Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi review: €2,000 for a smartphone?
Verdict in brief
The Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi is a Xiaomi 17 Ultra with Leica design, a camera ring and Essential mode for €2,000. It suits hobby and semi-professional photographers who like the design. If you can do without that, you save money with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.
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Pros
- Very elegant design with an aluminum frame, Leica logo and a matching case
- Impressive shots in automatic mode
- Real optical telephoto zoom from 75 to 100 mm
- Leica Essential mode with M9 and M3 looks
- Flagship specs with a 6,000 mAh battery, 90-watt charging and a MagSafe magnet in the case
Cons
- The camera ring gets touched by accident constantly while filming and shooting
- No lock button for the camera ring
- Only one configuration with 1 TB, which makes it very expensive
- Technically the same device as the cheaper Xiaomi 17 Ultra
€2,000 for a smartphone from a camera brand, built by Xiaomi: you quickly wonder what is so special about it. I will tell you honestly what is actually special about it, who it is worth it for and who it is absolutely not for.
The idea behind it
The Leitzphone is not a new idea. Leica started the series back in 2021, at the time exclusively in Japan together with Sharp. The rest of the world barely got to see it. The Leica Leitzphone, powered by Xiaomi, is the first model of the series available worldwide. It was introduced at MWC in Barcelona at the end of February 2026.
The basis is the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, with a few Leica-specific adjustments.
Design
Leica dresses up the 17 Ultra a bit: a silver aluminum frame with fluting on the side, a matte black back, a red Leica logo and a silver camera ring. I find the design insanely high-end and elegant, which is what I expect at €2,000. The included case mirrors the design, except for the silver frame, so you can really use it.
Specs
| Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.9 inches, 120 Hz, up to 3,500 nits |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| RAM and storage | 16 GB RAM, 1 TB (this configuration only) |
| Battery | 6,000 mAh |
| Charging | 90 watts wired, 50 watts wireless |
With the 1 TB of storage, it quickly becomes clear why the device costs €2,000. This is all 2026 flagship level, but nobody buys this one for the processor.
The camera
The camera system consists of three lenses, all developed together with Leica:
- 50-megapixel main camera with a 1-inch sensor
- 200-megapixel telephoto lens with optical zoom from 75 to 100 mm
- 50-megapixel ultrawide camera
The telephoto is the exciting part. The range is not big, but it is a real optical zoom, not digital upscaling. On top of that comes the exclusive Leica Essential mode, which imitates the look of classic Leica cameras, the Leica M9 for color and the Leica M3 for black and white. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra does not offer that.
The camera ring feels like a real lens focus ring and gives gentle haptic feedback as you turn it. You can control zoom, exposure and focal length intuitively without digging through menus. What happens in which mode is set under “Camera ring”. I think it is a really cool feature. However, while filming and shooting I touched the ring by accident countless times and messed up the shot, for example zooming in unintentionally or changing the brightness. It drove me crazy while shooting some sequences of my last videos. I am not a fan of physical buttons, but here a button on the side to lock and unlock the ring would have been a good idea.
As for the shots: I did everything in automatic mode without touching white balance or ISO, so pure point and shoot. I am genuinely impressed. With the 17 Ultra and the Leitzphone, Xiaomi has raised the bar again. Anyone who knows cameras will surely get even more out of it. To me this is not just a smartphone for hobby photographers but also for people who do it professionally.
Software
It runs Xiaomi HyperOS 3, but with Leica-specific adjustments: its own app icons, its own font and Leica wallpapers. It reminds me a lot of Nothing OS, and I like it a lot. Google Gemini is fully integrated as the AI assistant.
Battery and MagSafe
The battery has 6,000 mAh. It charges at 90 watts wired and 50 watts wireless. Unlike the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, MagSafe is built in, unfortunately not in the smartphone itself but in the included case. Better than nothing.
Who is the Leitzphone worth it for?
From my point of view, it is a camera phone for hobby or semi-professional photographers who absolutely want to shoot with a smartphone instead of a real camera and think the aesthetics and the camera ring controls are cool. If you can do without the design and the camera ring, go for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, also in a smaller storage variant. Then you have exactly the same smartphone and save money.
Questions and answers
- How much does the Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi cost?
- The Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi costs €2,000. There is only one configuration, with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.
- How does the Leica Leitzphone differ from the Xiaomi 17 Ultra?
- It is based on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and differs through the Leica design, the camera ring, the Leica Essential mode, its own interface with Leica icons and a Leica font, and the MagSafe magnets in the included case.
- What camera does the Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi have?
- A 50-megapixel main camera with a 1-inch sensor, a 200-megapixel telephoto lens with optical zoom from 75 to 100 mm and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, all developed together with Leica.
- Who is the Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi worth it for?
- For hobby and semi-professional photographers who would rather shoot with a smartphone than a real camera and like the aesthetics and the camera ring.
