Leitz Phone 1 Leica Phone for Japan

For the longest time, Leica has been associated with camera lens of smartphones – most notably on Huawei flagship devices, and more recently Sharp. That changes last week when Leica Camera AG revealed its very first smartphone, called Leitz Phone 1.

Leitz Phone 1 Leica Phone for Japan

You heard that right, folks. Leica has its own smartphone now. Before you photography enthusiasts get ga-ga over the Leitz Phone 1, you have to know it was announced for the Japan market only. Bummer. The phone will be released by SoftBank Japan exclusively.

Clearly, photography is key selling point of this device which is rocks a a 1-inch 20.2 MP image sensor – one of the largest found on smartphones, paired to a f1.9 lens that touts digital zoom of up to 6x.

Leitz Phone 1 Leica Phone for Japan

Capturing RAW format is, of course, standard, in addition to the usual JPEG format. The lens and the imaging software on this device are both Leica’s creations. Moreover, the camera app boasts a mode called “Lets Looks” that faithfully replicate Leica M’s monochrome photography.

Plus, there is a pre-installed widget that circles through the best images available from LFI Gallery (Leica Fotografie International Gallery). Apparently, the design of the phone itself is penned by Leica’s design studio in Munich. So, it is not just a phone with a design pulled from some manufacturing design stash.

Leitz Phone 1 Leica Phone for Japan

And oh, the Leitz Phone 1 is probably the only phone in the world to come with a lens cap (along with a silicone case).

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The Leitz Phone 1 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chip with 12 GB RAM and 256 ROM, and has a large 6.6-inch WUXGA+ (2,730 x 1,260 pixels) Pro IGZO OLED display which further boasts 3D ultra sonic fingerprint sensor. The device is IP68 rated and packs a 5,000 mAh battery.

The Leitz Phone 1 costs a cool 187,920 yen (around US$1,710) when it becomes available in July from SoftBank Japan.

Images: Leica [JP].