Huawei is testing a smartphone with Hongmeng OS

Huawei is testing a smartphone with its proprietary Hongmeng operating system onboard. It could potentially be offered for sale by the end of this year, according to Chinese media.

The release of a smartphone with such an operating system would be an important step for Huawei. Which is currently the world's second-largest smartphone maker. As the actions of the US government still threaten its access to Google's Android operating system.

According to the Global Times, the phone will have a price of around 2,000 yuan (about $282). A price that will place the device towards the mid-range segment of the smartphone market.

The strange thing about all this is that Huawei executives have previously described Hongmeng OS as an operating system designed for Internet of Things products, so much so that the first major devices with such a system would be the next Honor brand smart TV line.

Last week, in an event announcing the company's earnings for the first half of 2019, Huawei president Liang Hua said that the company preferred to use Google's Android operating system for its mobile devices and referred to Hongmeng OS as part of Huawei's "long-term strategy".