Huawei is planning weighty decisions for next year, and one of these is the expansion of the HarmonyOS ecosystem in South Korea, but without phones! Yes, the company itself has confirmed the new plan, though with a twisted move.
A recent report described the happenings of the Huawei Day 2025. At the event, the CEO of Huawei Korea, Balian Wang, announced some crucial steps for 2026.
Wang mentioned that the company will introduce its latest Ascend 950 AI chip in the country against top players like Nvidia, Samsung, SK Hynix, and more.
It aims to give Korean companies a second option other than Nvidia. The chief said the OEM will extend beyond AI cards and AI servers and target the elevation of industrial applications for the welfare of the country in AI technology.
HarmonyOS Expansion
Though the highlight of this conference was the expansion of Huawei HarmonyOS, and that too without phones. Wang revealed how the firm’s self-developed operating system has become an open-source subject and is accessible to everyone.
At the same time, he stressed the point that HarmonyOS is also for smart home devices rather than only phones, hinting that there will be no Huawei smartphones in South Korea, at least for 2026. He added:
“HarmonyOS is no longer owned by Huawei, and is now operated and upgraded by open source organizations. It can be used not only in smartphones but also in various smart home devices. But for now, we have no plans to release smartphones in Korea.”
Reasons behind Huawei not selling its phone in South Korea could be the intense dominance of Samsung and Apple. Besides, the company’s still chained with US sanctions that restrict it from using GMS, a vital part of smartphones.
Lack of such things may not profit it in the South Korean smartphone market. However, with the first expansion of HarmonyOS outside China, we can expect to see flagships like Pura and some foldables soon for Korean customers.
(Image Credits: Huawei)
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