JOIN USXiaomi ties up with Leica for new premium camera phone
Leading smartphone-maker Xiaomi on Monday (May 23) announced a collaboration with Leica Camera AG for an upcoming premium phone.
Xiaomi and the German optics major are slated to bring flagship photography-centric smartphones later this year in July. There is no word what the name of the device or what new features it will be coming with.
"Xiaomi focuses on creating the ultimate user experience and has always hoped to explore the capabilities of smartphone photography to the extreme. 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." said Lei Jun, founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group.
This is not the first time a phone maker is partnering with a camera company. Nokia, a pioneer in the cellular phone industry had worked with Zeiss. Even Huawei a few years ago had collaborated with Leica, but the Chinese company after the US government's sanctions is out of the global top five phone companies list. It is now limited to China and a few select markets.
Other prominent companies that forged new relationships with camera firms include OnePlus and Vivo, which offer premium phones with Hasselblad and Zeiss optics' tech, respectively.
Except for Nokia and Huawei, others have not been able to leverage their partnership with camera companies to bring out a quality photography-centric phone. It remains to be seen how the Xiaomi-Leica deal works out.
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