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Onscreen buttons and a marginally higher-resolution camera are certainly improvements, but a fully-priced Xperia T is hard to recommend over the now-discounted Xperia S.

For all its pluses, the TL just can't hold a candle to the superior battery life and gorgeous Super LCD display on HTC's equally priced device. Ultimately, the choice is yours: ... think wisely with your wallet when choosing between this economy-plus Xperia and the less-fresh One X.

The Sony Xperia TL is a fantastic value and Sony's best U.S. smartphone yet.

The Sony Xperia TL delivers fast performance, long battery life, a sharp camera and handy NFC features for a good price.

The Xperia TL for AT&T brings Sony up to speed with a fast, reasonably priced smartphone that will please average users and James Bond aficionados alike.

Sadly, the Bond Phone holds only so-so performance, a decent but not-great camera, and an ambitious body design that ends up being more form than function. The only Bond that Q might bequeath such a modest handset to is Peter Sellers.

The Xperia T is slightly more difficult to love than some of its rivals. But it also comes in as more affordable, thanks to its slightly below-top-rung position, so if budget is a concern and a large, impressive display is on your list, it's certainly worth considering.

If you own the Xperia S, there's little reason to view this as a potential upgrade, as enhancements over Sony's precious flagship phone are minor. However, if you're moving on from an older device, it's certainly worth considering.

The sturdy arched design will appeal to many, and the 13MP camera will let you capture those impromptu moments on the fly because of the dedicated shutter key. There are no major gripes with the handset either – it is zippy, with expandable storage and easy to access card slots.

Sometimes it's not enough to simply have the best around - you want to make a statement. Where some makers let the numbers talk, Sony are trying to appeal to emotions with the Xperia T's top notch design and feel. We're happy with the meal, but we guess there's room for dessert.

The Xperia T gets a lot of things right, including performance, its camera and Sony’s implementation of Android, but it doesn't quite have that wow factor.

Even though it's officially James Bond's phone, we found it hard to get excited about the Xperia T. It's a great phone performance-wise, and the screen and camera are among the best we've seen, but it struggles to stand out from the crowd.

For some gadgeteers the plasticky build stops them dropping US$700+ on the Samsung. If that’s you, and you want a big HD screen with Sony’s camera and entertainment expertise, plus features to feed your Facebook addiction in a slick package, the Xperia T is an excellent bet.

Sony made a gorgeous phone that seemingly has the potential to be the device that finally delivers its elusive home run hit. That potential is sadly wasted on a device that has just enough frustrations to be another link in a chain of disappointments.