Leicas that takes phone calls? Yes. And there’s more than you think. Here’s the best Leica phones you can get right now that shoots outstanding images.
What does Leica have to do with phones?
When looking at Leica phones, the first thing to know is that Leica doesn’t really make the phones themselves. They are a camera company and not a phone company. How do Leica phones get made then? Well the phone companies come to an agreement with Leica and this partnership usually involves camera/lens design or more. So there’s different degrees of involvement depending on the Leica phone.
What you need to know about buying Leica phones
Also before you get yourself a Leica phone, you must make sure that it is UNLOCKED. If it isn’t then you will not be able to put in your SIM card and make calls. Well you will be able to put it in but the telephony part won’t work and you will be left with an Android powered Leica camera vs a phone.
Lastly, never, ever put your SIM card in an adapter. The phones below have the sim going inside the phone in a little sidling cart and the adapters have been known to rip these apart. You’ve been warned.
Best Leica phones you can get
| Name | Sensor Size | Lens | OS | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Leitz Phone 1 | 1 inch | Summilux 19mm f1.9 | Android 11 | Check on ebay |
| 2. Huawei P40 Pro + | 1/1.28 | Summilux 18/23/240mm f1.8/1.9/3.4 | Android 10 | Check on ebay |
| 3. Huawei P20 Pro | 1/1.7 | Summilux 27/27/80mm f1.6/1.8/2.4 | Android 8.1 | Check on ebay |
| 4. Panasonic CM1 | 1 inch | Elmarit 28mm f2.8 | Android 5 | Check on ebay |
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Unique design ✔️ Large sensor ✔️ Fast lens ✔️ Complete Leica touches | 🛑 Takes a while to arrive (Japan Import) |
This is by far the best Leica phone ever. While the other phones on this list are content to have Leica-designed camera and lenses, this is the only one on this list that is Leica all over. It starts with the design, this has a beautiful aluminum finish on the bezels and the rest of the phone is in luxurious black. The top of the phone looks like the top metal plate of an M or a Leica TL.
The back of the lens has a circular shape that comes with its own lens cap. This is crucial because since it has a small protrusion, the cap safeguards the lens from scratches or unwanted smudges when you are ready to shoot.
The interface itself has been designed by Leica and so did the camera app. The software boasts the Leitz engine that gives the images the Leica look with Bokeh, sharpness, colors and more. It also has Leitz looks that mimics iconic Leica cameras like the M Monochrom. But hey the main draw here is of course the camera specs.
This sports one of the fastest Leica lenses for the sensor size. It’s a Summicron f1.9 on a 1inch sensor. This is the largest sensor you can get on a smartphone and usually reserved for point and shoot cameras. The focal length is an unusual ultra-wide 19mm but with 20 megapixels, 28mm is a simple crop away.
This also embodies Leica’s camera philosophy. There’s only one focal length and that’s it. It’s all about the simplicity of photography and there is no camera array or fancy wizardry to distract you from this.
So if you want THE best Leica phone, this is it. This is the only one where Leica’s hands have not only been in the camera by also everywhere else. This is a Japan exclusive but since this is Android, there is no language barrier, you can change to English in the settings.
The most hassle-free way to get this is from eBay.
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Large sensor ✔️ Fast lens ✔️ Triple camera ✔️ Computational powers | 🛑 In many respects anti-Leica 🛑 Looks like every other phone |
One of the reasons why photographers shoot Leica is for the simplicity. Compare an M camera with a Sony and you see one just piles on the features while the other stays minimalist and classic. This Huawei phone is in many respects the anti-Leica phone. It was made in partnership with Leica but if you look at the camera features it’s overwhelming.
This is neither good nor bad, but this is not for you if you like the simplicity of Leica. This is more for you if you like all the bells and whisles from an iPhone or Galaxy phone but with the Leica magic behind it. There’s the triple cameras for various focal lengths that can do fancy stuff to make your images pop by combining different images from the sensors. You can also remove unwanted passerby, let the phone determine the best moment from a series of shots, etc.
While it has a large 1/ 1.28″ sensor, it’s smaller then than a 1 inch but it has 3 cameras so you have 18mm 23mm and 240mm and the wide angle is a pretty fast Summilux f1.8. But like I said, it’s a great feature list but Leica seemed to be relegated to the technical here and not the philosophy. So if you want the most modern smartphone with Leica’s magical sharp touch, this is it.
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Triple sensors ✔️ Dedicated Monochrome camera ✔️ Still holds up ✔️ Summilux lens | 🛑 Only found used |
If the Leica P40 is above budget, the second best Leica phone is without a doubt the Huawei P20 Pro. Just like cameras, just because a new one if out there, doesn’t make the previous version any worse. Compared to the latest P40 Pro +, this has a smaller 1/1.7 sensor and only two color cameras.
The whole wizbang features aspect is more muted here and Leica purists will like it more for this. But probably the moreth important thing to note is that this has two “regular” color camera but it has a dedicated monochrome camera, pretty unique for a phone.
The monochrome camera is a absolutely stunning and has the same benefits of Leica’s Monochrom line like increased sharpness. The main camera is a fast f1.8 27mm and the Monochrome camera has a blazing fast f1.6 lens 27mm attached to it. No wonder why there’s the Summilux name near the lenses!
The telephoto lens is 80mm and the f2.4 is still quite fast given the focal length. If you are a fan of simpler phones, this is more streamlined than the P40 pro +, if you do not mind the fact that this is an older generation phone. In any case, this is the only Leica Phone with a dedicated Monochrome camera, making it pretty special.
| Reasons to buy | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Large sensor ✔️ F2.8 lens, 28mm ✔️ Feels different ✔️ Small | 🛑 Slow operation 🛑 Stuck with old Android 🛑 Used only |
This is the final recommendation as the best Leica phone. Panasonic and Leica are no strangers to partnerships. So when Panasonic released the CM1, it had a Leica lens on there. This is the closest alternative to the Leitz Phone 1 that you can get but you can only find it used. If the micro USB wasn’t a dead giveaway already, this is an old phone that is stuck on Android 5.0 and it’s relatively slow if you used the latest and greatest.
If you are still not put off by this, this Leica phone is highly underrated. First of all this is one of the very few phones that are more camera-like then Phone-like. It’s thick and the front lens even has a twistable part. There is a dedicated camera switch and more importantly there is a dedicated shutter button.
It has the same sensor size as the Leitz 1 (1 inch sensor) but a slower Summicron f2.8 and a focal length of 28mm. While this is mostly a Panasonic phone, the philosophy is more Leica-Like then the P40. All you have is a moderately fast lens on a large phone sensor and one focal length…it doesn’t get simpler than that.
For sure this has been outclassed by the Leitz Phone 1, but if you are looking for an alternative this can fit the bill real well. Do note that many modern apps do not support Android 5 any longer so you might use this as a secondary phone/ camera instead. It’s worth it once you see how great the image quality is.
Best Leica phone alternatives
Can’t find something you like or out of budget? The Leitz Phone 1 uses the Arquos R6 as a base. It doesn’t have the custom software or the dashing looks but the same sharp lens. The non pro Huawei P20 is cheaper but without the monochrome camera. You can go cheaper if you look at the mate series. The Panasonic CM10 is like a non phone version of the CM1.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this article about the best Leica phones. The first phone that Leica went all in is the Leitz 1 and has a fast lens on a 1 inch sensor. There’s also the Huawei phones that have been made in partnership with Leica, the best one being the P40 Pro + and the older P20 Pro if you are on a budget. Lastly if you do not mind the old Android version, the CM1 sports a 1 inch sensor and Elmarit lens. Happy shooting!