Xiaomi Leica partnership is HAPPENING, suggests MIUI Gallery

Xiaomi Leica deal seems to be happening, as suggested by the latest MIUI codes. Leica was previously associated with Huawei.

The rumoured Xiaomi 12 Ultra could have Leica filters and shooting modes like the Leica Leitz Phone 1. (Leica/SoftBank)

Xiaomi and Leica branding could share the same space on the former's phone, suggests latest leaks. Based on some internal digging of the MIUI Gallery app codes, it seems that Xiaomi and Leica could be coming together for one of Xiaomi's upcoming smartphones. This falls in line with the previous rumours that suggested Leica branding for the Xiaomi 12 Ultra cameras. Nothing official has been announced yet but we may not have to wait long.

Found by XDA member kacskrz within the Gallery Editor app in MIUI Chinese ROM, the codes suggest that you will be able to edit photos and videos with a Leica branded filter. No other trace of the Leica partnership has been found yet. There's also no clue now whether the Leica association will be restricted to Leica branded filters or more.

Xiaomi Leica deal hinted by MIUI codes

Leica has been associated the smartphone photography for several years now. We have seen some of the nicest camera phones from Huawei flaunting their Leica tuned cameras, dominating DxOMark benchmark charts like a pro. Huawei has had its own share of issues lately and it seems Leica doesn't want any part of that anymore.

Note that Leica already sells a smartphone of its own wherein it tunes the camera entirely on its own. The Leica Leitz Phone 1 is a limited editions special phone that gets a unique mode called Leitz Looks; it basically brings Leica's signature black and white look.

Xiaomi could be reserving this branding deal for its rumoured Xiaomi 12 Ultra, which is expected to be the successor to last year's Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. The Xiaomi 12 Pro already has some solid cameras on its back and with the Ultra, it could be looking to increase it edge with the Leica branding.

Moroever, the branding game for Android flagships has been at an all-time high these days. OnePlus and Oppo now bank highly on the Hasselblad branding whereas Vivo does the same with Zeiss. Note that Vivo uses the Zeiss T* coating on the lenses of its Vivo X70 Pro+. Only Samsung and Apple have refrained for using third-party branding for their high-end phones.