I've Finally Got My Dream Camera Phone: Xiaomi's Leica Leitzphone Review

5 hours ago 1

Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi

Pros

Stunning image quality
Plethora of Leica color effects
Physical ring to control camera settings
Powerful processor performance

Cons

Very high price
Battery life could be better
Not sold in the US

I've Finally Got My Dream Camera Phone: Xiaomi's Leica Leitzphone Review
Xiaomi Leitzphone: Camera quality
Xiaomi Leica Leitzphone: Processor, software and battery life
Leica Leitzphone performance comparison
Xiaomi Leica Leitzphone: Should you buy it?
How we test phones

The Xiaomi Leica Leitzphone is the best, most exciting camera phone I have ever used. And I've used them all, including Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra. And while they're both great phone cameras for most people, Xiaomi and Leica's latest collaboration has resulted in a handset that's arguably more camera than it is phone.

The Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi -- to use its full official name -- is Xiaomi's latest flagship Android phone, developed in partnership with the iconic German camera brand Leica. You can buy the standard Xiaomi 17 Ultra in a more conventional form, with minimal Leica branding. But it's the Leitzphone version that has the photographer in me buzzing like a hive of bees that just heard honey prices are set to soar.

But why? Well, it bears the Leica red dot logo, has Leica etching on the sides, a host of Leica filmic color styles to shoot with and it has a function hardware wheel on the back of the phone that actually turns to control camera settings. It'll even be sold in Leica's own physical stores here in the UK.

Mix in its supercharged processor and the glorious display and this phone becomes an all-round powerhouse that's well-deserving of its flagship title. I've taken thousands of photos while testing with the Leitzphone, and I am stunned by the results I've achieved. Its images aren't just "good for a phone;" they're downright superb for any camera, which is why it was an easy decision to award the phone a coveted CNET Editors' Choice award.

It costs £1,700 in the UK, which converts to roughly $2,300 (though it won't be officially sold in the US), so it doesn't come cheap, but nothing with a Leica logo does. However, if you're looking for the ultimate imaging experience in a phone, pay attention. Let's dive in deeper and take a look at the most important part: the camera.

Xiaomi's Leitzphone Looks Exactly Like a Leica Phone Should

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Xiaomi Leitzphone: Camera quality

This phone is all about the camera, so if you're simply not that bothered about photography, then check out our other favorite Android phones. Maybe take a peek at our early coverage of Samsung's new Galaxy S26 range. Those of you still here and lusting after amazing photos on the go: strap in, you're in for a treat.

The phone's main camera uses something called a LOFIC image sensor, which stands for Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor (in case you were curious). It's basically a brand-new sensor technology designed to deliver much better dynamic range in a single image. That's helped, too, by the sensor's large size and the high-quality Leica Summilux lens sitting in front of it.

The Photos I've Taken on Xiaomi's Leica Phone Are Some of My Best Ever

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The phone's telephoto zoom lens has moving lens elements, allowing it to achieve a continuous zoom from 75- to 100-millimeter focal lengths, rather than relying on digital cropping. And to control it all, there's a big lens ring on the back that actually turns to control the zoom, or as I've set mine to, the exposure compensation.

But it's not just the hardware that's impressive here; the Leitzphone has the exact same color profiles that you'll find on Leica's actual cameras and film. It all makes this handset the best-equipped camera phone, ahead of any of its rivals. And it's why I've shot somewhere just north of 2,000 photos on it so far during my testing.

Images are packed with detail and glorious colors, especially when using the Leica Chrome color profile. I love how rich the photos are, with deep, natural shadows that are increasingly rare these days in images from other phones. Some of Xiaomi's rivals go way overboard with image processing, attempting to lighten shadows so much that it kills much of the image's drama. But that's not the case here: The Leitzphone can take images that serious photographers will genuinely love.

But you'll have to put in some work, too. I'll often shoot in Pro mode, twisting the control ring to manually underexpose the image to emphasize the shadows and create mood in my images. Or I'll shoot in high-contrast black-and-white mode for a punchy look that's perfect for high-impact street photography. I actually love dabbling in street photography, and a lot of my personal work on "regular" cameras is in a similar high-contrast black-and-white style, so it has been great fun using the phone in much the same way.

What surprised me about this phone is how similar my workflow has been to my regular shooting style with my own Leica Q3 43. I almost always shoot using the Chrome profile on my Q3 43, as I adore the tones it delivers, and I'll typically underexpose a shot to achieve the same rich shadows. The Leitzphone works exactly the same way, and I've been really pleased with how closely those colors match between the phone and the camera.

There's also a mode that mimics a roll of Leica's Monopan 50 black-and-white film. I've shot a few rolls of that on both Pentax and Leica film cameras and the results are pretty similar to what the phone achieves, with comparable contrast and film grain. If you love shooting monochrome images, you'll love taking this thing out and about.

The camera's exposure and colors remain excellent at night, too, especially when using the Chrome style, which I honestly feel should just be the default; it looks so good. Details do get quite mushy at night, but unless you're really pixel peeping, it's unlikely to be much of a problem.

A storefront at night light by four lights

Is the camera quality as good as my actual Leica camera? No, of course not -- my Q3's lens and full-frame image sensor definitely produce better, more natural-looking images. But it's a professional camera that costs me thousands of pounds more than the phone costs, so I'd be pretty mad if my real Leica couldn't hold its own against even the best phone.

There is evidently plenty of software processing still going on behind the scenes on the Leitzphone, with some shots showing too much noise reduction and digital sharpening for my taste. There's a 200 megapixel mode that creates an enormous image but the fine details often become a weird sort of watercolor painting, so I don't really see the point in adding extra resolution when it's not actually adding any extra detail.

So it's not perfect as such, but it's still probably the best camera phone I've ever used and certainly the one I'd most want in my pocket on a photography outing.

Xiaomi Leica Leitzphone: Processor, software and battery life

Thankfully, the rest of the phone is pretty good, too. It runs Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which delivers swift navigation and tons of power for playing demanding games like Genshin Impact. It performed well on our processor benchmark tests, putting it up there with other Gen 5-equipped phones like the OnePlus 15 or Honor Magic 8 Pro.

Leica Leitzphone performance comparison

Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi 3,609 10,784iPhone 17 Pro Max 3,907 10,023OnePlus 15 3,670 11,061

Geekbench 6 (single core)
Geekbench 6 (multi-core)

Note: Longer bars equals better performance

The 6.9-inch OLED display is bright and vibrant and the phone's IP68 rating means you can take it out in the rain without any worry about water damage.

The Leitzphone runs Android 16 and comes with a custom interface with Leica-esque monochrome app icons and wallpapers. I actually don't love it because I struggle to tell which app is which without color cues. But I easily swapped it for a different theme. While Xiaomi provides a few AI tools and features, including a translation tool, its AI is mostly just the usual Google add-ons like Gemini Advanced and Circle to Search. I'm extremely grateful that Xiaomi has focused on delivering an amazing experience across the phone, without relying on AI gimmicks. Samsung could take note.

The Leitzphone has a 6,000-mAh battery, which is decent, but not quite up there with the best. It dropped from full to 85% remaining after our three-hour video streaming test, which is a solid effort, though it didn't quite beat the 90% or more achieved by the OnePlus 15 or iPhone 17 Pro Max. Still, you won't struggle to get a full day of mixed use from it.

I found I could rinse the poor thing from full to around 60% remaining with half a day of constant photography use, so if you're heading out for a day of photography on your vacation it's worth carrying a battery pack to help keep some power for the evening. Or keep a fast charger in your bag -- it supports wired charging up to 90W-speeds with a compatible charger, so even a short boost will be enough to give a few hours of use back. If you're using it as a more regular phone, with some photography every so often then you can comfortably get through a full day -- with lighter use I've had as much as half the battery remaining at the end of a day.

Xiaomi Leica Leitzphone: Should you buy it?

The main reason to spend big on this phone is its stellar camera setup. So if you're not that into photography, then this is easily one to skip. Or at least you might want to look at the regular Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which strips out some of the Leica-branded stuff and the settings wheel but keeps much of the other hardware, including the LOFIC sensor and telephoto zoom. It should come with a lower price tag as a result. Camera stuff aside, the Leitzphone and the 17 Ultra are on par with any other Android flagship you'll find right now.

But for those of you who really take your photography seriously and want the ultimate camera phone, complete with that iconic red dot, the Leitzphone is absolutely worth considering. No Leica comes cheap, and this one is no exception, but that high price comes with the reassurance that you'll always have a camera with you capable of capturing the images you truly want to take.

How we test phones

Every phone CNET's reviews team tests is used in the real world. We test a phone's features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it's bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP rating for water resistance. We push the processor's performance to the extremes using standardized benchmark tools such as GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.

All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions, from bright sunlight to dark indoor enviornments. We try out special features such as night mode and portrait mode, and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily, as well as running a series of battery drain tests.

We take into account additional features including support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds and foldable displays, among others that can be useful. We balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether the phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. While these tests may not always be reflected in CNET's initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.

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