In a reveal of a previously “hidden project,” Xiaomi says that while it was developing the 12S Ultra, it was working on something else that was far more ambitious: a smartphone that can accept full-size Leica M-mount lenses.A Concept Design Made RealOriginally shared on the company’s Weibo before spreading on Twitter, Xiaomi says that the partnership between it and Leica could have gone a lot further in the camera direction than the 12S Ultra did.This “Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept Phone” took the basic design of the 12S Ultra and added a second Type 1 50.3-megapixel sensor in the middle of the camera bump that accepted an adapter and allowed users to mount full-size Leica M-mount lenses to it.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=jaronschneider&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1587699857392693256&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fpetapixel.com%2F2022%2F11%2F02%2Fxiaomi-shows-off-smartphone-that-mounts-full-size-leica-lenses%2F&sessionId=aa344ef85b12f9d8d88993a50421aa7cbafe9e68&siteScreenName=petapixel&theme=light&widgetsVersion=a3525f077c700%3A1667415560940&width=550pxEngadget reports that just 10 units of this smartphone were produced — each costing around 300,000 yuan or $41,210, presumably because of the included lens — and the company sent a few “influencers” the device for some brief hands-on time.Sample Photos Shot with Leica LensesThe concept device actually works, and the company shared some sample photos that are taken with it, which showcase the image quality:Not the First Smartphone Concept to Use Full-Size LensesXiaomi isn’t the first smartphone manufacturer to consider the benefits of using full-size camera optics on a smartphone, it just might be the first to make a native physical mount that is attached to the body."