Mobile Imaging Koop

Xiaomi and Leica Camera announce a strategic partnership in the mobile imaging segment. The first flagship smartphone jointly developed by the two companies with a "co-engineered with Leica" camera module is scheduled for launch in July this year.

Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, majority owner and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG: "Leica has a long tradition that has always been characterized by the pursuit of technical innovation. We welcome smartphones because they make a very important contribution to the world of photography. Never before have so many pictures been taken as today: billions of images are uploaded to the Internet every day."
For the first time in 2015, Leica entered into a cooperation on research and development in the fields of new optical systems, computational imaging, virtual reality and augmented reality with the Chinese technology group Huawei. The cooperation between the two companies ended on March 31, 2022.
Since July 2021, the Leitz Phone 1 has been available exclusively in Japan in the iconic Leica design and with an exceptionally large 1-inch image sensor for smartphones, which was developed in cooperation with Sharp Corporation. The AQUOS R6 smartphone "co-engineered with Leica" was also launched as part of this technology partnership. The Leitz Phone 1 was designed by the in-house Munich design office.
Unlike Sharp, Xiaomi has a global sales network in over 100 countries and is currently the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. In terms of image processing, Xiaomi certainly has its own in-depth knowledge of lenses, chips and algorithms thanks to its many years of experience. Now, in collaboration with Leica, the company aims to continuously enhance the optical performance and photographic experience in the age of mobile imaging.
"It is our great pleasure to announce today the long-term strategic cooperation with Xiaomi. Leica and Xiaomi are both global brands that have successfully worked together toward the common goal of ushering in a new era in smartphone photography. The first jointly developed flagship smartphone will showcase the innovative power of both companies. Our customers can look forward to a smartphone with a camera module that offers them exceptional image quality, the classic Leica Image Look and unlimited creativity," said Matthias Harsch, CEO of Leica Camera AG.

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Photo (l-r): Andreas Mohrland, Marius Eschweiler and Matthias Harsch, Leica Camera AG, with Owen Ou, Imène Tarchouna and CJ Wang, from Xiaomi.