Xiaomi smartphone with Interchangeable Leica Lenses

I'll add my own caption... "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

I wonder if Leica had any real idea of where their affiliation would take them. The agreement between both companies was announced on May 23, 2022, with a proposed launch date somewhere in the following July for a new "smartphone", but there's no hint of it being some hybrid device. I doubt this is the device they signed up for, so now I'm wondering where the new joint product is that missed the July deadline.

If there was an adapted 'Magic 8 Ball' that tossed up business direction projections instead of fortune telling responses, I suspect it would provide an equally muddy answer to the original toy's quips, and they'd be as good a guess as anyones.

I suppose there's a suggestion with this pairing that there's either a presumed lack of good optics present on current and past mobile devices that they perceive as ripe for advancement, or that some optical expertise from Leica will help to expand on everything seen to date with something that hasn't been done before... like an automatic zoom in a single lens with internal movements only. Remember that Leitz and Leica have tons of expertise in microscope objectives using tiny precision lenses, and from a size perspective they're akin to what you find on the better phones with the higher resolution sensors where simple optics can show how bad they might really be under a little scrutiny.

These one-off (or in this case, ten-off) prototypes might be more technology hype than to-market targeting of actual products, and what they are planning could well be in a totally different direction. If there is even a hint of similarity, It might be that you're seeing the 'before' version of "how to get a Leica lens on your smartphone...", and eventually you'll be presented with the 'after' version they'll mas produce.

Another thought comes to mind too. I wonder if they approached Zeiss with the same interest in forming a partnership, and got turned down. They seem to be the other logical choice for this type of venture - or at least, they seem to be, with some assumptions about the underlying direction this seems to be going.