4 days after Apple confirmed that Siri AI wouldn’t launch in China, Huawei took the stage in Dongguan and declared HarmonyOS 7 the start of the agent period. The hole Apple couldn’t fill, Huawei has moved into with an structure constructed particularly for it.
What HarmonyOS 7 truly adjustments
The headline change is the HarmonyOS Clever Agent Framework 2.0, which restructures the OS round what Huawei calls an âintent-as-serviceâ mannequin, compressing what beforehand required a number of app navigation right into a single natural-language command.
On the centre of that is Xiaoyi, Huaweiâs AI assistant, rebuilt from a standard voice instrument into what the corporate describes as a system-level intelligence agent. Xiaoyi now controls over 2,100 system-level capabilities and coordinates with greater than 2,000 third-party AI brokers developed throughout Huaweiâs developer ecosystem.Â
Richard Yu, chairman of Huaweiâs Client Enterprise Group, framed the discharge as a generational inflexion level: âIn 2019, HarmonyOS was born. In 2023, native HarmonyOS apps started. In 2026, HarmonyOS enters the Agent period.â
Beneath sits openPangu 2.0, Huaweiâs up to date basis mannequin, with 505 billion parameters in its Professional model and 92 billion within the Flash variant, each supporting 512K context home windows. On-device fashions at 30 billion parameters are due on Kirin chips by autumn 2026. HarmonyOS 7 additionally delivers a 15%-plus efficiency enchancment over HarmonyOS 6.1, based on Huaweiâs personal benchmarks.Â
The duty execution fee claimed is above 90%, although that determine is Huaweiâs personal and has not been independently verified.
The market place is consolidating
The numbers shared at HDC 2026 mirror a shift that has already occurred. In Q1 2026, HarmonyOS held 19% of Chinaâs smartphone OS market in opposition to Apple iOS at 16%, with Android at 65%. HarmonyOS first overtook iOS in China in Q2 2025, based on Counterpoint Analysis.
That trajectory issues greater than any single function as a result of China is concurrently the market Apple can not at the moment function in on the AI stage and the one Huawei has absolutely optimised for. The agent community Xiaoyi coordinates consists of partnerships with Ctrip for journey planning and Ant Medical for well being knowledge evaluation, companies woven into the Chinese language client stack that Appleâs structure doesn’t attain.
The place the bounds are
The scope of the problem to Apple wants calibrating. HarmonyOS 7 is at the moment in developer beta, with the secure client launch anticipated this autumn. The two,000-plus AI brokers are anchored within the Chinese language app ecosystem.Â
The platform counts greater than 400,000 functions and companies, which is critical however nonetheless a fraction of what Appleâs App Retailer carries. Huaweiâs ambitions to take HarmonyOS worldwide stay aspirational for now.
There may be additionally a design observe that softens any clear divergence narrative: HarmonyOS 7 adopts the identical Liquid Glass aesthetic Apple launched with iOS 26, and Samsung dropped at One UI 9. Visible language converges at the same time as underlying architectures and regulatory environments pull in reverse instructions.
The longer arc
HarmonyOS exists due to US sanctions. When Huawei misplaced entry to Googleâs Android in 2019, it constructed its personal OS from necessity. By January 2026, over 90% of Huawei gadgets have been operating the absolutely homegrown model. That compelled independence is now a structural benefit within the one market the place Apple can not at the moment deploy its headline AI function.
Sanctions constructed the platform. Regulatory friction cleared its path.
See additionally: Siri AI arrives with Google inside, and far of the world is locked out
Need to be taught extra about AI and large knowledge from business leaders? Take a look at AI & Big Data Expo happening in Amsterdam, California, and London. The great occasion is a part of TechEx and is co-located with different main expertise occasions together with the Cyber Security & Cloud Expo. Click on here for extra info.
AI Information is powered by TechForge Media. Discover different upcoming enterprise expertise occasions and webinars here.
