Huawei unveiled HarmonyOS for PCs — why is it better than Windows

Huawei has officially unveiled HarmonyOS PC, its first desktop operating system created "from scratch". After more than five years of development and the participation of over 10,000 engineers, the company has been able to offer an alternative to Western platforms. The new operating system features its own kernel, security architecture, application framework, and built-in AI assistant.

Gizmochina has written about it.

How does HarmonyOS PC compare to Windows?

HarmonyOS PC is based on HarmonyOS 5 and expands Huawei's ecosystem, which includes smartphones, tablets, TVs, watches, and car dashboards. It is based on a redesigned Harmony kernel, Ark graphics engine, StarShield security architecture, and ArkTS and ArkUI developer tools. The platform is designed to provide seamless interaction between devices, including one set of keyboard and mouse for multiple screens, instant file sharing, and transferring applications between gadgets with a click of the mouse. The integrated Xiaoyi voice assistant recognizes context, summarizes meetings, translates images, and executes system commands.

The first HarmonyOS PC will be released on May 19, 2025, equipped with a 10-core Kirin X90 processor. It will only run Windows inside the Oseasy virtual machine, and it will not support the Microsoft system.

In terms of architecture, Huawei is focusing on vertical integration. HarmonyOS PC is optimized for its own hardware and certified peripherals, guaranteeing a tighter connection between the software and hardware levels. Currently, the catalog includes more than 150 native computer programs and over 2,000 universal applications. Windows offers hundreds of thousands of applications but does not have such a close connection with specific devices.

The system makes extensive use of Huawei's distributed computing. Files can be dragged and dropped between screens, and the keyboard or cursor can smoothly jump from a laptop to a phone or tablet. Similar capabilities on Windows are partially implemented through Phone Link and OneDrive, but depend on third-party hardware and services.

The HarmonyOS PC interface resembles macOS with its bottom-centered dock, upper status bar, card-based desktop organization, dynamic wallpapers, and transparent layers during transitions. System-level gestures, such as three-finger swipes, instant screen splitting, and window dragging, are integrated into interactions with AI. Windows, especially version 11, has partially adopted a similar aesthetic but remains more traditional.

In terms of artificial intelligence, Huawei's Xiaoyi assistant is more integrated than Microsoft's Copilot. Thanks to the Pangu and DeepSeek models, Xiaoyi can generate documents, automatically translate and summarize content, manage settings, and interact with the interface via voice, text, or images.

Security is one of the key features: the StarShield architecture enforces full-disk encryption at the chip level, meaning even if the drive is removed, data remains unreadable. Other features include one-time permissions for applications, snooping protection, and remote data wiping, even when the drive is turned off. Similar capabilities are implemented on Windows through BitLocker and third-party antivirus software, but basic encryption is not activated in hardware on all devices by default.

Earlier, we wrote what are the three problems that slow down even a new gaming PC.

We also wrote that most users are used to leaving laptops or computers switched on all the time. Undoubtedly, this is more convenient than waiting for them to switch on every time, but experts say otherwise.