Huawei's Strong Comeback: The Leap of HarmonyOS and the Journey to a Trillion-Dollar Goal

Huawei's Strong Comeback: The Leap of HarmonyOS and the Journey to a Trillion-Dollar GoalPreviously, Huawei's XiaoYi assistant was criticized for being insufficiently intelligent and prone to errors. However, thanks to advancements in domestically developed large language models, XiaoYi has shown significant improvements

Huawei's Strong Comeback: The Leap of HarmonyOS and the Journey to a Trillion-Dollar Goal

Huawei's mobile phone business has made significant strides in recent years, with sales revenue largely recovering to pre-sanction levels. Revenue figures for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 were RMB 603.6 billion, 721.2 billion, 858.8 billion, 891.4 billion, 636.8 billion, 642.3 billion, 704.2 billion, and 860 billion, respectively. While Huawei phones are not yet fully available off-the-shelf, continuous breakthroughs in new devices, operating systems, and chips are being made. With this consistent progress, achieving over RMB 1 trillion in sales revenue is within reach, although it will require time and effort, especially in the continued development of the HarmonyOS ecosystem. Recently, Huawei officially announced the latest progress of HarmonyOS, showcasing significant advancements in AI and large language model applications.

A core highlight of this update is the integration of the XiaoYi assistant and the DeepSeek-R1 large language model. Huawei phone users with HarmonyOS NEXT or upgrading to it, simply need to update the XiaoYi app to version 11.2.10.310 or higher, to interact with DeepSeek-R1 through "XiaoYi App - Discover - Intelligent Body". Unlike typical AI assistants, DeepSeek-R1 responds quickly and demonstrates its complete reasoning process. When answering complex questions, it first breaks down the logical framework before gradually deriving conclusions, significantly improving the smartphone's intelligent experience. This marks a significant advancement in domestically developed large language model technology and indicates a substantial improvement in the intelligence level of Huawei's XiaoYi assistant.

Previously, Huawei's XiaoYi assistant was criticized for being insufficiently intelligent and prone to errors. However, thanks to advancements in domestically developed large language models, XiaoYi has shown significant improvements. The integration of DeepSeek-R1 is not a simple API call but is deeply optimized based on Huawei's Ascend computing power. Through collaboration with Luojian Technology, Huawei has achieved compatibility between the domestic inference engine and the Ascend AI processor. While the ultimate effectiveness still needs time to be proven, the inclusion of DeepSeek-R1 currently plays a crucial role in the development of Huawei's HarmonyOS ecosystem.

Beyond the leap in AI capabilities, the HarmonyOS Spring Festival update also covers high-frequency usage scenarios such as social media, finance, and office applications, driving a qualitative change in user experience through functional innovation. Several mainstream applications, including Weibo, Alipay, and DingTalk, have undergone functional updates to enhance user convenience. For example, Weibo added scan-to-access and one-click login via phone number/QQ, lowering the barrier to entry for new users; the Alipay HarmonyOS version launched fund investment and trading functions, achieving a complete mobile-end closed-loop operation for the first time; and DingTalk optimized functions like overseas phone number and email login and multi-timezone meeting reminders for multinational corporate users.

Furthermore, the update features deep optimizations for vertical scenarios. For example, Trip.com added a "shared check-in" function; the Fenbi App added an "intelligent paper setting" function; and the Luckin Coffee HarmonyOS version, after integrating with WeChat Pay, optimized the "coffee coupon redemption" process. These updates demonstrate that the HarmonyOS ecosystem is becoming increasingly mature and stable, laying a solid foundation for its future development.

Regarding the future development plan of HarmonyOS, several reports have emerged. The March release of HarmonyOS NEXT is rumored to bring significant changes, significantly improving the ecosystem and reducing user upgrade concerns. The Huawei P80 series is expected to come pre-installed with the official version of HarmonyOS NEXT, leading to more significant growth in the HarmonyOS ecosystem. The Spring Festival update is just a glimpse of HarmonyOS's development; its future is promising. With time and continuous refinement by Huawei, user experience will continue to improve.

Huawei aims to achieve a full evolution of HarmonyOS into an "AI-native system" by the end of 2025. From application launch speed optimization and distributed computing power scheduling to privacy protection mechanisms, every aspect will integrate AI capabilities deeply. This will further enhance the user experience and bring about new changes to the smart terminal industry.

Can HarmonyOS usher in a new era for smart terminals? This will depend on its continuous innovation and development. This update undoubtedly showcases the vibrant vitality of the HarmonyOS ecosystem and provides strong support for Huawei's trillion-dollar goal. Huawei's success is not only a breakthrough in its own technology but also a microcosm of China's technological self-reliance. In the future, we will watch and witness the continued development of the HarmonyOS ecosystem and Huawei's achievement of even greater success in the global market. Whether HarmonyOS can lead a new era for smart terminals is also worthy of our continued attention and in-depth discussion. Huawei's innovative journey continues.