Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi releases HyperOS as it plans car

The Xiaomi HyperOS logo is displayed on the smartphone.

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BEIJING – Chinese smartphone and home appliance maker Millet Late Thursday, the company announced a new operating system aimed at developing its ecosystem with the upcoming release of its own cars.

Xiaomi shares rose more than 1% in Hong Kong trading on Friday morning, bringing their year-to-date gains to more than 20%.

The new system, called HyperOS, will be launched to consumers on October 31, when Xiaomi’s latest phones, wearables and TVs go on sale in China.

“This system marks a key step forward in Xiaomi’s strategic vision of ‘people x car x home’ smart ecosystem,” the company said in a press release.

CEO and founder Lei Jun said on Chinese social media on Wednesday Xiaomi will release its car in the first half of next year. He did not specify whether it would be electric.

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Technology companies have long sought to build customer loyalty through operating systems, such as appleiOS and GoogleAndroid.

Chinese telecom giant Huawei has developed its own operating system, HarmonyOS, to replace Android. The company makes its own smartphones, laptops, tablets and TV sets, as well as sells electric vehicle software made by partners.

In late September, Huawei claimed that the number of users of its operating system had exceeded 60 million.

China Electric Vehicle Company Nioh This fall, the company also released its own smartphone, which is based on Android but customized to better integrate with vehicles.

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Xiaomi is known for its affordable smartphones and its MIUI user interface based on open source Android.

The company said that the core of its new HyperOS system is “composed of Linux and Xiaomi’s independently developed Xiaomi Vela system.” The only mention of Android in the press release is that HyperOS allows for “more stable frame rates and lower power consumption” compared to native versions of Android.

Xiaomi also touted HyperOS’s processing speed and security, and laid out the many ways smartphones, cars and laptops can easily share content and access each other’s cameras on the new system.

Xiaomi’s home appliances and consumer electronics business has continued to grow in recent years, accounting for about 22% of total revenue in the second quarter, while smartphones accounted for slightly less than 37%.

On Thursday, the company unveiled a smartphone priced at 3,999 yuan ($546), as well as a 1,999 yuan washing machine and a 2,999 yuan refrigerator. Xiaomi has an app that allows customers to remotely control device settings.

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