Leica is legendary for its cameras, but its phones don't feature in our best Android phones round-ups because they're mainly sold in Japan. And sadly it looks like that’s going to be the case for its latest Android phone, the gorgeous Leica Leitz Phone 2. While it's being shown off globally, it's only going on sale in Japan – although it's possible it might come to other markets next year.
At heart the Leica Leitz Phone 2 is a Sharp Aquos R7, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 inside backed up with 12GB of RAM. The display is a Sharp IGZO OLED with 2,730 x 1,260 pixel resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. But it's the camera bit that's really interesting.
The Leica Leitz Phone 2 is all about the optics
The Leica Leitz Phone 2 has a 47.2MP sensor with a 19mm f/1.9 lens, equivalent to 35mm. It can capture in JPEG or RAW and has three bokeh shooting modes based on iconic Leica M lenses, although Leica hasn't said which ones. There is also a selection of Leica colour modes and even a location-aware widget to let you know when it's going to be the golden hour, the famously beautiful time when the light is at its most gorgeous.
I love the design of this, especially the magnetic lens cap that snaps in place to protect that massive camera lens. And I like the way the camera lens is – no pun intended – the focal point of the entire design rather than a lump apologetically tucked away in a corner. The best phones are starting to look awfully samey, so it's always nice to see something a bit more bold.
The Leica Leitz Phone 2 goes on sale in Japan this week for 225,000 yen, which is roughly $1,580 / £1,370 / AU$2,415 and you can see the full specs on the Leica website.
