Ericsson T68 Sharkfin

Year: 2000
Prototype level: Cancelled
Codename: Mia

Overview

The T68 Sharkfin was an early Ericsson prototype developed during the creation of the T68. Its distinctive external antenna and magnesium construction set it apart from the later production T68, which adopted an integrated antenna and a substantially revised hardware design. In fact, the Sharkfin shares virtually no significant hardware with the final T68, including the display, circuit board, CPU, battery, frame, joystick, keyboard and SIM-card holder. The Sharkfin design was presented to Ericsson management, but the concept was ultimately rejected and development moved towards the design that became the commercial T68. The Sharkfin represents an early direction in the development of Ericsson’s first mobile phone with a colour display. Only a very small number of these prototypes are known to have survived.

The Sharkfin sits close to the boundary between Prototype I and Prototype II in the collection’s classification. While it was developed as part of the T68 project, it is not simply an early version of the commercially released phone: its hardware and physical design are fundamentally different, and the Sharkfin concept was rejected before the final T68 design was established. For this reason, the collector classifies the Sharkfin as Prototype I.