Leica will work hand in hand with Xiaomi , leaving its exclusivity with Huawei equipment .
The Chinese company Huawei has announced the end of its collaboration with Leica after the announcement of this company of its union with Xiaomi .
“We can confirm that the cooperation between our two companies ended on March 31,” a Huawei representative told Android Authority .
With this announcement, the Huawei P50 series that was launched globally earlier this year were the latest Leica -branded Huawei phones.
Xiaomi and Leica will go hand in hand
The confirmation comes after Xiaomi ‘s announcement that it is collaborating with the photographic sensor brand for the launch of a Xiaomi 12 Ultra in the middle of this year.
“Xiaomi and Leica share the same ideas regarding mobile photography. Both companies are eager to continue exploring optical performance and photographic experience through technological advances and aesthetic goals.”
Huawei ‘s confirmation is timely because Xiaomi ‘s statement did not specify whether its union with Leica was exclusive or whether the company could fulfill other contracts with other brands, in this case, such as Huawei itself.
Leica, a support in photography
Huawei and Leica started working together in 2016 for the P9 series and then for the Mate 9 family. In addition to the necessary hardware, they also worked on improving their software with general image adjustment, user-selectable color modes, portraits, and plus.
The partnership also coincided with Huawei ‘s strong rise both in the smartphone market and in terms of critical reception for its cameras. However, while the 2019 US trade ban didn’t affect Huawei ‘s ability to offer top-tier cameras, it severely hurt the maker’s smartphone sales, knocking it off the best-seller lists for years to come .