Huawei held its HarmonyOS event today in a Livestream where it made new announcements including their own operating system, new MatePads and new smartwatches.
HarmonyOS
HarmonyOS got unveiled earlier today. This is the company’s own forked version of Android.
The new OS will not only power smartphones but also other consumer tech products including smart home, smart office, smart travel, sports, health and entertainment.
HarmonyOS is set to make universal connectivity a reality thanks to distributed technology. Users will be able to connect different devices with a single device which makes its a Super Device that will power other connected devices from it without the need to access other devices.
This is no surprise seeing that HarmonyOS’s tagline is “One as All, All as One”
Huawei is planning to roll out this new OS to over 200 smart device which includes smartphones released in 2016.
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Smartphones set to be upgraded include Mate 40 series, Mate 30 series, Mate 20 series, P40 series, Nova 7 series, Nova 6 series, Nova 5 series, Nova 3 series.
Huawei MatePad Pro and MatePad 11
Huawei announced new tablets that come running on HarmonyOS – the MatePad Pro and MatePad 11.
MatePad Pro features a 12.6″ OLED FHD+(1600 x 2560) display powered by Kirin 9000E chip, a 10500mAh battery with 40W wired Type-C fast charging(27W wireless, 10W reverse wireless charging), side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 8 speakers, 4 microphones, triple-camera system(primary, ultrawide and depth), Huawei M-Pencil support, full-size keyboard and mouse and trackpad support.
HarmonyOS on the Matepad looks like a mix of both Android and iPadOS especially the UI with the latter. This means that you can download and use most Android apps.
MatePad Pro goes for $783 for the 12.6″ version while the 10.8″ version goes for $595.
MatePad 11 succeeds the MatePad 10 from last year. It comes with an 11″ 120Hz LCD screen. The MatePad Pro has 60Hz refresh rate.
MatePad 11 runs on Snapdragon 865 chip and also supports Huawei M-Pencil and Huawei’s Smart Magnetic Keyboard.
The smaller MatePad Pro has a 10.8″ display and uses Snapdragon 870 processor.
Unlike the iPad, Huawei positioned the webcam in the bezel of the long edge of the tablet.
The new M-Pencil starts selling from $94.
Huawei Watch 3 Pro and Watch 3
Smartwatches didn’t miss out during this event. Huawei launched Watch 3 series that now support eSIM compatibility meaning you can actually use it even when not connected to your phone -it will have its own 4G LTE connection.
The smartwatches run on HarmonyOS.
In terms of features we have a newly designed homescreen that has a grid-style of apps instead of a list but you can switch back.
Huawei’s MeeTime is also available on the watch for video calls.
Watch 3 has a 1.43″ circular OLED bezel-less screen with 1000 nits and 60Hz refresh rate.
For controls, you get a crown on the side of the watch.
We have heart tracking, sleep tracking, temperature sensor and Sp02 sensor. Huawei Watch 3 supports up to a hundred workout modes such as swimming, cycling and climbing.
Huawei is selling the Watches in different variations including Active with a rubber strap, Classic with a leather strap and Elite with a metal bracelet.
In terms of battery life, Watch 3 will give you three days with 4G enabled and 14 days when disabled. There’s an ultra-power mode that will still let you track your workouts and activity.
Watch 3 goes for $494.
Watch 3 Pro on the other hand can go upto 5 days with 4G enabled and 21 days when disabled.
The Pro version sports a more accurate GPS tracking and premium titanium build.
Watch 3 Pro goes for $707.
The watches support Qi wireles charging. You can still charge with a regular charging cradle.
It is still unknown if third-party app support will be available for the watches. However, there’s the AppGallery.
