Many handsets are released in the course of a year, and it is easy to forget about products that do not materialize for any reason. However, a phone that may have previously been discarded and forgotten, the LG Fantasy, has been confirmed to exist, thanks to Neowin user day2die.
Back in July, Neowin reported on LG"s 2011 handsets. Among these phones was only one that ran Microsoft"s WP7 mobile operating system. The only image we had was this:
Alongside this, we had a basic idea of what the phone would offer. At the time it was appealing to hear that it would come pre-loaded with the "Mango" update. Since this update has been released though, this point seems less significant. Specifications remain unclear, but thanks to untitledmangxd on the XDA Developers forum, we now know the LG Fantasy is in the wild.
According to untitledmangxd, the phone is "very nice", and was acquired from a Romanian tester. He goes on to praise the phone"s four-inch IPS display, and describes the device as being very nice in general. Unfortunately, he did not share the phone specs but we would have to assume they are comparable to the newer WP7 devices, such as Nokia"s Lumia 800.
The phone the forum user has managed to get his hands on comes with some developer apps, reinforcing the fact he probably shouldn"t have it at this stage. The Fantasy was expected in Q4 2011, but was pushed back for whatever reason there may have been. The user was also kind enough to provide two pictures, meaning we have more to go on than the above render.
For many people who are familiar with leaked images, the "blurry camera" shot is nothing new. What might be new, however, is the large "Not for Sale" stamp on the back of the Fantasy. While blurry the numbers under the camera appear to be 5.0, referring to the camera"s megapixels. With stiff competition coming from Nokia"s Lumia series and its arrival in the United States, as well as some HTC devices, such as the Titan, the LG Fantasy could have difficulty differentiating itself from the pack. The design is certainly appealing but whether it is enough to sway people from the Lumia, which is seen as one of the best designed WP7 devices, remains impossible to say.
No word has been given by the XDA Developers" forum user about how much he paid for the privilege of getting his hands on the LG Fantasy early, but it can be assumed to be more than the phone"s retail price. If not, the tester who sold it could have just lost out on money and his job.