Chinese brands have gained a solid reputation in the global smartphone market and could effectively conquer a significant market share in developing countries. While these brands can now produce every piece of their hardware inside China, they still rely on Google for software.
A coalition of Chinese smartphone makers is now allegedly seeking to change this by launching a Google-free Android alternative. As reported by XiaomiTime, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus have discussed alienating their software from Google and launching a home-grown operating system for their smartphones.
Starting with the HyperOS 3, Xiaomi might initiate the first move and begin a new era of smartphones without Google-made software. It remains to be seen when other brands will also follow suit.
Xiaomi is now the second largest Android smartphone manufacturer after Samsung and could establish itself in the global market despite being a relatively young brand. A part of this success owes to Google’s Android, which is used by billions of users around the world.
This daring move by the coalition of Chinese OEMs has roots in Huawe’s ban from the Google ecosystem in 2019. In Donald Trump’s first presidential term, Huawei was labeled a threat to US national security for allegedly having suspicious ties with the Chinese government.
After losing Android and the Google ecosystem, Huawei started developing an Android-based domestic OS, dubbed HarmonyOS, which is now running on all the company’s devices. Last year, Huawei announced that HarmonyOS has over 1 billion active users and over 20,000 applications developed for the operating system.
Donald Trump is now back at the White House, and one of his first moves was to ignite a new round of trade wars with China. If the tensions continue, other Chinese OEMs might suffer the same fate as Huawei and lose access to the Android and Google ecosystem.
Ditching Android from smartphones is quite a risky move for Chinese smartphone brands, and it could negatively affect their sales in global markets. No one likes to buy a phone without a proper operating system and necessary apps. An alternative strategy for all Chinese smartphone manufacturers is to use Huawei’s HarmonyOS, which is now a well-established operating system.
What do you think about this move by Chinese brands? Can they repeat Huawei's successful experience and leave Android for a domestic OS?
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