Leica made a $329 iPhone camera grip

Leica has announced a new iPhone accessory called the Leica Lux Grip designed to make using its iOS-only Leica Lux app feel more like shooting with its dedicated cameras. It adds a DSLR-style grip to the iPhone and features customizable function buttons, a two-stage shutter button, and a control dial. It’s available now for $329 in select Leica stores, the company’s online store, and other “specialist retailers.” That’s expensive when compared to other grip solutions that manage to include stabilization for less than half that price. But that might be more reasonable than you’d expect from a company that sells $23,000 platinum-plated film cameras and $500 pencil sets. Made with an aluminum housing that’s finished in black (but without the iconic Leica red dot) the Lux Grip attaches to iPhones using MagSafe. It can be used with the phone vertically or horizontally, and should be compatible with models dating back to the iPhone 12. [Image: The Leica Lux Grip can also be used to shoot with iPhones vertically. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/leica_lux_grip4.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The grip wirelessly connects to iPhones using Bluetooth, but to take full advantage of all of its controls, it’s designed to be used specifically with Leica’s mobile photography app that simulates the look and aesthetics of the company’s lenses and vintage photography gear. The app is free, but requires a $6.99 per month or $69.99 annual subscription to use all of its features. To soften the blow of the Lux Grip’s price tag, Leica includes a free one year subscription to the app. Leica says the Lux Grip’s 300mAh battery has enough power to take up to 1,000 shots, and it can be recharged over USB-C in about two hours. But unlike the Stage PowerGrip that Belkin announced at CES 2025, which houses a beefier 10,000mAh battery that can charge a connected phone, Leica’s grip only powers itself. At $149.95, Belkin’s grip is also less than half the price of Leica’s. And if spending $329 on an iPhone accessory doesn’t leave your wallet feeling stung, Leica also sells a $60 leather case for its Lux Grip that includes a pocket for hiding an AirTag. [Image: For an extra $60 you can store Leica’s Lux Grip in a leather case that includes room for an AirTag. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/leica_lux_grip3.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]