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Huawei announces Harmony OS 2.0-inspired EMUI 12 update for its phones

As you would expect, the latest version of EMUI brings a bunch of new features.

What you need to know

  • Huawei has unveiled the "global" version of EMUI 12.
  • The latest version of EMUI introduces a minimalist interface design, support for stepless font weight adjustment, a new distributed file system, and more.
  • There's no word yet on when the EMUI 12 update will begin rolling out to Huawei devices.

Back in June, Huawei announced that it would be bringing the Harmony OS 2.0 update to around 100 phones and tablets. While the update has already hit over 65 devices, the company has surprisingly announced a new version of its EMUI Android skin.

The latest version of EMUI comes with a refreshed UI that appears to be very similar to Huawei's HarmonyOS 2.0. Huawei has opted for a black, white, and blue color format, which helps provide a cleaner look compared to EMUI 11. There are new animations as well, which are said to mimic how celestial objects move in the universe. Another key highlight is the addition of support for stepless font weight adjustment. Users can now change the size and weight of the font with a slider for an improved viewing experience.

EMUI 12 also adds the ability to swipe up from any screen to open the Control Panel to get quick access to things like Wi-Fi settings and audio playback. The revamped Control Panel includes a new MatePad icon too, which lets you activate multi-screen collaboration with your Matepad. Once enabled, you'll be able to make phone calls, send text messages, and view photos from your Huawei phone on the Matepad's display. You'll be able to enable multi-screen collaboration with Huawei's MateBook laptops too, thanks to the new MateBook icon.

To make it easier for users to access photos and documents from their phone on their MateBook, EMUI 12 comes with a new "Distributed File System." Huawei claims users can now get instant access to files on their phones without a single cable.

Finally, EMUI 12 brings support for cross-device video calls. Huawei phones running EMUI 12 will be able to seamlessly shift video calls to Huawei Vision TVs with the help of the company's MeeTime Video Call Transfer feature.

Huawei hasn't announced any details about the EMUI 12 rollout yet, so it isn't clear exactly when the update will begin rolling out to users. Since the company's best Android phones have already been updated to HarmonyOS 2.0, it looks like the EMUI 12 update will be limited to devices that aren't eligible to be upgraded to Huawei's "in-house developed" operating system.