Huawei has released the first details of its Android alternative after being blocked from using Google’s operating system.
Speaking to French publication Le Point, Huawei’s CEO Ren Zhengfei said its new HongMeng OS would “likely” be 60 per cent faster than Android.
Mr Zhengfei also revealed that Huawei’s OS had a processing delay of just 5 milliseconds, making it faster than Apple’s MacOS.
The announcement is the latest in an ongoing saga between the Chinese tech heavyweight and the US government, which blocked Huawei from doing business with US companies in May following allegations of spying and national security threats.
Mr Zhengfei said that HongMeng is designed to connect across multiple devices, but did concede that Huawei is missing an equivalent to Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App store. Huawei said it is working on creating an alternative.
What does this mean for the future of Huawei?
As appears to be the case, Huawei will be striking out on its own regardless of whether its devices are lifted from the US Department of Commerce’s blacklist.
A Huawei spokesperson said: “Today we are still committed to Microsoft Windows and Google Android. But if we cannot use that, we will prepare a plan B to use our own OS.”
Current owners of Huawei phones still have access to Google software and updates, although this could change when a temporary trading license expires on August 19.
Last Monday, a company executive said Huawei will “wait for guidance from the Department of Commerce” regarding Android.
