Not every new Android smartphone announced has to cost a fortune, something Verizon has proven with the introduction of the new LG Lucid 3, a 4G LTE smartphone available for free. Yes, you’ll need to sign on the dotted line for a two-year contract if you want it for nothing, but the $300 off-contract price is still reasonable.
What do you get for your money? The Lucid 3 is the latest in Verizon’s mid-range Lucid series, and it’s certainly the best specced we’ve seen. The screen measures 4.7-inches, the same as Motorola’s well-proportioned Moto X, but the resolution is a slightly disappointing 960 x 540 pixels. Powering the phone is a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor.
Android 4.4 KitKat is installed, and LG has added several of its own software enhancements to spice up the little phone. Knock Code is the most welcome addition, an innovative feature we liked at Mobile World Congress. It lets you set a pattern of taps to unlock and wake up the device, instead of a PIN code or worse, nothing at all. Despite the Lucid 3’s modest screen size, it’ll run two apps at the same time using QSlide 2.0, plus there’s the note-taking app QuickMemo too.
A 5-megapixel rear camera takes care of your snaps, but the VGA front cam probably won’t produce the most visually stunning selfies. There’s 8GB of internal storage space, plus the chance to add more using a MicroSD card, and the phone will connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
The LG Lucid 3 is up for sale on Verizon’s website right now, and according to the press release, should be in stores too. In addition to the two-year contract price, which is subject to a $50 mail-on rebate, you can purchase the Lucid 3 using Verizon Edge for $12.49 per month.
