In the form of its latest flagship, the Xiaomi 14, the brand is launching yet another smartphone with cameras co-engineered with Leica. Leica, as you might be aware, is an iconic brand with a rich history and enjoys a solid reputation among photography enthusiasts worldwide. As per Xiaomi, the partnership is not just a marketing arrangement but goes above and beyond… which is why they use the line “co-engineered with Leica” for the Xiaomi 14’s camera system. 
Xiaomi x Leica partnership
In terms of what Leica brings to the table with this partnership, the brand contributes extensively to how the camera system is designed, right down to the components used. The partnership covers all aspects of photography, both from a hardware and software standpoint, and Leica ultimately takes ownership of the final results. The German brand is involved in everything from optical design to the lenses and cameras, the image quality and tuning and finally the assessment and approval of the results. Kay Plaetke, Strategy & Business Development Manager Mobile, Leica, says the company is very happy about how the image quality has turned up on the Xiaomi 14. He emphasises that Leica has the final say on the image quality shot by the smartphone, indicating how seriously the brand takes this partnership.
Xiaomi 14 hands-on
Moving onto the device itself, Xiaomi 14 is, of course, a loaded flagship, and the first thing that really hits you is how compact it is in the hand. Premium compact flagships are hard to come by and I think Xiaomi has done a great job with the 14. Encased in glass and metal, the device gives off premium vibes, with its matte-finished glass back panel which is impervious to smudges and fingerprints.
Up front is a 6.36-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED display, with the square camera module dominating proceedings at the back with Leica branding right in the middle. Interestingly, Xiaomi has integrated an IR blaster into the camera module. It does seem like a weird location for an IR blaster, but with the Xiaomi 14, setting up new remotes does become easier since the screen is facing you while you’re trying out various remote control codes. As befitting a premium flagship, the Xiaomi 14 comes powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, along with 12 gigs of RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Now that’s the only storage variant that Xiaomi is bringing to India, but the phone will be available in three colours — white, black and jade green. There is a 4,610mAh battery complete with 90W HyperCharge and 50W wireless charging as well. Xiaomi HyperOS comes installed out of the box, though I would prefer fewer pre-installed apps, frankly speaking.
The Leica cameras
The main highlight of the Xiaomi 14 are its snappers, and you get a 50-megapixel 23mm f1.6 Leica camera, along with a 50MP f2.0 75mm floating telephoto and a 50MP f2.2 ultra-wide. There are a ton of shooting modes available and you can choose between Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant as your preferred photographic styles for the final output, depending on whether you like your colours natural or prefer a little more vibrant feel to them. Integrated into the punch hole in front is a 32MP snapper. While I’ll reserve my verdict on the cameras for the review, I did shoot a bunch of photos and early results look very promising. The Master-lens system on the camera setup includes features like 35mm black and white, 50mm Swirly Bokeh, 75mm portrait and 90mm soft focus modes, and the app also includes an assortment of other options and settings that provide immense creative control. I had a lot of fun trying them out. Check out some sample shots below.
To sum it up…
Unveiled globally at the Mobile World Congress, the Xiaomi 14 does come across as a solid option in the premium smartphone space. The Leica cameras might be the most prominent feature, but even otherwise, the handset promises to be a capable, powerful daily driver that has a lot to offer in terms of most other aspects like performance, charging speeds, display quality and more. For me, its compact size and great in-hand feel are also quite appealing. It remains to be seen how Xiaomi prices the new flagship in India, but regardless, the Xiaomi 14 should be able to find a place among the most capable and versatile camera smartphones this year.Disclosure: this writer visited Leica facilities in Wetzlar, Germany and MWC Barcelona on Xiaomi India’s invitation.
