Leica Leitz Phone 2 With 1-Inch Camera Launched; What Makes It Different?

Leica Leitz Phone 1 has a successor now — the Leitz Phone 2. The newly announced Leica Leitz Phone 2 is based on Sharp's Aquos R7 smartphone with an upgraded camera setup. The new phone features a 47.2MP 1-inch image sensor sporting an f/1.9 lens. Can this new Leica smartphone take on other camera-centric devices from Samsung, Google, and Apple?

To recall, the first-gen Leica Leitz Phone 1 launched in a partnership with Sharp and SoftBank for the Japanese market. While the first-gen Leica smartphone was based on the Sharp Aquos R6, the brand has upgraded its second phone to the Sharp Aquos R7. Interestingly, the 'Leica' branding is nowhere to be seen, but only Leitz is highlighted.

Leica Leitz Phone 2 Camera Specifications

One of the unique features of the newly launched Leica Leitz Phone 2 is the camera module. The dominating camera is housed in a circular panel at the rear. Leica is also shipping an aluminum lens cap accessory with the box.

The main 47.2MP 1-inch camera is paired with a 1.9MP depth sensor to complete the dual-camera setup at the rear. Upfront, the phone packs in a 12.6MP snapper for selfies and video calls.

As a camera-centric smartphone, the new Leica Leitz Phone 2 includes features like 'Leitz looks' that stimulate the Leica M lenses. The Leica M series lenses range from 16mm wide-angle lenses to standard 50mm lenses and extend to a 135mm medium telephoto lens.

It's popular because it's extremely accurate and favored by professional photographers. The phone also has dedicated quick settings in the app for advanced Leica camera UI. Users can also customize the Leica M series shutter sound, Leica filters, and more.

Leica Leitz Phone 2 Features

The new Leica Leitz Phone 2 runs Android 12 OS with a customized interface inspired by Leica. For one, the phone showcases a special widget highlighting pictures shot by Leica photographers. Most of the new phone's features are identical to the Sharp Aquos R7.

The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1chipset paired with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of default UFS 3.1 storage. Leica has also included a microSD card slot for further memory expansion up to 1TB.

Upfront, the new Leica Leitz Phone 2 flaunts a pro-IGZO OLED panel with a WUXGA+ resolution of 2730 x 1260 pixels. It offers a 240Hz refresh rate, 2,000 nits of peak brightness, and supports 10-bit color depth. Leica has also included Dolby Vision and an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for the screen.

The new Leica Leitz Phone 2 packs in a 5,000 mAh battery with support for wireless charging. It comes with an IP68 rating and includes connectivity options like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C port, headphone jack, and more.

Leica Leitz Phone 2 Price, Availability

Just like its predecessor, the newly announced Leica Leitz Phone 2 is currently limited to the Japanese market. The phone is priced at ¥225,360 (around ₹1,27,915) and is available in a single Leica White color option.

Leica Leitz Phone 2 vs Other Camera Phones

The newly launched Leica Leitz Phone 2 undoubtedly packs an advanced camera setup. From the looks of it, this is a smartphone developed for mobile shutterbugs and professionals rather than a device that everyone can use.

While the Leica camera phone is an advanced one, devices like Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14 are built for everyone to use. Moreover, these phones are available in a wider market, which gives them an advantage. Nevertheless, if you still want to check out the Leica Leitz Phone 2, it begins sale and shipping on November 18.

You can read more about the Leica Leitz Phone 1 here