LG BL40 New Chocolate preview: Having a first bite

Introduction

The words "Black Label" evoke images of things exclusive, reserved for the lucky few. The new entrant in the arena, the LG BL40 New Chocolate, the intriguing successor of highly popular style-conscious phones such as the Chocolate, Shine and Secret, fully deserves the honor. It looks like the kind of gadget that is always on the other side of the store window or in the hands of someone demonstrating a prototype that never sees the light of day. But the LG BL40 New Chocolate is quite real and it's here to stay and fight for market success - in fact LG announced today the New Chocolate will hit the European market in mid-September this year.

LG BL40 New Chocolate New Chocolate press images

The unorthodox long shape definitely sets it apart and the glossy black plastic with careful touches of silver trim easily remind of the times we first saw the LG Chocolate in flesh. The LG BL40 New Chocolate is immensely sleek and the 4-inch screen with 21:9 aspect ratio easily makes it one of the most unusual mobile phones that have set foot in our office this year.

LG BL40 New Chocolate at a glance

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 1900/2100 MHz, EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 128 x 51 x 10.9 mm
• Display: Unique 4" TFT capacitive touchscreen with 21:9 aspect ratio and 800 x 345 pixels resolution, multitouch support, scratch resistant glass
• Platform: Latest S-Class UI
• Memory: 1GB internal memory, microSD card slot
• Camera: 5-megapixels auto-focus camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens, LED flash, geo-tagging, image stabilization, face detection, Smile Shot, Blink detection, Intelligent shot, Beauty and Art shot, VGA video recording at 30 fps
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, Proximity sensor for screen auto-turn-off, FM radio with RDS, FM transmitter, DivX/XviD support, Dolby mobile, TV out, multi-touch input, office document viewer
• Battery: 1000 mAh battery

Unlike some other fashionable handsets out there, the LG BL40 New Chocolate beauty is not skin deep - the hardware has all the bells and whistles a modern high-end gadget should have. And though technically not a smartphone, the BL40 New Chocolate S-class user interface offers convenient multitasking and is polished to match the sleek exterior.

LG BL40 New Chocolate in our office

With a brilliant screen with aspect ratio shared only with cinema screens and a few home cinema oriented TVs you can be sure the LG BL40 New Chocolate is a star. It certainly is no introvert - with TV out and DivX/XviD support, along with Dolby mobile plus an FM transmitter, we guess you can say that the LG BL40 New Chocolate broadcasts on all frequencies.

The camera and connectivity prowess of the phone do great job of covering all the advanced features found on phones today. So, it's got the looks and it's got the brains. Will its extravagance make it a hit or an oddity?

After the jump, you can see the LG BL40 New Chocolate do a 360-degree spin for you while we take a closer look at its hardware. Just keep in mind it's an early version we're working with and some design elements might go through changes before the handset hits the market.