What is the significance of Huawei’s folding screen PC release to open a new era of notebooks？
On May 19th, Haifeng Watch Technology participated in the new product launch conference held by Huawei in Chengdu. At this conference, Huawei launched two high-profile HarmonyOS computers, which revolutionized the notebook experience.
The extraordinary master of HUAWEI MateBook Fold can be called "Transformers" in the notebook industry. When unfolded, it has an 18-inch large screen, and when closed, it becomes a small and portable 13-inch computer, weighing only 1.16kg and only 7.3mm thick, which is very suitable for people who travel frequently or need to go out for office. The expanded 3.3K high resolution and 1600nits peak brightness make the picture clear, vivid and colorful. It adopts the world’s largest size basalt water drop hinge, which is smooth and stable in opening and closing, and almost seamless in closing. This computer supports a variety of usage forms, and it is suitable for handling complex documents or design work when unfolded in full screen. After being folded into a traditional notebook form, it is comfortable to type with the complimentary Huawei Xingyue accompanying keyboard. The system is equipped with HarmonyOS 5, which makes it easy to connect with Huawei mobile phones, tablets and other devices, and improves office efficiency.
Another brand-new HUAWEI MateBook Pro is a leader in light and thin books. The weight of the whole machine is only 970g, the thickness is 13.5 mm, and it is easy to carry. It adopts a new generation of Huawei Skyhawk architecture with excellent heat dissipation and endurance. On the screen side, as the industry’s first notebook computer equipped with OLED eye-protection and soft light screen, it has 3.1K resolution, clear and sharp picture and accurate color reproduction. The screen has anti-glare effect and can be clearly seen even under strong light. In addition, it is also equipped with a small art wisdom key, which opens the AI mode with one button to help users organize documents and generate charts.
In terms of price, the 32GB+1TB version of MateBook Fold is priced at 23,999 yuan, and the 32GB+2TB version is priced at 26,999 yuan; Matebook Pro starts at 7999 yuan. The pre-sale started at 18:08 on May 19th and officially went on sale at 10:08 on June 6th. You can also get a gift package of "HarmonyOS Courtesy" which is worth more than 800 yuan when you buy a new machine.
Since its release in 2019, Huawei HarmonyOS System has developed rapidly. In the first quarter of 2024, HarmonyOS surpassed iOS in the China market, with a market share of 19%; The global market accounts for 4%. However, in the short term, the computer version of HarmonyOS system faces many challenges. Windows and macOS have been dominant for a long time, and users are used to their operating logic and software ecology. In addition, the application of ecological problems is also a big problem. Although more than 1,000 converged ecological applications have been adapted, and it is expected to exceed 2,000 by the end of the year, compared with the massive applications on Windows and macOS, the gap is still obvious.
In the long run, Huawei’s HarmonyOS folding screen computer released this time has released a positive signal. It solves the historical problem that portability and large screen are incompatible. It expands into an 18-inch large screen and becomes a 13-inch compact and portable form after being closed. HarmonyOS computer has realized independent research and development of the whole stack, and its security far exceeds that of ordinary systems. Excellent performance, the cold start speed is more than 40% faster than that of Windows PC with the same configuration, and the memory occupation is reduced by 30%. The Kirin X90 self-developed chip is integrated with 16-core CPU based on ARMv9 architecture, and its multithreading performance is compared with Apple M2, and its energy efficiency ratio is improved by 40%.
Yu Chengdong pointed out that HarmonyOS computer explores the future-oriented computer experience through the deep integration of software, hardware, terminal and cloud. At present, common softwares such as Feishu, Xiaohongshu, bilibili, Zhongwang CAD, Meitu Xiu Xiu and WPS have been adapted, and the future ecology will be continuously improved. WPS demonstrated the new multi-terminal intelligent office experience in HarmonyOS, Feishu demonstrated the outstanding performance in conference collaboration, Wanxing Miaoying shared the new experience of interactive editing with dual-screen touch, Oriental Fortune introduced the rapidly upgraded split-screen mode, and Billy demonstrated the intelligent interactive experience of watching videos on the upper screen and brushing comments on the lower screen.
Huawei’s own strong brand influence and technical strength, as well as the "Qingyun Xinghe Plan" aimed at the government and enterprise market, and the policy dividend is also increasing, all of which have provided a powerful boost for the development of computers in HarmonyOS. Although HarmonyOS computer is facing many challenges at present, from the perspective of long-term development, it is fully capable of breaking the monopoly of Windows and mac and providing more high-quality choices for users all over the world.
The launch of Huawei’s folding screen computer has brought great influence to all parties. For users, it perfectly solves the problem that thin, portable and big-screen experience are difficult to balance. For Huawei itself, this step is of great strategic significance, further improving the strategic layout of Huawei’s "1+8+N" whole scene. Competitors also realize that notebooks can still have such a development direction, prompting them to increase their investment in folding screen technology, operating system optimization and ecological construction. The whole notebook industry will develop towards folding screen, multi-device interconnection and full-scene application.
Huawei folding screen computer is of great significance. It is an important breakthrough of domestic operating system in the computer field, which proves that China technology enterprises have the ability to master core technologies in high-end technology fields and enhance the international influence of domestic technology brands. Of course, Huawei folding screen computers also face some challenges, such as high price and imperfect software ecology. However, as long as Huawei continues to innovate and optimize its products, it is hopeful to achieve great success in the market and change the pattern of the whole notebook market.