The Leitz 2 Brings an Immersive Leica Experience in a Smartphone
Leica has revealed the Leitz Phone 2, the successor to the Leitz Phone 1 that was released in 2021. The new device has more than twice the resolution, and the company claims it is the largest sensor ever used in a smartphone. The Leitz Phone 2 has a new Type 1 (13.1 x 9.8mm) sensor 47.2MP CMOS sensor and is basically a Sharp Aquos R7 with the Leica branding.
The sensor is a 47.2MP Type 1 (13.1 x 9.8mm) CMOS sensor with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU, according to Leica. The company says that this combination lets it use different sensor modes depending on the scene and environment.
“The result is brilliant quality that is unsurpassed in the smartphone industry — even in low lighting or with high-res images taken in high-resolution mode,” Leica says. “The camera uses special pixels to set the autofocus and enable extremely fast photography that delivers sharp images in nearly any situation.”
The sensor contains a subject identification artificial intelligence-powered “Octa PD-AF” (phase detection) system. High-speed, high-precision autofocus, as promised by Leica, is the end result.
The 19mm f/1.9 lens on the camera enables it to shoot clean pictures with a high dynamic range and little noise. The rear camera has a 6x digital zoom while the front camera, which has a 12.6 megapixel sensor and a 27mm f/2.3 lens, has an 8x digital zoom.
“The Leitz Phone 2 bears the name of a visionary and our company founder. It also pays tribute to the innovative thinking and actions of his son Ernst Leitz II, who revolutionized the world of photography in 1924 by introducing the first 35mm camera,” Leica says. “Leitz Phone 2 shares in this same proud legacy. It is based on the power to innovate and a tradition of enduring values that have lasted for over a century. The Leitz Phone 2 remains true to this philosophy and marks another high point among the many milestones of the Leica brand.”
Here are some sample pictures by Anju:
The Leitz Phone 2 will capture both Raw and JPEG photographs that are processed by the company’s exclusive software engine, which the company claims gives images taken with the device the “Leica look.” Leica says that it has three different fake bokeh shooting modes based on “three iconic M lenses:” The Noctilux 50, Summilux 28, and Summilux 35. Despite Leica’s lack of clarification, it appears that these modes will use a digital crop to achieve the equal field of view of their respective lenses.
Leica also has dedicated color simulation settings, such as Monochrome, Cinema Classic, and Cinema Contemporary. Additionally, Leica has added a Golden Hour widget created especially for the Leitz Phone 2 that displays the best time to take pictures during the golden hour based on where you are.
Leica includes a magnetic lens cap to shield the protruding camera array on the back.
The Leitz Phone 2 is only available in Japan (at least for the time being), where it costs about 225,000 yen (about $1,580).
More info on Leica’s website.
