Xiaomi Officially Confirms Partnership With Leica, First Jointly Made Phone To Launch In July

Handset maker Xiaomi has announced it is partnering with German camera-making giant Leica, becoming the third smartphone OEM to join hands with the company after Huawei and Sharp.

The first handset from the Xiaomi-Leica partnership will be officially unveiled in July. Image: Getty

New Delhi: Handset maker Xiaomi has announced it is partnering with German camera-making giant Leica, becoming the third smartphone OEM to join hands with the company after Huawei and Sharp. The first handset from the Xiaomi-Leica partnership will be officially unveiled in July this year. Xiaomi took to Twitter to officially announce that it has joined hands with Leica in mobile imaging. 

"Xiaomi and @leica_camera have officially reached a global strategic partnership in mobile imaging. Combining the legendary image and innovative technology, let's look forward to a new era of mobile photography in July!," Xiaomi tweeted on Monday.

Xiaomi and @leica_camera have officially reached a global strategic partnership in mobile imaging.

Combining the legendary image and innovative technology, let's look forward to a new era of mobile photography in July! pic.twitter.com/GyFut9ZTlg

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) May 23, 2022

The handset maker has also announced that its first smartphone with Leica-branded cameras will be launched in July. It is likely that the smartphone maker launches the much-anticipated flagship Xiaomi 12 Ultra smartphone which has been mentioned in a number of rumours and leaks to date.

“Xiaomi and Leica agree with each other’s pursuits and ideas and appreciate each other’s advantages and industry. This cooperation will provide a strong boost to Xiaomi’s imaging strategy. 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," Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s founder and CEO, said in a statement.

It should be noted that smartphone brands' partnerships with lens makers is not new. While Huawei had launched the Huawei P30 Pro, the Huawei P40 and the Huawei P50 series in partnership with Leica, Vivo has also has a similar deal with the German lens major Zeiss group, OnePlus and Oppo from BBK Electronics have a deal with Swedish lens maker Hasselblad.