It took a long time, but LG is returning to building Windows Phone handsets. Verizon is launching the LG Lancet, the first LG handset running Windows Phone 8.1. LG created a handset for the original Windows Phone 7 launch back in 2010, but the company skipped Windows Phone 8 and it looked like it might never return to Microsoft’s mobile software. While many had hoped LG would return with an equivalent to the G4, the LG Lancet is the type of Windows Phone you’d expect to have seen announced five years ago.
LG is using a FWVGA (854 x 480) 4.5-inch display on the Lancet, alongside 8GB of storage (only 4GB is usable) and a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. There’s an 8-megapixel camera at the rear and a VGA front-facing one, adding to overall low-end smartphone specifications. While other devices on Verizon already support HD Voice Calling, the LG Lancet is the first Windows Phone on the network to include the feature. Overall, the LG Lancet is yet another example of how Windows Phone is focused on affordable and budget devices. Microsoft itself isn’t planning to launch a flagship high-end Lumia phone until later this year once Windows 10 is available, and it doesn’t seem like LG, HTC, or others are willing to until then either.