Xiaomi And Leica Are Building A Flagship Camera Phone To Rival Pixel 6 And Galaxy S22 Ultra

Xiaomi and Leica have announced the first imaging flagship smartphone to be developed jointly by the two companies. The smartphone is expected to launch this July, with neither brand saying much about design or specs thus far.

Rumors have been floating around about a possible collaboration between Leica and Xiaomi for a bit now. With Xiaomi recently stating that it has had a "long-term strategic cooperation" with Leica, those rumors have finally been confirmed. As for Leica, this will be its latest collaboration with a mobile company following ventures with Sharp, Huawei and Panasonic.

"This cooperation will provide a strong boost to Xiaomi's imaging strategy," stated Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi Group. He continued, "During the cooperation, from optical design to tuning aesthetic orientations, the innovative technologies, product philosophies and imaging preferences of both parties have experienced unprecedented in-depth collision and fusion."

The quality of images that Xiaomi's phone will produce will ultimately come down to its software capabilities and filters that are included along with Leica's lenses. One of the other smartphones that Leica has lent its lenses to was the Huawei P50 Pro, which has been highly touted for its imaging capabilities.

Xiaomi shared on its website about the collaboration, "Xiaomi an Leica share the same ideas regarding mobile imaging. Both companies are eager to continuously explore the optical performance and photographic experience in the mobile imaging era through extreme technological breakthroughs and aesthetic pursuits."

Outside of the announcement itself, little to nothing has been shared regarding design, specs, or even which Leica lenses that will be used. Even the image being used to promote the venture has the hands of someone which seem to be taking a picture with an invisible smartphone. However, with an expected launch in July we should not have to wait long for more information regarding the flagship smartphone. Stay tuned to Hot Hardware for more updates on this intriguing collaboration.

Top Image Courtesy of Xiaomi/Leica