This morning, Leica and HUAWEI announced a partnership that they claim is going to change smartphone photography. Specifically, the press release states that it’s going to apply to the optics and the camera within the phones.

This is evident in the press release where Dr. Andreas Kaufmann of Leica Camera AG states  “I’m pleased and convinced that the traditional German medium-sized company Leica Camera will bring its values and comprehensive expertise in optical engineering to the long-term partnership with HUAWEI in order to achieve the best possible imaging results in the field of smartphone photography – and to take it to the next level of quality.”

The release seems to consistently harp on optical quality–which leads to me to believe that they’re going to work specifically on the lenses and not necessarily the sensors or interface. Judging from the output that Leica cameras have been delivering as of late, I’m pretty sure that the sensors are from Toshiba.

This could also mean that HUAWEI phones may also go up in price; but it could also mean HUAWEI phones with a Leica badge on them–which the Chinese are sure to purchase in droves considering their affinity for Leica products. But the latter is most likely not going to happen considering all the hints in the press release.