Leica launches its first smartphone, priced at 1700 USD

Recently, the famous camera brand Leica has officially announced its first smartphone called “Leitz Phone 1”. Unfortunately, because it is an exclusive cooperation product between the German camera company and the Japanese carrier Softbank, the chance for Leitz Phone 1 to set foot in the international market is very low.

Basically, Leitz Phone 1 is a renamed version of the Sharp Aquos R6, also announced not long ago in Japan. The highlight of this device is the 20MP camera cluster with the world’s largest 1-inch sensor, accompanied by a 19mm focal length lens and f/1.9 aperture. However, the design of the camera cluster of Leitz Phone 1 is somewhat different from that of the Aquos R6 when it is a circular cluster. In addition, besides the case, the Leitz Phone 1 also comes with… the lens cap, which is often found on cameras.

In terms of configuration, Leitz Phone 1 is also similar to Sharp Aquos R6, with the same Snapdragon 888 chip, 12GB RAM, 5000mAh battery and IP68 water resistance. A highlight of both Leitz Phone 1 and Sharp Aquos R6 is the 6.6-inch IGZO OLED screen produced by Sharp with a resolution of 2730×1260, with a “simulated” 240Hz refresh rate (real scan frequency is 120Hz). The only upgrade of the Leitz Phone 1 in terms of configuration is 256GB of internal memory, more than double the 128GB of Sharp Aquos R6.

The software of the Leitz Phone 1 is slightly adjusted to “match” with the design of the device and the Leica brand. Covering the software interface is a dark tone, matching Leica’s “monochrome” style. In fact, in the camera app there is also a separate mode for taking black and white photos.

Like other Leica products, the price of Leitz Phone 1 is not cheap. Users will have to spend 1,700 USD to own a smartphone from Leica. This price is one and a half times more expensive than current leading smartphones like iPhone 12 Pro Max or Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Even with money, users will have difficulty if they want to buy this machine. As noted above, Leitz Phone 1 is an exclusive product of SoftBank in Japan, and the carrier has no plans to distribute it in other countries.