Leica has revealed a new smartphone, with Leitz Phone 1 promising a large sensor for photography along with 5G capabilities. Even though the camera company has a co-branded smartphone camera before now, Leica Leitz Phone 1 takes a fairly atypical approach.
Where generally find three or four sensors on the latest smartphones, regardless of the price point, Leica’s handset takes a more focused approach. It has a single rear sensor, in fact, packs 20-megapixel.
What makes the difference is the physical size of the sensor: 1 full inch, which is much larger than the main camera on almost every other device out there. It has an ultra-width f / 1.9 lens, equivalent to 19mm too. If you have tracked the launch of a smartphone that focuses on the latest photos, it might sound familiar.
Indeed, Sharp announced the Aquos R6 back in May, and a 1-inch Summikron camera and a tally lens system with this Leica branded phone. Large sensors are mainly positioned as a very easy way to get more light, of course, just as you would expect from an ordinary camera. But there will be what is called Leica “Leitz See,” which is basically things like monochrome mode to edit images.
Not surprisingly, there is a 12.6 megapixel selfie camera on the front of the Leitz 1 phone too. There is also an olzo igzo 6.6 inch screen with a 240Hz variable refresh rate, to cut the blur movement, running at a resolution of 2.730 x 1,260. Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is under the screen.
Also inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset running Android 11, paired with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage. There is a microSD slot that is compatible with cards up to 1TB too. Besides 5G there is WiFi 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.2; The 5,000 mAh battery completes the main specifications, and everything is finished in the IP68 glass and metal shell.
What distinguishes two cellphones – sharply branded and Leica – truly aesthetics. It is an important factor in the world of photography, where Leica’s camera is known for their distinctive red dot. For Leitz 1 telephone, there will even be specialized branded soft-cases, and Leica lens lenses to protect sensors.
Softbank will offer Leica Leitz Phone 1 as an exclusive in Japan, with a price of 187,920 yen ($ 1,714), and there are currently no real plans to launch abroad.
