Verizon LG Lucid Brings LTE Android On A Budget

Verizon has outed its latest low-cost LTE Android smartphone, the LG Lucid, a 4-inch handset set to go on sale March 29 priced at $79.99 with a new agreement. Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, the Lucid has a 5-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording and flash, and comes preloaded with an HD Video Producer app for chopping footage directly on the phone itself.

There's also a front-facing camera for video calls, DLNA streaming and Gorilla Glass in case you drop the Lucid. LG preloads Swype for easier text entry, but also insists on using its own customized UI; frankly we'd prefer to have seen Ice Cream Sandwich on there instead.

LG also uses a Quick Reply UI for its SMS app, popping up a notification and preview when a message comes in, and allowing owners to fire off a reply without leaving whatever app they're currently using.

You can't argue too much with the Lucid's price. The smartphone will drop on Thursday this week, priced at $79.99 with a new, two-year agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate. You'll need a mandatory talk and data plan, starting at $69.99 all-in for 2GB of monthly data.