After being in the rumor mill for several months, Xiaomi finally confirmed that they have a strategic partnership with Leica. This becomes the third smartphone partnership of Leica after a long-term one with Huawei’s Mate and P-series phones and a relatively new one with Sharp for its Aquos R6 and R7 phones.

Xiaomi’s post hints at a July release for its first phone made in partnership with Leica, and this lines up perfectly with the smartphone brand’s plans for the upcoming Xiaomi 12 Ultra. While we expect the Xiaomi 12 Ultra to have a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, reports from Weibo state that it will have the same camera setup as the Mi 11 Ultra but with the addition of Leica’s expertise when it comes to photography.

An alleged back case reveals the camera layout of the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, with a text stating a 12-120mm focal length range and an f/1.85-4.1 aperture range. This points to the Xiaomi 12 Ultra using the same setup as its predecessor. That camera setup will most likely be a 50-megapixel f/1.9 main camera with PDAF and OIS, a 48-megapixel f/2.2 IMX586 ultra-wide-angle camera with PDAF, and a 48-megapixel f/4.1 IMX586 telephoto camera with PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom, and up to120x digital zoom.

What are your thoughts on the Xiaomi-Leica strategic partnership and the upcoming Xiaomi 12 Ultra?