Sharp Aquos R6 Leak Hints At Leica Collaboration

Although a well-established name in the photography industry, Leica has mostly been known in the smartphone market through Huawei's flagship phones, particularly the ones that took the top spots in benchmarks. That exclusive partnership has pretty much ended and other phone makers have been quick to pair up with the camera and optics maker. Apparently, OnePlus isn't the only one aiming for that distinction and Sharp's next premium phone might also bear Leica's name, though perhaps in an odd way.

It might surprise some to hear that Sharp is actually still making smartphones and it has indeed been less active in the global market. It has, however, been more consistent in Japan where it might be launching a new Aquos R6 that will have Leica branding. Based on these leaked renders, however, it's going to be a strange smartphone as far as photography is concerned.

Camera leak tipster Nokishita shared on Twitter what is allegedly the Aquos R6 that will be announced on Monday. On the front, the phone will finally adopt a punch-hole cutout after sticking so long with notches. The screen's edges are also very curved, giving it the appearance of almost having no bezels at all.

The most interesting part, however, is the back with what looks like only two cameras. One of those, however, is an extremely large sensor, almost looking like the lens of a regular camera. It's not evident in the images but this camera system is supposedly co-engineered with Leica.

This admittedly makes for an intriguing camera setup, one that flies in the face of modern smartphone conventions with at least three cameras. Whether that performs just as well as those, however, will be the real test of that formula and Leica probably won't lend its name to something that performs worse compared to cheaper mid-range phones.