Leica Leitz Phone 3 is official with 1-inch type camera sensor

The Leica Leitz Phone 3 is now official. As its name indicates, this is the third smartphone in the series. The last one was announced in 2022, while the first one arrived a year before that. Leica skipped 2023 entirely.

Yes, Leica collaborates with smartphone OEMs, primarily with Xiaomi these days. Still, the company does release its own smartphone from time to time. Its availability tends to be quite limited, though. This model is also made by Sharp, just like the previous ones.

The Leica Leitz Phone 3 will likely stay exclusive to its launch market

The Leica Leitz Phone 3 was announced in Japan, and it’s easily possible it’ll stay exclusive for that market. As you can see in the provided images, a flat display is used, with a centered display camera hole.

The sides of the phone are flat all over, while its corners are rounded. The backplate is slightly curved towards the sides. Speaking of which, that’s not glass on the back, but seemingly a more grippy material. We’re not sure what it is exactly, though.

It includes a 47.2-megapixel 1-inch Type sensor

The company used a 47.2-megapixel 1-inch Type sensor. It comes with a 19mm equivalent f/1.9 lens. On the front, you’ll find a 12.6-megapixel unit with an f/2.3 aperture lens and a 78-degree FoV.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC fuels this smartphone. This is quite interesting, as we expected the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Perhaps this phone was expected to launch last year? Who knows.

This handset also includes a 6.6-inch IGZO OLED display with a 2730 x 1260 resolution. It offers a 240Hz refresh rate, and its maximum brightness level is 2,000 nits.

A 5,000mAh battery is also included, and you also get access to expandable storage

Leica included 12GB of RAM inside the device, along with 512GB of expandable storage. A 5,000mAh battery is also a part of the package. Android 14 comes pre-installed here. The device is IP65/IP68 rated for water and dust resistance.

The phone does include some Leica tricks in the software, and it even includes a widget that alerts you an hour before sunset and after sunset so that you can take your best pictures. As you can see, a lens cam is also a part of the package.

This phone will go on sale in Japan in a week, on April 19. Don’t expect it to arrive in more markets, though.