The New Leica Leitzphone Finally Sees The Celebrated Camera-Maker’s Smartphone Available Worldwide

Leica is no stranger to smartphones. The iconic camera manufacturer has an ongoing collaboration with Xiaomi, featuring its renowned optics on co-branded phones. There has also been its own Leitzphone—three versions of it, in fact, but released only in Japan. The Leitzphone, however, is entering a new chapter and a new generation, because the latest model is now getting a proper worldwide release.

Officially, this global debut is called the Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi (RM7,499), and it is going to invite inevitable comparison to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which was released late last year in China. And, indeed, there is significant overlap. The technical guts, like the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, are much the same, as is the 1in sensor for the main camera and 200-megapixel sensor for the periscope telephoto camera, as well as the Vario APO Summilux 1:1.67-2.9/14-100 ASPH lens.

However, the Leitzphone has some very Leica-oriented design cues, such as the black fibreglass rear panel and knurled metal frame. It also has one very important distinction in the rotating ‘camera ring’ that sits around the camera module: a customisable control that can be linked to functions such as zoom, EV, ISO, shutter speed, and more. It is an additional touchpoint that is immediately accessible, which keen shutterbugs will doubtlessly find endlessly useful—as well as a welcome bit of tactility and physical interaction. Other exclusivities include the UI that has also been redesigned by Leica, colour profiles that emulate classic Leica aesthetics like that of the M9 camera, and a dedicated security chip that ensures photos will be encrypted with metadata that can prove authenticity and originality.

Leica Leitzphone