Huawei Announces Return of Kirin Chip and HarmonyOS 4.0 Updates

Recently, well‑known blogger @数码闲聊站 posted on Weibo that the Kirin chip is returning. In the comments, the blogger noted that the new Kirin is a mobile‑phone chip, not a flagship platform, and that its yield is still climbing.

Huawei has recently raised its 2023 smartphone shipment target to 40 million units, up from an earlier goal of 30 million, indicating strong internal confidence in the upcoming Mate 60 series, possibly linked to the Kirin chip comeback.

Beyond the chip and flagship devices, Huawei’s self‑developed HarmonyOS remains a hot topic.

By the end of last year, HarmonyOS had surpassed 300 million global users. In Q1 2023, Counterpoint reported that HarmonyOS captured 2 % of the worldwide smartphone OS market and 8 % of the domestic Chinese market, making it the third‑largest mobile OS after Android and iOS.

HarmonyOS officially previewed HarmonyOS 4.0, hinting at an August reveal, likely at the HDC 2023 developer conference. Official teaser code displayed the keywords “super anticipation in August” and the number “4”.

The fifth Huawei Developer Conference 2023 is scheduled for August 4‑6 2023 in Dongguan Songshan Lake, meaning the latest HarmonyOS 4.0 details could be seen as early as next Friday.

Earlier this year, the first phase of the HarmonyOS 4 beta recruitment launched in late June, supporting devices such as Huawei P60/P60 Pro/P60 Art, Mate X3 (including the collector’s edition), Mate 50 series, and MatePad Pro 11 2022.

In early July, a second recruitment phase began, expanding to 18 phone models and 2 tablet models, including the Mate 40/50 series (various variants), foldable series (Mate X2 4G, Mate X2, Mate Xs 2, P50 Pocket, Pocket S), P series (P50, P50 Pro, P50E), nova series (nova 11, nova 11 Pro, nova 11 Ultra), and tablets (MatePad Pro 12.6 2021, MatePad Pro 12.6 2022). The second batch also includes all devices from the first phase.

Some users and developers have already upgraded to HarmonyOS 4.0 and shared many new features of the major release.

First, HarmonyOS 4.0 introduces UI refinements, such as a redesigned status‑bar layout: from left to right now appear time/app notifications, alarm/NFC, and signal/battery, shifting from the previous left‑right layout to a three‑segment design. Battery icons are more prominent and overall icons are finer, with more harmonious font weighting.

HarmonyOS 4.0 also optimizes system performance, addressing previous issues such as overheating, battery life, and unstable signal. Users reported noticeable battery life improvements after updating a P60 Pro to HarmonyOS 4.0 for a week.

Developers noted a significant boost in system responsiveness, enabling faster app switching and a smoother experience. HarmonyOS 4.0 may also support LTPO 1‑120 Hz screen refresh rates, offering both fluidity and power efficiency.

Additional enhancements include a status‑bar that now shows multi‑screen collaboration and Huawei Share capsule prompts with expansion animations.

It is expected that the new HarmonyOS will debut on the upcoming Mate 60 series, with rapid subsequent adaptation for other models. However, many older Kirin devices, such as the 2018 Honor V20, Honor 20 series, and earlier Honor phones, are unlikely to receive HarmonyOS 4.0.