Now we’ve had the LG BL40 for quite some time and we’ve used it quite a bit here and there. So much so that it’s apt to talk about the design of this phone.
Now the LG BL40 is a long device! at 128mm it’s easily long, it’s thin – 10.9mmm and at 51mm it’s not very broad too. It’s easily a super model in in the world of mobile phones.
The phone is easily the most unique in terms of it’s design and also the screen size. At 345 x 800 pixels and 4.01 inches, this thing sure has the widest screen in the business.
You must be wondering why am I talking of these things and not the design of the phone. Well that is because these dimensions are important to understand how the phone is when it comes to the looks and design.
As you can see the Bl40 does not have any buttons on the front fascia at all, everything is on the capacitive screen. The sides of the BL40 house buttons for the Camera, MP3 player and the volume. The MP3 player is on the left side while the remaining are on the right. These buttons are chrome plated and run along the entire left and right side of the phone.
On the left you will also find the Micro USB slot that doubles up as the charging slot in addition to the data transfer duties it has been designed to do. This slot is very carefully and cleverly hidden by the sliding cover, slip it down and it also reveals a red colour LED light which light up when the phone is being charged. I am yet to find any manufacturer implement the cover in such a fashion. Clearly LG has been at work improving it’s line up of devices with design elements that clearly seem to be innovative.
The top and bottom sides of the phone are in a bright crimson-pink colour. At first it might seem like this is a girl’s phone (it might very well be) but it certainly add a bit of colour to an otherwise dark black colour across the device. The chrome strips look good on the top and bottom and are purely to lend a power statement to the overall look of the device.
The entire phone is a veritable fingerprint magnet. All the sides, barring the top and bottom are covered in high quality plastic that is very glossy. While it adds to the looks of the device, I won’t be surprised to find it getting too many scratches on the body once the protective layer has been peeled off. So in order to keep the device looking good, remember to never remove the protective layers on the front and back of the device.
The top of the device has one button which is used for locking as well as switching the device on/off. This button has a red colour backlight and it is there to remind you off the second colour which is the highlight of the chocolate series, red.
The top is also where you will find the 3.5mm audio jack for the phone. The back side of the phone is absolutely flush and has a just a 5MP camera with a LED flash. This not only adds to the class of the device but also is a attempt in minimalist design and LG has been able to pull it off with panache.
Overall, the LG BL 40 is an excellent looking phone, quirky at first but once you get used to it’s dimensions it’s a delight to show off and use also! On the design front it easily gets 8/10. A bold radical design that has been pulled off quite successfully.