I Bought A Leica (Phone)

MrMobile (Michael Fischer) spent two weeks with the $2,394 Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica and argues it’s the rare co-branded phone that actually earns its premium.

• MrMobile paid $2,394 out of pocket on eBay for the Leitzphone plus optional photography kit; no manufacturer compensation.
• The phone is a Xiaomi 17 Ultra rebodied by Leica — aluminum frame with knurling, rotating bezel on 20 ball bearings, IP68 sealed.
• Three cameras: 50MP f/1.4 (23mm eq.), 50MP ultrawide (14mm eq.), 200MP variable telephoto covering 75–100mm via a moving optical assembly inside the phone.
• Imaging pipeline is trained on photos from the Leica M3 and M9 film cameras to emulate classic silver-halide grain and tonality.
• The optional photography grip adds a two-stage shutter, zoom lever, command dial, camcorder key, and a hidden 2,000 mAh battery that charges the phone in the field.
• Software runs Android 16 with a monochrome Leica UI, but ships with real bugs: weather widget mixes Fahrenheit and Celsius, some AOD settings appear in Chinese on the global model, icon theming is incomplete.
• Xiaomi promises software support through 2032; Snapdragon flagship chip, 16GB RAM, 1TB storage, 6,000 mAh battery.
• MrMobile says the phone resonates less with Leica purists (who mostly use iPhones) and more with hardcore phone fans who want unique hardware without a mainstream brand.

2026-04-16 · Watch on YouTube