Huawei and Leica parted ways some time ago, following a team-up that helped build the Chinese brand’s Xmage camera tech. Rumours now suggest that DJI could step into the void left by the German company. Exactly what that will look like remains a mystery, but it’s not the first time the pair were rumoured to be in cahoots.
Previously, DJI and Huawei were thought to be working on an actual camera. A DSLR, specifically, with the drone/camera-maker providing much of the expertise needed by Huawei. That never got off the ground, but it seems the two Chinese companies have remained close. And, if leaks are any indication, they’re about to get much closer.
Play it, DJI
It reads, as far as machine translation goes, like the partnership will involve the two Chinese companies keeping their respective tech mostly to themselves. Better interoperability appears to be the planned outcome. There’s no sign, right now, that an Osmo camera system will be ported to Huawei’s range of smartphones.
Instead, “the Huawei Pura series, equipped with HarmonyOS 6.1, can achieve seamless system-level interconnection with gimbal cameras like the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, supporting high-speed direct transmission of 4K video without third-party apps and split-screen editing on foldable screens”
At least, that’s what is reported so far. The timing and team-up make sense. Honor’s still-upcoming Robot Phone promises to make life uncomfortable for its smartphone competitors and anyone who makes a gimbal camera. Huawei and DJI joining forces in this manner could be a way to make less flashy smartphone cameras more attractive than what is quite a radical take on Honor’s part.
