless cross-device integration with Huawei’s ecosystem of smartphones and tablets, advanced AI capabilities through the Xiaoyi AI Assistant for tasks like document summarization, and enhanced privacy controls.
Huawei also highlighted the rapid expansion of the HarmonyOS PC application ecosystem, projecting support for over 2,000 applications by the end of 2025. This move is not just about new products; it represents China’s broader drive for technological independence in critical IT sectors.
