Preview: LG Black Label Chocolate BL40. Big is Beautiful

Overview:
If you’ve developed some serious wrinkles around your eyes from squinting at your phone to watch Ghostbusters on your train ride home from work, we may have found a handset that will be a better investment more than all the anti-aging cream you could get your hands on. The LG Black Label Chocolate BL40 comes with a large 4 inch display, meaning you don’t need to hold it right up to your face to keep up to date with the latest YouTube uploads. Does this sexy but sizey phone sacrifice practicality for wide screen entertainment though? Let’s find out.

Preview:
The new LG Chocolate is the fourth handset in LG's Black Label Series, and joins the LG Chocolate KG800, LG Shine and LG Secret. We’ve already mentioned that the big selling point of this latest addition to the Black Label family is its monster 4 inch wide screen, but what is size without substance?

LG has thought of this, and has gone all out with an HD LCD display that supports resolutions of up to 800×345 pixels, in an effort to keep your web viewing experience as squint-free as possible.

If action-based films are your thing, the 21:9 aspect ratio makes for some panoramic viewing, so you don’t miss out on all the things that Paramount Pictures has made blow-up.

A wide screen isn’t just a selling point for movie buffs though, as LG has included the function of dividing the display into two independent desktops so that you can work on multiple tasks at the same time (unless you’re a man…).

Another reason that this handset may end up appealing to those with a handbag over those with a couple of pockets already filled with keys and a wallet, is the size of the phone.

A wide screen means a long phone, which isn’t always jeans-pocket-friendly. LG has taken note of this concern and compared the Chocolate BL40 to the company’s other recent releases in this video.

Feature-wise, the handset comes packed with a 5 megapixel flash camera and comes with auto focus and digital zoom.

It’s all about the multimedia with this phone though, which supports MP3 and MP4 and also offers an FM radio which, granted, doesn’t make use of the amazing screen, but is a nice addition none the less.

One obvious point that I’ve not yet mentioned is the overall look of the BL40: it’s stunning. The phone is overlaid with curved tempered glass and is seamlessly encased in a glossy black finish. In essence it looks… like a smooth bar of chocolate.

If you’re still concerned about actually carrying this thing around town, the Chocolate BL40 may be long but it’s thin so that’s supposed to make up for any impracticality concerns raised. We’ll see how far this logic carries out once the phone hits shops in coming months.

The Gaj-It Verdict:
Design: 8/10
Usability: 9/10
Features: 8/10
Value: TBA

We Say:
LG is counting on sex selling with this phone, and we think it’s on to a winner. The LG Chocolate BL40 is a stunning handset that makes watching a full-length film on its 4 inch screen a pleasure instead of a cricked-neck nightmare. The phone will hit the high street in early Q3 this year.