Rumours have been circulating for a while about a collaboration between Xiaomi and Leica on smartphone cameras. And now it’s official.
Indeed, in a press release, the Chinese brand announces a strategic partnership with the German company, specializing in cameras.
In turn, Xiaomi partners with a specialist in photography
“Xiaomi is focused on creating the ultimate user experience and has always hoped to explore the capabilities of smartphone photography to the extreme”said Lei Jun, the boss of Xiaomi. “Xiaomi and Leica agree on each other’s goals and ideas and appreciate each other’s benefits and industry. This cooperation will give a powerful boost to Xiaomi’s imaging strategy. During the cooperation, from the optical design to the adjustment of aesthetic orientations, the innovative technologies, product philosophies and imaging preferences of both parties have experienced an unprecedented deep collision and fusion. »
Xiaomi has yet to share details of this partnership with Leica. But we should know more in July. Indeed, Xiaomi will launch a smartphone co-developed with Leica. And if the name of this model has not yet been mentioned, there is a good chance that it is the Xiaomi 12 Ultra.
We can also assume that this device could use the brand new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor that Qualcomm has just made official. Compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 of the Xiaomi 12, this new component offers a 10% improvement in performance and a 30% improvement in energy efficiency.
Xiaomi + Leica: a must?
Today, camera quality is one of the most important criteria when a consumer chooses a smartphone. And in this area, thanks to its move upmarket, Xiaomi already excels.
Nevertheless, more and more brands are partnering with specialized companies to improve the performance of their cameras. There are the historic partnerships between Nokia and Zeiss, or the collaboration between Huawei and Leica.
Other brands have followed suit, such as OnePlus and Oppo, which benefit from Hasselblad’s know-how, or Vivo, which works with Zeiss. And today, Xiaomi is teaming up with Leica.
Like Xiaomi, the German company is also looking forward to this partnership. “We are confident that the first jointly developed flagship imaging smartphone makes the pioneering progress of both companies visible. We will provide mobile photography consumers with exceptional image quality, classic Leica aesthetics, unlimited creativity, and usher in a new era of mobile imaging.”said Matthias Harsch, the boss of Leica.
Xiaomi: future king of mobile photography?
Remember that the Xiaomi 11 Ultra, which the Chinese brand launched in 2021, is still today part of the Top 3 of the best cameras in the DXOMark ranking. And thanks to this collaboration with Leica, the next smartphone could well claim the top spot, surpassing the cameras of the Huawei P50 Pro and Honor Magic 4 Ultimate.
It should also be noted that rumors have circulated about a possible partnership between Samsung and Olympus, in order to boost the performance in photography of Galaxy smartphones. But this has never been confirmed.
