Huawei tests smartphone with own operating system, possibly for sale this year, Chinese state media reports
- The release of a Hongmeng-powered smartphone would mark a major step for China’s Huawei, which has been blacklisted by the US
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is testing a smartphone equipped with Hongmeng, the company’s self-developed operating system, which could potentially go on sale by the end of this year, Chinese state-media outlet Global Times reported.
The release of a Hongmeng-powered smartphone would mark a major step for China’s Huawei, the world’s second-biggest maker of smartphones, as US government actions threaten its access to Google’s Android operating system.
The device will be priced at around 2,000 yuan (US$288), the Global Times said on Sunday, citing unnamed sources. That will place the device towards the low-end segment of the smartphone market.
Huawei did not immediately comment on the report when contacted by Reuters on Monday.
Huawei executives have previously described Hongmeng as an operating system designed for internet-of-things products. Last month the company said the first major devices powered by Hongmeng would be its upcoming line of Honor-brand smart TVs.
Company leaders have publicly downplayed the possibility that the software could power a smartphone.