Difference between HarmonyOS and Android

What is HarmonyOS?

• Huawei has unveiled its latest operating system named HarmonyOS for its upcoming Huawei devices.
• HarmonyOS is disclosed as the world’s first micro kernel based distributed OS for all scenarios.
• It has distributed architecture, meaning it would provide a secure kernel and can enable a shared ecosystem.
• This OS is targeted for IoT services. Some of the services provided by HarmonyOS are power vision, wearable services, hat unit services, speaker services, and Smartphone services. All these services can be supported by HarmonyOS making it an all scenario OS.

In what ways HarmonyOS can give competition to Android?

• Both Harmony and Android operating systems are open source.
• Harmony can run on multiple types of devices just like Android which also runs on smartphones, smart TV, smartwatch etc.
• Through this OS for all scenarios of HarmonyOS, it targets to create an ecosystem of its own just like Android is in the current market.
• HarmonyOS is a lightweight system which gives a performance boost to multiple applications at once.
• HarmonyOS is based on a deterministic latency engine which helps in better allocation of system resources using real-time analysis and forecasting, whereas Android is based on the Linux kernel’s scheduling mechanism which has fair scheduling model.
• HarmonyOS’s microkernel can support true high-performance graphics.

HarmonyOS vs. Android

• HarmonyOS is based upon micro kernel based distributed system whereas Android OS is based upon Linux kernel at its core.
• HarmonyOS doesn’t give root access to its users whereas, in Android, we can root our smartphones.
• HarmonyOS have very little to offer in terms of apps. Huawei has to invest heavily in getting developers interested in building apps in their OS. On the other hand, Android already has a big market.

Can HarmonyOS be an alternative for Android OS?

Let’s look at some examples.

• Samsung came up with its own OS known as Tizen which is a Linux based mobile operating system. They developed this OS to compete with the Android OS. It is also open-source software. In the current market, Tizen OS is just being used in the galaxy wearables only, not in the smartphones or other devices.
• Windows came up with its own OS known as Windows Phone (WP) for smartphones. Despite its emphasis on productivity and security, it failed against Android.

Now the Huawei’s HarmonyOS. This OS can give rather strong competition to Android but it may have to do more than building its own ecosystem.