ON THIS DAY: In 2015, we unboxed the Verizon LG Lancet with Windows Phone 8.1, a phone even I forgot about it
The article is a nostalgic retrospective marking Windows Central’s approaching 20th anniversary, looking back at the LG Lancet—a mid-range Windows Phone 8.1 device released through Verizon in 2015. The author, who unboxed the phone in the original 2015 piece, reflects on how the specific device has largely vanished from memory, blending into a sea of forgotten mid-range Windows Phone hardware.
However, the author vividly recalls Windows Phone 8.1 itself—its distinctive animations, refined design language, and the palpable sense that Microsoft was finally hitting its stride in the mobile market. The piece serves as a historical reflection on Microsoft’s mobile ambitions during an era when the platform represented what many saw as the company’s peak in smartphone innovation. While the Lancet itself has faded into obscurity, the broader Windows Phone 8.1 era remains notable as a high point in Microsoft’s attempts to compete in the smartphone market, despite the platform’s ultimate commercial failure.