Consumer TechHardware

I Bought A Leica (Phone)

MrMobile (Michael Fisher)
MrMobile (Michael Fisher)•Apr 16, 2026

Why It Matters

The Leica Lights phone demonstrates how premium branding and specialized hardware can create a niche flagship, influencing future collaborations between luxury optics and smartphone makers.

Key Takeaways

  • •Leica-branded phone costs $2,394, includes optional photography kit.
  • •New Lights phone built on Xiaomi 17 Ultra, not original Leica hardware.
  • •Unique active bezel and grip provide analog camera controls and extra battery.
  • •Triple‑camera system offers 50MP primary, 14MP ultra‑wide, 200MP variable telephoto.
  • •Software polish lags behind hardware, but design and brand appeal stand out.

Summary

The video reviews the Leica‑branded Lights phone, a $2,394 flagship that pairs Leica’s heritage with Xiaomi’s 17 Ultra hardware. The reviewer spent two weeks testing the device, its optional photography kit, and the co‑branding details, emphasizing that the phone is not a Leica‑built camera but a premium collaboration. Key insights include a redesigned aluminum frame with knurled grip, a rotating active bezel on 20 ball bearings, and a dedicated photography grip that adds a shutter button, zoom lever, and a 2,000 mAh auxiliary battery. The phone houses a triple‑camera stack—50 MP primary, 14 MP ultra‑wide, and a 200 MP variable telephoto—delivering Leica‑style image processing that emulates classic M3 and M9 looks. The reviewer praises the tactile experience, calling the phone “what the first Lights should have been,” and highlights the Leica styles, the analog feel of the bezel, and the unique lens cap. However, software quirks—buggy widgets, limited theming, and inconsistent always‑on‑display behavior—are noted as detractors. Despite these flaws, the device offers flagship Snapdragon performance, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB storage, and a 6,000 mAh battery, with software support promised through 2032. Its high price and niche appeal target Leica enthusiasts and hardcore mobile photographers seeking a distinctive, non‑AI‑driven camera experience.

Original Description

$2,394. That's how much it cost me to eBay the latest Leitzphone (plus its optional photography kit). If you know Leica, you know that’s the price to pay for the privilege of bearing one of the most coveted camera brands in history ... and I’ve spent two weeks trying to condense my thoughts about this latest "Leica Phone" into something coherent.
From one viewpoint, it’s an impostor: a cynical money grab that wasn’t even built by Leica, can’t live up to the quality and won’t hold the value of a real camera. But while I understand that reflexive cynicism, I don’t share it. Because in my view, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica is everything a special-edition smartphone should be: it’s respectful to the heritage of the brand it’s building upon; it brings features (and photos) no other phone can produce; and it’s based on a flagship foundation with very few compromises. I’m MrMobile and I love this thing; lemme tell ya why.
[ABOUT MRMOBILE'S XIAOMI 17 ULTRA / LEICA LEITZPHONE REVIEW]
This video was produced following over two weeks with a Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi (aka Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica) purchased by MrMobile. The device was tested on T-Mobile and Google Fi in New York City and San Francisco.
MrMobile does not offer manufacturers the opportunity to preview, edit or approve content before publication. Neither Xiaomi, nor Leica, nor any other manufacturer provided compensation or editorial input in exchange for this coverage.
[LINKS]
Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review: A Camera That Happens to Also be a Phone [PetaPixel]:
Leica vs "Leica" – Xiaomi 17 Ultra [Tyler Stalman]:
[CHAPTERS]
00:00 Should a "Leica phone" exist?
1:11 Hardware heritage done right
03:04 The accessory you shouldn't skip
05:23 Camera testing (NYC/SF)
09:41 Software ups and downs
13:09 I like-a this Leica
14:31 Outro & Disclosures
[SOCIALIZE]
[DISCLOSURES]
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here:
#leica #xiaomi #xiaomi17ultra #leitzphone #leicaphone #xiaomi17 #camera #mobilephotography #phonephotography #smartphones #android #tech #google

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