Huawei's Harmony OS Powers New Smart TV

After the new OS reveal, Huawei confirms that the Honor Smart TV will be the first device to use the new Harmony OS. As of the trade ban, Huawei is now finding ways to thrive without their partners in the US like Google. The Smart TV is slated only for domestic release in China so far.

According to Honor president George Zhao, the Honor Vision TV will work as a TV but also as a central unit for its user’s smart devices. The Harmony OS TV could potentially compete with smart speakers that could handle many devices at the same time. Similar to Apple and Google, Huawei also has its own line of smart watches, speakers, and 5G modem which could make up the smart TV’s new support.

This new Honor TV has chipsets from Huawei’s HiSilicon which is known for semiconductors found inside smart devices. The Honor TV needs to be operated from a phone or tablet to use as a TV and also be a second screen for their device. It can also show the phone’s files on a larger screen.

The Honor TV also has a Pro version which has a 1080p camera which allows users to rely on the Honor TV for video calls and other computer processes that will need facial recognition. Both regular and Pro versions could also support 4K resolution. The standard version costs RMB 2,799($680) while the Pro version costs RMB 3,799($396.)

The Honor Vision TV is the first device to receive the Harmony OS right after the US-China trade war barred the company from its US partners. Google and other US-based companies working with Huawei cut ties with the company due to the ban. While it’s still possible for these companies to work together, the US government would require permits which could add additional cost to their production.

Huawei is expected to release this new TV by August 15 in China. The company has yet to confirm if it’ll release the new TV in the US and other countries. For now, we’ll have to wait on what Huawei’s planning next for their devices after the US ban.