The Leica Leitzphone is a Xiaomi-powered high-end smartphone for photography lovers

One of the stand-out debuts at this year’s Mobile World Congress, the Leica Leitzphone is the first dedicated smartphone to bear the name of the famed camera brand. Developed in collaboration with Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, the Leica Leitzphone puts image-making front and centre of the smartphone experience.

As befits any device bearing the legendary red dot, the Leitzphone has a premium specification and premium price. It launches alongside Xiaomi’s new 17 series smartphones, which continue the Chinese manufacturer’s four-year partnership with Leica on optics and camera modules.

The Leitzphone, however, really stresses the collaboration through design and function, combining the camera-maker’s longstanding ethos of making instant, available and accessible high-quality photographic gear. ‘The Leica Leitzphone demonstrates our vision for the future of photography,’ Leica’s CEO Matthias Harsch says, ‘It brings our design principles, our expertise in image processing and our photographic ethos into everyday life.’

Following the timeless maxim that the best camera for the job is the one you have in your hand, the Leitzphone aims to put all the capabilities of a high-end compact into the smartphone format, complete with physical touch points. That means a dedicated mechanical ring surrounding the multi-camera module, a customisable control that can be assigned to zoom, exposure, ISO and shutter speed.

As well as overseeing the system design and camera user interface, Leica has also included thirteen ‘Leica Looks’, dedicated photography modes that mimic classic film grain and quality, along with digital emulation of Leica lens bokeh. In addition, the dedicated Leica Essential Mode draws on company classics like a Leica M9-inspired colour profile and Leica Monopan black and white film.

The triple-camera system features a 1-inch sensor on the main camera, as well as a periscope telephoto camera with a large 200-megapixel sensor that offers optical zoom from 75 to 100mm. The whole package is presented in Leica’s black and silver framework, sealed with the signature red dot logo.

Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi, on sale now via the official Leica website and Leica Stores, £1,700.00 / €1,999.00, Leica-Camera.com, @Leica_Camera, Mi.com, @Xiaomi.Global