Leica has unveiled the Leitz Phone 3, its third smartphone with enhanced imaging capabilities, unique features, rich camera modes and more. However, the phone will only be available in Japan.
IT Home notes that the core image components of the Leitz Phone 3 follow the configuration of the previous model, the Leitz Phone 2, the rear main camera is still 47.2MP 1-inch sensor, with “eight-phase detection autofocus” function, Leica says the sensor delivers fast, accurate focus and excellent photo quality in low-light environments, and the camera is paired with an equivalent 19mm f / 1.9 lens. The front-facing camera is 12.6 megapixels, with a wide field of view of 78 degrees and an aperture of f / 2.3.
While the sensor specs are unchanged, the Leitz Phone 3 is getting a lot of upgrades in other areas. First of all, the body has a completely new design, which Leica says reflects its pursuit of functional aesthetics. The back has a “premium polyacrylic texture” that feels like a Leica camera. The weight of the machine is 209 grams, thin and compact.
In terms of performance, the Leitz Phone 3 is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and is equipped with 5000mAh large-capacity battery, which supports wireless charging. The screen is a 6.6-inch Pro IGZO OLED screen with a 240Hz refresh rate, a resolution of 2730 x 1260 pixels, and a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits. In addition, the phone has 512GB of storage space and can be expanded to 1TB with the microSDXF UHS-1 memory card. It is worth mentioning that the Leitz Phone 3 retains the 3.5mm headphone jack and uses the USB-C port.
In addition to the hardware upgrade, the software aspect of the Leitz Phone 3 has been optimized. Leica says it has rearranged the app ICONS to make the entire interface simpler and easier to use, which also makes Leica features like “Golden Hour” and “Leica International Photography Gallery” easier to find and use. The Golden Hour feature alerts users an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset, when the light is especially warm for great photos. The Leica International Gallery of Photography continues to showcase the work of Leica photographers from around the world.
The Leitz Phone 3 brings “Leica Perspective Control” to smartphones for the first time. This feature, previously only available on Leica cameras, corrects vertically tilted lines, such as line deformations common in architectural photography. The gyroscope inside the phone measures the Angle of the camera at the time of shooting, and the algorithm calculates the corrected image. The new image is displayed in a white rectangle, and the user can choose whether to apply correction or not. It should be noted that this feature only works for JPEG photos, and the original DNG file will not be modified.
The Leitz Phone 3 also adds a new “Leica style” and “Leica tone” to the software. Among them, the “variable aperture” Leica style can simulate the aperture effect of a variety of classic Leica lenses, such as the Noctilex-M 50mm f / 1.2, Sumirux-M 28mm f / 1.4 and Sumirux-M 35mm f / 1.4. Leica says users can control the blur effect by using software to set aperture values such as f / 1.2, f / 1.4 and f / 8. “This feature offers up to 6-7 stops (depending on the lens), providing a unique level of control for creative photography,” Leica says.
In addition, Leica says that the image quality of the Leica Style camera mode has been “significantly improved” in three areas: more accurate spot representation (including shape and color), finer object segmentation, and better Leica color simulation. The Leitz Phone 3 also includes new “Vivid” and “Enhanced” Leica tones, which provide more vivid colors and higher contrast and brighter shadows, respectively. In addition to these two new colors, the new phone still offers “monochrome,” “Classic Film,” and “Modern Film” colors, all of which were previously developed specifically for Leica smartphones.
Finally, the Leitz Phone 3 also adds a watermark option that displays the aperture, ISO, shutter speed, focal length and Leica logo on the finished photo, which Leica says “enhances brand recognition” and adds “a sense of professionalism.”
The Leitz Phone 3 will be available exclusively in Japan starting April 19 at an undisclosed price.