Manufacturer claims opening of facility in Germany will see the companies deliver the most advanced innovations in smartphone cameras
Huawei and Leica Camera have expanded their relationship with the establishment of a jointly operated research and innovation centre.
The Max Berek Innovation Lab will be located at the imaging specialist’s global HQ in Wetzlar, Germany, and will drive further development of optical systems and software-based technologies to improve imaging quality in a range of photographic and mobile device applications.
It will also include the creation of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). In addition to R&D resources from both companies, they plan to collaborate with German and international university and research institutions.
This announcement comes seven months after the public announcement of Huawei and Leica’s technology partnership and five months after the launch of the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus smartphones, which use lens technology from Leica.
Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei (pictured right) said: “In the future, over 90 per cent of data traffic will be images and videos. The Max Berek Innovation Lab provides the capacity to establish an even closer partnership with Leica, leading to continuous improvements in image and video quality.
“As a result, we will deliver the most advanced innovations in the smartphone camera market and bring greater value to consumers.”
Leica Camera AG majority shareholder and chairman of the advisory board Dr. Andreas Kaufmann (pictured left) said: “With the founding of the Max Berek Innovation Lab, Huawei and Leica Camera AG are expanding the scope of their successful strategic relationship and laying the foundation for close collaboration in research and development of groundbreaking technologies in the imaging segment.”