HarmonyOS 7 Ported to Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro in a First for Huawei

A tech enthusiast has managed to run Huawei's HarmonyOS 7 on the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro, making the tablet the first third-party device to run the newest version of the operating system.

According to the developer, known as DevPei Yuesheng, the system was ported from Huawei's MatePad Air and installed on Xiaomi's new tablet. His first impressions are positive: graphics are smooth, performance is solid, and there are no major obstacles. A few minor glitches remain, which he expects to be fixed soon through updates or further tweaks.

He also noted an improvement in GPU performance, which raises the prospect that the system could run more efficiently on Xiaomi hardware in the future.

Not the first outside experiment

The project follows a similar test last month, when HarmonyOS 6 was installed on the OnePlus Ace 5. That experiment also produced promising results for fluidity and responsiveness, even though there is still no official support for such devices.

Taken together, the two experiments suggest HarmonyOS could extend beyond Huawei's own products and grow into a broader, more stable platform on hardware from other makers. Neither is an official Huawei or Xiaomi effort.

What comes next

DevPei Yuesheng plans to release the source code of his project later, so that developers and enthusiasts can try the system on a wider range of devices.

HarmonyOS 7 launched officially earlier this month alongside the Mate 90 phones. It is described as the first system of its kind to rely on interactive AI to improve the user experience and make moving between apps smoother and more stable.