computer science

HarmonyOS 5

HarmonyOS 5 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand HarmonyOS 5 rather than just read about it. In short: HarmonyOS 5 (also known as HarmonyOS NEXT) is a proprietary distributed operating system developed by Huawei that succeeded the similarly named HarmonyOS, with the main difference being that the "NEXT" operating system supports only HarmonyOS native apps. Unlike Android-based HarmonyOS versions 1 to 4 (2019–2024) and the global EMUI operating system, the Next version (first launched on the Pura X) does not include t…

Key takeaways

HarmonyOS 5 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect HarmonyOS 5 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of HarmonyOS 5 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HarmonyOS 5 (also known as HarmonyOS NEXT) is a proprietary distributed operating system developed by Huawei that succeeded the similarly named HarmonyOS, with the main difference being that the "NEXT" operating system supports only HarmonyOS native apps. Unlike Android-based HarmonyOS versions 1 to 4 (2019–2024) and the global EMUI operating system, the Next version (first launched on the Pura X) does not include the Android AOSP core and is incompatible with Android applications. HarmonyOS NEXT both discards the common Unix-like Linux kernel and replaces the previous multiple-kernels system with its own bespoke HarmonyOS microkernel. The rich execution environment (REE) version of the HongMeng kernel is placed at its core. The OpenHarmony-based operating system shares lineage with the lightweight LiteOS real-time operating system for resource-constrained devices like smart wearables and IoT products.

History On August 4, 2023, at Huawei Developers Conference 2023 (HDC), Huawei officially announced HarmonyOS NEXT, the next version of HarmonyOS, which supports only native APP apps via Ark Compiler and native APIs in the HarmonyOS SDK. The kernel of HarmonyOS NEXT no longer includes the compatibility layer of AOSP framework with Android libraries from EMUI in the user space and cannot run Android apk apps natively, as was the case with the initial dual-framework HarmonyOS. The first internal preview version of the system was revealed on August 4, 2023, and the first preview version was released to registered public developers on January 18, 2024. The first devices tested with the developer preview version were the Mate 60, Mate 60 Pro and Mate X5 phones. On 22 October 2024, HarmonyOS 5 was officially launched as the "HarmonyOS NEXT 5" brand, after the public beta was released on 8 October 2024. The first device to feature HarmonyOS NEXT at sale was the Huawei Mate 70, which went on sale in China in November 2024. By installing the all-new operating system on a newly launched device, Huawei created a new competitor to Android and iOS. Future Huawei devices are to be sold mainly with HarmonyOS NEXT, creating a third player in the market for smartphone operating systems worldwide. On May 8, 2025, a HarmonyOS computer running the HarmonyOS 5 operating system made its debut in Shenzhen, following the expiration of Huawei's Microsoft Windows licence in March.

Features

Interface HarmonyOS NEXT uses a direct manipulation interface. The main interface is the multi-touch touchscreen. , external peripherals such as mice, microphones, headphones, and keyboards can be connected via bluetooth or the USB-C charging port.

Applications HarmonyOS NEXT devices come with preinstalled applications. Apps can also be downloaded through the Huawei App Gallery. As of September 2024, there were more than 10,000 native apps. This number increased to more than 20,000 on the app store as of January 2025. As of November 2025, the number of HarmonyOS Next apps and meta services reached over 300,000. Unlike previous versions of HarmonyOS, Android applications are no longer compatible and cannot be downloaded from the store. Large numbers of western apps are therefore not available natively. Yet, applications such as Easy Abroad and DroiTong do allow Android apps to run in emulation inside a separate container. Apps downloaded via DroiTong are automatically placed into a dedicated folder on the home screen. This includes leading apps such as Amazon, ChatGPT, Facebook, Netflix, YouTube. While these apps work, there are issues present with missed notifications, lower resolution, and file transfers in and out of the container. Apps not present include major banking apps, most streaming services, alternative mapping solutions such as Waze as well as some Google services such as Google Assistant and Gemini. Most major Chinese apps are also available, but most Chinese games are still missing.

Storage Devices running HarmonyOS Next have storage ranging from 128GB and 1TB. The storage can be expanded in some devices using Huawei's proprietary Nano Memory.

Devices HarmonyOS NEXT is found almost exclusively on Huawei devices. The first phones with the OS preinstalled were the Mate 70 series and Mate X6. The latest phones to release with HarmonyOS NEXT were the Pura 80 series.

Technology

HongMeng kernel

The HongMeng Kernel, sometimes referred to as the Harmony kernel, is a computer operating system (OS) kernel developed by Huawei since August 2023. It is used in the HarmonyOS 5 version of the proprietary HarmonyOS distributed operating system, replacing previous versions that utilized the AOSP compatibility layer, the Linux kernel, and the LiteOS kernel. The HongMeng Kernel utilizes a microkernel architecture, which aims to improve security and performance by isolating critical components of the system.

Kernel design The HongMeng Kernel is a microkernel at rich executed environment level for software outside hardware-based HarmonyOS TEE kernel, called tee_OS, enabling greater modularity and larger portions of the OS to benefit from memory protection at kernel mode. HarmonyOS NEXT maintains the speed of a monolithic Linux kernel while incorporating a modular OpenHarmony system. It achieves compatibility through an abstraction layer that supports POSIX APIs and integrates musl-libc for advanced devices. This design allows HarmonyOS NEXT to efficiently handle critical tasks in user mode within its commercial distribution. The kernel has Linux ABI compatibility by placing an ABI-compatible shim in IC0 (kernel space) with support for OpenHarmony and AOSP complex framework hardware migration deployments, which redirects Linux system calls to IPC and serves as a central repository for global state. The kernel also reuses Linux drivers through driver containers, which balances between compatibility and critical path performance, while having control plane and data plane separation to improve performance. HongMeng kernel capabilities in context switching, network, application startup time, load, frame loss, interrupt latency, etc., and also performance optimised in smart routers and smart vehicles with real time capabilities functions.

As of November 25, 2025, HarmonyOS kernel runs on ARM64 devices on HarmonyOS 6.0.0.115 version with current version 1.11.10.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HarmonyOS 5

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HarmonyOS 5 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to HarmonyOS 5 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about HarmonyOS 5 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of HarmonyOS 5

In research: HarmonyOS 5 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses HarmonyOS 5 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: HarmonyOS 5 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2023 software, ARM operating systems, Embedded operating systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for HarmonyOS 5 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study HarmonyOS 5 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what HarmonyOS 5 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain HarmonyOS 5 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HarmonyOS 5 in simple terms?

Why does HarmonyOS 5 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study HarmonyOS 5?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on HarmonyOS 5.