Xiaomi on Monday has revealed a strategic partnership with Leica, and the first “imaging flagship” co-developed by the two companies is set to launch in July 2022.
In a joint press release, founder and CEO of Xiaomi Group Lei Jun says, “Xiaomi and Leica agree with each other’s pursuits and ideas and appreciate each other’s advantages and industry.”
Jun claims that the cooperation will boost Xiaomi’s imaging strategy that involves optical design and ‘tuning aesthetics orientations’.
CEO of Leica Camera AG Matthias Harsch adds, “It is an honor to announce the long-term strategic cooperation with Xiaomi.” Harsch promises “exceptional image quality, classic Leica aesthetics, unrestricted creativity,” and that the partnership will open a ‘new era of mobile imaging’.
The Huawei P50 Pro flexing the Leica moniker
Meanwhile, previous Leica partner, Huawei confirms that the “cooperation between our two companies ended on 31 March,” a company representative told Android Authority in an email query.
This means that the last Leica-branded phones were the Huawei P50 series that recently launched globally this year.
While the US trade ban did not affect Huawei’s strong imaging performance, it may have caused rough sales for the company, pushing Leica to explore other vista.
Huawei and Leica have been working together way back in 2016 with the P9 series and Mate 9 lineup, and now it’s the end of an era for them. While Xiaomi sets mobile imagery anew with Leica officially embracing their long-term partnership.
Huawei has been dead ever since the us ban took effect, this puts the nail in the coffin literally.