Much has been written about LG’s upcoming Arena smartphone, but panting punters have never been told when they can get their mitts on the handset - until now.

LG's Arena: released soon, we think...

Unfortunately the phone’s release date comes from two online retailers, Expansys and Mobiles.co.uk, and both disagree over when the handset will be available.

According Expansys, the LG Arena’s “expected release date” is 10 April, with a SIM-free price tag of £425 ($620/€453).

Mobiles.co.uk, on the other hand, claims that it’ll ship the phone to you on 27 March - that’s this Friday - but it appears as though you’ll have to sign onto a network provider’s contract to secure an order.

Ordering from Mobiles.co.uk does make the phone considerably cheaper than buying through Expansys though, with prices ranging between free (O2, 24-month contract) and £180 ($262/€192) on a 12-month T-Mobile package.

The LG Arena – also known as the LG-KM900 – has a customisable 3D cube interface that provides direct access to all of the phone’s features. In terms of specifications, you can expect 7.2Mb/s HSDPA 3G, Wi-Fi and Assisted GPS. It also has a 5Mp camera on board. ®