Leica’s 47.2MP Leitz Phone 2 Has ‘Largest Sensor Ever’ in a Phone

Leica has announced the Leitz Phone 2, a successor to the Leitz Phone 1 that it launched in 2021 with more than twice the resolution, which the company claims is the largest sensor ever in a smartphone.

As explained on Leica’s website, the Leitz Phone 2 features a Type 1 47.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor that works “hand-in-hand” with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. The company says this combination allows it to activate different sensor modes depending on the scene and environment.

“The result is brilliant quality that is unsurpassed in the smartphone industry — even in low lighting or with high-res images taken in high-resolution mode,” Leica says. “The camera uses special pixels to set the autofocus and enable extremely fast photography that delivers sharp images in nearly any situation. Images can be saved in RAW or JPEG format.”

The sensor features what Leica calls an “Octa PD-AF” (phase detection) system that is powered by subject recognition artificial intelligence. The result is what Leica promises is high-speed, high-precision autofocus.

The camera has a 19mm f/1.9 lens, which the company says allows it to take clear photos with high dynamic range and low noise. that camera features a 6x digital zoom while the front-facing camera features an 8x digital zoom (that sensor is a 12.6-megapixel camera with a 27mm f/2.3 lens).

“The Leitz Phone 2 bears the name of a visionary and our company founder. It also pays tribute to the innovative thinking and actions of his son Ernst Leitz II, who revolutionized the world of photography in 1924 by introducing the first 35mm camera,” Leica says. “Leitz Phone 2 shares in this same proud legacy. It is based on the power to innovate and a tradition of enduring values that have lasted for over a century. The Leitz Phone 2 remains true to this philosophy and marks another high point among the many milestones of the Leica brand.”

As is generally the case with smartphones that bear the Leica name, the Leitz Phone 2 has access to “Leitz Looks” that simulate Leica M lenses and cameras, and the Leitz Phone 2 will also emit a shutter sound along with camera UI and quick settings akin to that of Leica cameras.

Specifically, the Leitz Phone 2 mimics the focal length and bokeh of the Summilux 28mm, Summilux 35mm, and Noctilux 50mm. It also features color and tone filters in four colors that mimic the “deep color tone” of Leica cameras. A full technical sheet of the camera can be found on Leica’s website.

Below are a few sample images taken with the Leitz Phone 2, captured by photographer Anju:

At the time of publication, the Leica Leitz Phone 2 is only being made available in Japan (which was also the case of the Leitz Phone 1) through SoftBank. It will be available to purchase on November 18 for 225,360 yen, which is about $1,590.

Image credits: Leica