Xiaomi's first Leica phones aren't coming to global markets

Xiaomi announced a partnership with venerable camera brand Leica earlier this year, with the 12S series being the first phones as part of the deal. Unfortunately, the Chinese smartphone brand says it won’t be offering these devices in global markets.

“Xiaomi will offer Xiaomi 12S Series exclusively in Mainland China,” the company told Android Authority in an emailed response to a question about global availability. However, the company added that the partnership will eventually bear fruit outside China too.

“Our strategic partnership in imaging technology will have long-term impacts beyond the scope of this series, into Xiaomi’s international markets,” the company continued.

What does this mean for Xiaomi/Leica phones?

In other words, those who want Xiaomi’s first Leica-branded phones might have to import a device. However, it certainly sounds like the company is working on other Leica-branded phones for global markets.

Xiaomi also has a habit of rebranding devices for global markets, so we could theoretically see Xiaomi 12S series phones get a new name in other regions.

Either way, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in particular is one of the most impressive camera phones we’ve seen yet. The device packs a one-inch 50MP main camera and a pair of 48MP secondary cameras (for ultrawide shots and ~5.2x periscope zoom).