Huawei Technologies on Monday unveiled two new laptops, the MateBook Fold and MateBook Pro, marking its first computers powered by the company’s in-house HarmonyOS operating system as it aims to challenge global tech leaders.
The move comes as the U.S. continues to tighten restrictions on Huawei’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. Despite its dominance in hardware, China has trailed behind in software, with Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s macOS remaining the global standard for PC operating systems.
The MateBook Fold features an 18-inch OLED dual-screen display that folds, omitting a physical keyboard. It is priced at 23,999 yuan (about $3,328). The MateBook Pro, a more traditional laptop with a physical keyboard, starts at 7,999 yuan.
“Harmony laptops give the world a new choice,” said Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei’s consumer business group, during a livestreamed launch event. “We kept on doing the hard things, but the right things.”
Both models run on HarmonyOS 5, the latest version of the software Huawei began developing in 2015 and launched on smartphones in 2019. Huawei began working on laptop versions of the OS in 2021.
The company said HarmonyOS for computers currently supports more than 150 applications, including the WPS Office suite from Kingsoft and the Meitu Xiu Xiu photo editing app, alternatives to Microsoft Office and Adobe tools.
Huawei said more than a billion devices now run HarmonyOS, with over 7.2 million developers building apps for the ecosystem as of the end of 2024.
The company did not disclose the chip powering the new laptops, but cited the cost of new manufacturing technologies as a reason for the devices’ pricing. In 2023, the U.S. government revoked licenses for firms like Intel and Qualcomm to supply Huawei with chips, which has limited the company’s access to high-end processors.
The release follows political backlash in Washington over Huawei’s AI-capable laptop powered by Intel, as lawmakers push for stricter controls on advanced tech exports to China.
