4 Minutes
Huawei's comeback: thriving after U.S. restrictions
When Huawei and ZTE were flagged as national security concerns by a U.S. House Intelligence Committee draft in 2012, it marked the beginning of escalating tensions that culminated in Huawei’s placement on the U.S. Entity List in 2019. The designation forced U.S. suppliers to obtain a government license before exporting "U.S.-origin" technology to Huawei, cutting the company off from key software and hardware partners—most notably Google and access to certain advanced chips.
The immediate fallout included losing access to Google’s proprietary Android experience (Play Store and Google apps) while still being able to ship devices on the open-source Android base. But Huawei chose a different path: it doubled down on building an independent mobile ecosystem and local supply chain resilience.
How Huawei replaced Google and rebuilt its stack
By 2021 Huawei launched Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and AppGallery, positioning them as pillars of a mobile ecosystem that could operate without U.S. dependencies. HarmonyOS evolved from a contingency OS into a platform optimized for Huawei’s hardware, with seamless device interconnectivity, native app support, and growing developer adoption—especially inside China.
Product features and ecosystem components
- HarmonyOS: multi-device integration, lightweight UI optimization, and alternative app frameworks to ease developer migration.
- AppGallery & HMS: regional app distribution, payment and cloud services tailored for Chinese and global partners.
- Mate series hardware: advanced cameras, custom Kirin chipsets, and deep software-hardware synergy.
Chipset comeback: Kirin 9000S and 5G return
Perhaps the most visible sign of Huawei’s resilience arrived in August 2023 with the Mate 60 Pro. For the first time since 2020, a Huawei flagship shipped with an in-house AP: the Kirin 9000S. Fabricated by SMIC on a 7nm-class process, the chipset reintroduced 5G support on a Huawei device—an industry surprise that demonstrated China’s foundry progress and Huawei’s ability to source capable silicon despite export controls.
Comparison: Kirin vs Qualcomm (and Google-dependent models)
While Qualcomm and Google-backed Android devices maintain advantages in global app compatibility and developer ecosystem, Kirin-powered Huawei phones offer tight hardware-software integration and strong on-device features. Outside China, the absence of Google services still hampers market reach, but in domestic and partner markets Huawei’s stack is increasingly competitive.
Advantages, use cases and market relevance
Advantages: supply-chain independence, hardware-software co-design, improved national semiconductor capabilities, and strategic positioning for AI and IoT deployments. Use cases span consumer smartphones, enterprise 5G applications, and cross-device ecosystems in smart homes and automotive integrations.
Market relevance: Huawei once led global smartphone shipments in Q2 2020. Sanctions dented that lead, but the company’s pivot to HarmonyOS, HMS, and in-house silicon demonstrates a credible path back to growth—especially in China and regions less dependent on Google services. Company leaders argue this strategy will help China accelerate AI application development by leveraging large domestic datasets and diverse business scenarios.
Challenges remain: limited access to some advanced Western tools, ongoing geopolitical pressure, and slower adoption in Europe and North America due to the lack of Google Play services. Still, Huawei’s recovery is an instructive case of technology resilience, national industrial policy, and the strategic value of vertical integration in mobile platforms.
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