In 2021, Leica partnered with Sharp and SoftBank to launch its first self-branded smartphone called Leitz Phone 1 in Japan. Today, the German camera maker has launched its second-generation handset aptly named Leitz Phone 2.
Just like the last year model, which was based on the Sharp Aquos R6, the latest Leitz Phone 2 is built on the Aquos R7 released this year. The only major differences between the original phone and the rebranded model are colorway and software.
The Leica Leitz Phone 2 comes in a single white color option called ‘Leica White’. For the unaware, the Leitz Phone 1 came in black.
Interestingly, there’s no ‘Leica’ branding anywhere on the smartphone’s body. Instead, it uses ‘Leitz’ branding. It can be seen on the camera ring, at the center of the rear panel, and on the aluminum lens cap accessory included in the box.
The device boots Android 12 with a customized interface inspired by Leica. It comes with a special LFI widget showcasing pictures shot by Leica photographers.
The camera app offers features like ‘Leitz looks’ that stimulate Leica M lenses. The quick settings in the app are based on the Leica camera UI and there are also options to choose Leica M series shutter sound and Leica filters.
Apart from the aforementioned differences, the Leica Leitz Phone 2 is a Sharp Aquos R7 inside out.
Hence, it comes with a 47.2MP 1-inch image sensor sporting an f/1.9 lens. This main camera is paired with a 1.9MP depth sensor. On the front, there is a 12.6MP snapper for selfies and video calls.
The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC paired with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB UFS 3.1 storage. It has a MicroSD card slot to further expand the storage by up to 1TB.
It flaunts a Pro IGZO OLED display with a resolution of 2730 x 1260 pixels (WUXGA+), 10-bit color depth, 240Hz refresh rate, and 2,000 nits peak brightness. The centered punch-hole panel supports Dolby Vision and houses an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor underneath it.
Other features of the smartphone include a 3.5mm headphone jack, IP68 rating (dust and water resistant), sub-6GHz 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GNSS, NFC, USB Type-C, 5,000mAh battery, USB PD (PPS) charging, and wireless charging.
Leica Leitz Phone 2 Specifications
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen1 SM8450 3.0GHz Octa-Core
GPU: Adreno 730
Display: 6.6″ WUXGA+ 2730×1260, Pro IGZO OLED Display, 120Hz (1Hz-240Hz)
RAM: 12GB LPDDR5
Storage: 512GB UFS3.1 (upto1TB for microSD)
Main camera: Dual
- 2 MP (1-inch sensor, 19mm, f/1.9)
- 9 MP (ranging sensor)
Selfie camera: 12.6 MP (27mm, f/2.3)
OS: Android 12
Dimension: 161.0× 77.0×9.3 mm
Weight: 211g
Battery: 5000mAh
Colors: Leica white
Wi-Fi Standard: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi6
Bluetooth: v5.2
Waterproof and dustproof: Waterproof (IPX5/IP8X) Dustproof (IP6X)
USB: USB Type-C
Earphone Jack: Yes
Authentication method: Fingerprint sensor (in-screen 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max), Face ID
Others: VoLTE, nanoSIM/eSIM, Osaifu-Keitai/NFC
Network: 5G support
Leica Leitz Phone 2 Price and Availability
The Leica Leitz Phone 2 is priced at ¥225,360 ($1,540) in Japan. It will be available for purchase starting November 18.
Just like the Leitz Phone 1, this one may also remain exclusive to the Japanese market.
