The Photos I’ve Taken on Xiaomi’s Leica Phone Are Some of My Best Ever

The Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi – to use its full name – is the latest collaboration between Xiaomi and iconic German camera brand Leica. This Android handset packs some impressive imaging hardware that allowed me to capture some of my favorite photos ever taken on a phone.

But more than that, this phone captures images that aren’t just “good for a phone”: they look great by any standard. In fact, it’s the best camera phone I’ve ever used, which is why I gave it the CNET Editors’ Choice award.

You can read more about the phone in my full review, but here I wanted to share a selection of my favorite images from the 2,000 or so I took throughout my testing period. Let’s go.

First of all, this photo of pigeons flying above us. I took this with the main camera and I’m delighted with how quickly I was able to capture the perfect moment as the bird circled with its wings outstretched.

I used the Leica Chrome color profile, which produces great image tones and in fact is the same film profile that I use when shooting images with my current Leica Q3 43. I like that the phone has the same tones built in and the results are remarkably similar.

Here I switched to high contrast black and white mode. By exposing the bright sky behind, the bird is plunged into complete darkness, creating this stark silhouette. I took this using the 8x hybrid zoom mode to frame the bird between its perch and the roof above. The finest details are exceptionally sharp and I love that I was able to capture such a dramatic image on a phone.

In fact, the phone does a great job capturing moody tones. Many of its competitors use a lot of image processing to try to artificially brighten shadows, but that’s not the case here. Instead, I was able to expose the highlights in the distance, creating this minimalist, muted image that celebrates the darker tones of an image rather than trying to eliminate them.

With an 8x hybrid zoom, those seagulls stay sharp.

I love this night scene overlooking St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Despite the low light, the phone captured an excellent exposure with perfect colors and plenty of detail. It’s a tricky photo with any camera, but from a phone I’m particularly impressed.

I love street photography and here I was able to use the zoom to isolate this subject while he takes a smoke break. The Chrome color profile helped achieve vibrant orange tones on walls and boxes while preserving the drama of deep shadows.

Another night scene, this time using 8x zoom and, yes, the Chrome color profile. I really think this should be the default color mode because it always delivers such beautiful tones and it worked particularly well here.

The phone also has a mode that aims to reproduce Leica’s Monopan 50 analog film. It worked well here, producing a well-exposed image with soft contrast and subtle film grain. I took some comparison images on real Monopan film and I can confidently say that the phone does an excellent job of simulating the film.

Taken at maximum zoom using high contrast black and white mode, I love the minimalism of this image. We have the boundary line of the cliff edge with the tiny addition of the two numbers towards the right of the frame.

Chrome did a great job producing deep orange tones and nice contrast in this nighttime pub scene.

I do a lot of this type of high contrast black and white street photography in my personal photography and I like the way the phone replicates the look I would expect from my real Leica camera.

I took this in Pro mode to capture images in DNG raw format. I then imported it into Adobe Lightroom to give it my own edit, lowering the bright sky slightly and adjusting the colors and grain to achieve a subtle cinematic look.

Although it was taken at night and using the 8x hybrid zoom, this photo is exceptionally sharp. I’m really impressed with how he captured the reflections from the building’s windows while still retaining enough detail in the darker areas.

The bright pops of color on these climbers contrast perfectly with the muted gray of the wall itself.

I’m so glad the phone didn’t try to artificially balance the exposure here. By keeping the background shadows as they were, we got an image that looks like it could have been taken with any professional camera.

I went down for this shot. The dog moved quite quickly, resulting in a little motion blur due to the relatively dim light of where I was. But the tones are superb and it’s a great moment to have captured, with the crossed legs of the character on the right.

This low-light photo was captured well by the phone in high-contrast black and white mode.

The condensation from the window really helped create some mystery in this image, resulting in an almost abstract scene that I’m glad I captured.

Here I used the ultra-wide lens in high contrast black and white mode. By manually underexposing the image, I was able to capture a deep contrast that transformed this concrete structure into an abstract, swooping form.

This image combines zoom, the Chrome color profile, and intentional underexposure to create a beautifully toned photo.

I did the same thing here, exposing the bright highlights from the top of the building, allowing the rest to fall into shadow.

A peaceful moment, perfectly captured on the phone.

Trying to take this photo in a split second, I missed the focus on the characters a bit but I still think it’s a great photo that combines a lot of elements.

Inside my favorite Edinburgh cafe, Santu, the natural yellow tones of the interior look rich and vibrant in the Chrome profile.

I really underexposed this image in order to keep the sky nice and moody. As a result, the entrance to the building turned black, creating this stunning setting with this stark beam of light passing through it.

I used these two figures as a foreground frame for my friend on the climbing wall behind.

Likewise, I used these coffee cups as a blurry foreground in this scene, which helps draw the eye to my friend’s face.

A slight attempt at composition in the style of Wes Anderson, with the figure positioned centrally with plenty of negative space on all sides.

Here I used the 8x hybrid zoom to focus my composition on the elements of the colored doors, the people on the walkway and the Bass Rock at sea in the background. Shot in DNG raw, I edited this image myself in Adobe Lightroom.