Xiaomi has announced a long-term partnership with Leica for its mobile imaging technology. The company will work closely with the camera lens leader to add some of its technology and expertise to its flagship smartphones. Xiaomi has confirmed that their first jointly developed flagship smartphone will be launched in July this year,
The partnership will focus on research and development of new lens elements for a more compact form factor. Leica, as one of the leading experts in photography, has been designing compact cameras with impressive image reproduction and quality. The company’s products have been a choice for many users who want a premium camera experience. Moreover, Leica’s iconic red trademark visible on the many products stands out from the crowd.
Today, I'm delighted to announce that @Xiaomi and @leica_camera have developed a global strategic partnership in imagery technology. Combining a photography legend with our innovation, we're entering a new era in mobile photography. Exciting things to come in July! pic.twitter.com/xQqIHHV05fMay 23, 2022
Xiaomi and Leica will also work together to improve the image processing of their upcoming flagship products. Since Leica has worked with smartphone companies like Huawei in the past, the company will have a lot to contribute to the new joint project.
Xiaomi 12 Ultra launch soon
The announcement of the collaboration doesn’t name any device, but we could expect the Xiaomi 12 Ultra to launch in July. The smartphone was previously spotted with multiple lenses at the back. The highlight is a massive primary lens at the centre with a Sony IMX800 sensor. It comes with a 1/1.1-inch sensor at 50MP, which is the largest on any smartphone. We can expect the Xiaomi 12 Ultra to go head to head against the Vivo X80 Pro when it launches.
Best of two worlds
Counting OnePlus’ partnership with Hasselblad and Vivo’s latest offering with Carl Zeiss, this is the third collaboration we’ve seen between tech companies and camera hardware manufacturers. While Xiaomi only recently launched the Xiaomi 12 Pro in India, the company’s next offering will definitely be a more pricey addition to its flagship lineup.
It would also be interesting to see which other brands would collaborate with camera hardware companies in the future. A more interesting collaboration would be between Samsung and Sony. The latter does make some of its premium smartphones like the Sony Xperia 1 IV. But the device is targeted at an entirely different category of users.
A smartphone from Samsung sporting Sony lenses and sensors with one of the best Android UI skins on the market. Now that is a device worth splurging your money on.
