Bond’s phone in Skyfall is a quiet piece of product placement: a slim Android handset that does what a phone in 2012 needed to do and little more. The Sony Xperia T is the model Sony put forward as “The Bond Phone”, and it is now a piece of mobile history rather than something to carry. It is worth knowing for what it was, and for what it is worth today.
In the film
Daniel Craig’s Bond uses a Sony Xperia T in Skyfall (2012); the phone was provided by Sony. Sony and the O2 network in the UK also sold a Skyfall edition with film content and Bond packaging. The catalogue notes that the phone on screen may be the silver version rather than the black one. See our Skyfall page for more of what Bond carries.
The details of the Sony Xperia T
A 4.55-inch screen. The display is 720 by 1280 pixels, about 323 pixels per inch, under shatter-proof glass. For 2012 that was large and sharp; today it is small.
Slim and light. It measures 129.4 by 67.3 by 9.4mm and weighs 139g, so it slipped into a jacket pocket without pulling the cloth.
A 13 megapixel camera. The rear camera has autofocus, an LED flash and 1080p video, with a 1.3 megapixel camera at the front.
The hardware. Inside is a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, plus a microSD slot, NFC and a 1850mAh battery. It launched on Android 4.0.4 and could be upgraded to 4.3.
The Bond phone. The O2 Skyfall version came loaded with a 007 ringtone, themes, screensavers and images geo-tagged to the film’s locations, and arrived in special packaging.
Owning it now
Sony stopped making the Xperia T long ago, so it is found second-hand only; the button on this page searches eBay for used handsets. A modern phone does everything better. Where this one belongs is on a shelf, or in a drawer of favourite old things, rather than in your pocket. It uses a Micro-SIM and 3G bands, so it will not work on most networks today.
Which version? For the screen-accurate look, start with black or silver. The O2 Skyfall edition is the one with the film extras, and the packaging matters to collectors. Look for working condition and the original box.
Specifications
| Model | Sony Xperia T (LT30p) |
|---|---|
| Released | September 2012 (announced 29 August 2012) |
| Display | 4.55-inch TFT, 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Size and weight | 129.4 x 67.3 x 9.4mm, 139g |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus, dual-core 1.5GHz |
| Memory | 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, microSDHC slot |
| Camera | 13MP rear, 1080p video; 1.3MP front |
| Battery | 1850mAh |
| Colours | Black, grey, white |
| Status | Out of production; found second-hand |
Questions
What phone does Bond use in Skyfall?
Daniel Craig’s Bond uses a Sony Xperia T. Sony supplied it for the film and sold a Skyfall edition through O2 in the UK.
Can you still buy the Sony Xperia T?
Not new. It is out of production and found second-hand; the button on this page searches eBay for used handsets, so check condition and the original box.
Is the Sony Xperia T still usable?
Barely. It launched on Android 4.0.4 and could be upgraded to 4.3, and it was built for 3G networks of its day. We would buy one to keep, not to carry.
For more gadgets, see our gadgets and electronics category.
