Mashable: Huawei has worked with Leica in the past to improve the performance of its Mate and P-series smartphones.

In order to strengthen and boost camera performance on the next flagship smartphones, Xiaomi has forged a "long-term strategic relationship" with camera and lens manufacturer Leica.

Huawei has worked with Leica in the past to improve the performance of its Mate and P-series smartphones. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has teamed up with Leica to produce the next smartphones, despite Huawei's ongoing challenges in Western markets.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra's successor is anticipated to be unveiled in July, according to the teaser. The device in issue, most likely the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, remains shrouded in secrecy. It's possible, though, that the recently announced Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chipset may be a viable option for a successor to the Mi 11 Ultra.

In the announcement post, the use of "strategic alliance in photography technology" suggests that to differentiate itself from the growing crowd of competitive tie-ups, as Zeiss has with Vivo or Oneplus and Oppo with Hasselblad. Leica has also collaborated with a number of other companies, including Sharp for the recently launched Aquos series in Japan.

When Xiaomi confirmed this relationship with Leica, they indicated that the first flagship smartphone camera system to benefit from this deal "would be formally unveiled in July of this year." It's also not clear if this relationship will see minor Leica software updates and color tuning, like the OnePlus-Hasselblad and Oppo-Hasselblad partnerships saw in recent years.