The Xiaomi HyperOS logo is displayed on a smartphone.
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BEIJING — Chinese manufacturer of smartphones and home appliances Xiaomi announced a new operating system on Thursday evening – as it looks to expand its ecosystem with the imminent release of its own car.
Shares of Xiaomi rose more than 1% Friday morning in Hong Kong, building on gains of more than 20% for the year so far.
The new system, called HyperOS, is expected to be available to consumers on October 31, when Xiaomi’s latest phones, wearables and TVs begin being sold in China.
“The system marks a crucial advancement in Xiaomi’s strategic vision of delivering the ‘Human x Car x Home’ intelligent ecosystem,” the company said in a statement.
CEO and founder Lei Jun said on Chinese social media on Wednesday that Xiaomi would release its car in the first half of next year. He did not say whether it would be electric.
Tech companies have long sought to build customer loyalty with operating systems, such as Appleis iOS and GoogleIt’s Android.
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has developed its own operating system, called HarmonyOS, to try to replace Android. The company makes its own range of smartphones, laptops, tablets and televisions, while selling the electric car software made by partners.
At the end of September, Huawei claimed that its operating system had exceeded 60 million users.
Chinese electric car company Nio this fall too released its own smartphonebased on Android but customized for better integration with its vehicles.
Xiaomi rose to fame with its affordable smartphones and MIUI user interface, based on open source Android.
The company said that the core of its new HyperOS system is “formed by Linux and Xiaomi’s self-developed Xiaomi Vela system.” The only mention of Android in the press release was that HyperOS allows for “a more stable frame rate and lower power consumption” compared to the stock version of Android.
Xiaomi also touted the processing speed and security of HyperOS, and listed a number of ways a smartphone, car and laptop could easily share content and access each other’s cameras on the new system.
In recent years, Xiaomi has grown its home appliances and consumer electronics business to account for about 22% of its overall revenue in the second quarter, compared to just under 37% for smartphones.
On Thursday, the company launched a smartphone for 3,999 yuan ($546), as well as a washing machine for 1,999 yuan and a refrigerator for 2,999 yuan. Xiaomi offers an app that allows customers to remotely control device settings.
