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Here's a quick demo reel of what the Leica Leitz 2's camera is capable of at different settings.

We also must mention the phone’s unique design features. Most prominent is the knurled frame of the phone, presumably to improve grip while taking photos. A really thoughtful and fitting addition is a lens cap, which magnetically attaches to the phone.

A minimalistic case is shown too. From what we can make out of the image, it will be possible to use it with the magnetic cap, but it’s sides are not jagged like those of the phone, which seems like a missed opportunity.

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The classical design approach of Leica has been translated to their second phone nicely.

Why is the Leica Leitz 2 exclusive to Japan then?

Well, plainly stated, the Leitz 2 is way less of a Leica phone and more of a Leica special edition for the Japanese-exclusive Sharp Aquos R7. Everything from the 5000 mAh battery capacity, through to the 6.6’’ OLED screen to the Snapdragon processor, and the image sensor is the same on both devices.

The design of the Aquos 7 is significantly simpler than that of the Leitz 2. Naturally, the extra grip and the red logo don’t make an appearance, and we can safely assume that the full manual camera controls and Leica camera post-processing are not present either.

So does this phone got anything more than Leica vibes going for it?

The Sony Xperia 1 IV is also a photography-focused phone, coming from one of the leaders in the camera industry. Its price point is a bit of a woozy, but it also offers a lot more camera-centric options.

For starters, it doesn’t rely as much on post-processing, but rather offers a camera app with a steep learning curve, but rich manual control options. That philosophy even extends to separate apps for cinematography and vlogging.

While the Leitz 2 definitely carries over Leica’s aesthetics to the physical body of the phone, when compared to a photography-centric phone like the Xperia 1 IV, that statement about the German company’s phone feeling like an overblown special edition starts to feel apt, to say the least.

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The single-camera setup helps sell the camera feel, even though it may seem outdated.

All that being said, Leica has proven in the past that they are capable of achieving magical results with their cameras, so who is to say that some of that technical wizardry can’t carry over to their latest phone?

The Leica Leitz Phone 2 comes only in the showcased white color and is being prepped to go on sale later this month, on the 18th of November for JPY 225, 360 (~1$,540). As of now, there are no plans to bring the device outside of Japan.