This is a little odd as the outfit has previously said that it might stick with Android.

Last week, at an event announcing the company’s earnings for the first half of 2019, Huawei chairman Liang Hua said the company preferred to use Google’s Android operating system for its mobile devices and referred to Hongmeng as part of Huawei’s “long-term strategy”.

Huawei executives have previously described Hongmeng as an operating system designed for internet-of-things products. Last month the company said the first major devices powered by Hongmeng would be its upcoming line of Honor-brand smart TVs.

The news might be bollocks as the Chinese state media outlet Global Times penned it. The Chinese government want to keep the frighteners on Google while US President Donald [Prince of Orange] Trump continues his trade war.

If Huawei has changed its mind, the release of a Hongmeng-powered smartphone would mark a major step for the company.

The device will be priced at around 2,000 yuan ($288), the Global Times said on Sunday. That will place the device toward the low-end segment of the smartphone market.

While Huawei smartphone sales tanked overseas, its shipments in China increased 31 percent year-on-year in the June quarter, according to market research firm Canalys.

Analysts attribute the robust performance at home in part due to the quality of its devices, which have long led China’s high-end Android phone market, and in part due to patriotism among consumers.