Are our smartphones phones first or cameras first? For the past decade and a half, I’ve felt it was more of the latter. The Xiamoi 1t Ultra leans entirely into the latter, taking heavy inspiration from German camera company Leica’s range of vintage-inspired rangefinder cameras.
And my, oh my, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a phone that looks so good lying on its side. Is it getting steamy in here? No? Of course not. Right…
Xiaomi 15 Ultra: a long history of collaboration
Xiaomi and Leica have had a long collaboration, whereby the esteemed German companies’ lenses and camera technology have made their way into Xiaomi’s smartphones. The 15 Ultra is obviously more than just an aesthetic tribute—look at that massive, Leica-branded array of lenses—but we don’t have many more details on the specifications.
Looking closely at the photos, the black part appears to be textured for grips and, I’m sure, throwback vibes to old Leica cameras. It’s a very nice touch that demonstrates Xiaomi’s attention to detail. If it were just smooth, black plastic, it’d have derailed the entire effect, looking more like a 2000s point-and-shoot than a vintage rangefinder camera.
For party-poopers who aren’t digging the vintage silver-and-black colorway, Xiaomi will offer all-black and all-white versions. They look good too, but the effect isn’t the same. Ah well, some prefer the most understated look.
Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra launches on March 2, according to an X.com post by Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO on February 23. I gave up on keeping any phone caseless after destroying an iPhone XR (and a Galaxy S7, and an HTC One…) in epic fashion, but with looks this good, I think I’d have to chance it for the Xiaomi.
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