GoKawiilI called Xiaomi and Leica's Leitzphone "the best camera phone I have ever used" when I reviewed it in March, and I meant it. This phone has some astonishing chops when it comes to taking images that arguably make it more of a camera than a phone. But it's not the only phone I've said that about recently.
Oppo partnered with Hasselblad for its Find X9 Ultra, equipping the phone with a similarly potent lineup of specs that also makes it an absolute photography powerhouse. With both phones claiming to be basically the best around, I wanted to put them to the test in a side-by-side shootout to see which one impresses me more.
I've been a phone reviewer at CNET for 15 years, but I'm also a professional photographer and photography YouTube creator. That means I have exceptionally high standards for phone cameras. Especially when they both have sky-high price tags.
Starting at £1,449 ($1,915), the Oppo Find X9 Ultra is unquestionably pricey, but it undercuts the £1,700 ($2,245) Leitzphone by quite a bit (neither phone is officially offered in the US). They're by no means cheap, with both more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro, so those of you looking toward these phones are right to expect pristine performance in every respect.
With huge price tags on both phones, they need to impress. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
That means I won't be pulling my punches here, but instead nitpicking at every little difference I can see. But it's important to keep in mind that some of what I'll conclude comes down to personal preference. Photography is an art form, and some aspects -- like how vibrant colors appear -- can be a matter of taste, rather than a subjective flaw in an image. While I'll be passing judgment, keep in mind that your experience may vary slightly.
At the end of the day, though, both these phones are exceptionally good at what they do, so it's going to be an interesting fight. Let's get going.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra vs. Leitzphone: Big hardware differences
Before we even get into photo comparisons, there are notable differences in the hardware of each phone. The Find X9 Ultra has an impressive setup of rear cameras, including a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, a 200-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and an additional 50-megapixel telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom.
Lots of big numbers, for sure, but the Leitzphone has some advanced trickery on its side. Its main image sensor is a physically larger 1-inch-type chip that employs a technology called LOFIC. I won't bore you with what that really means, but it essentially boils down to the sensor being able to capture high dynamic range images in a single shot, rather than combining multiple frames into a single photo, as is the more typical approach -- and the one used by Oppo's phone.
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