SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · LG

LG New Chocolate BL40 review: 2009 21:9 cinema display phone.

SpecEagle Editorial·Oct 2009·$700
Overall
64/100
Class rank
#2 of 7
Tier
Feature Phone
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

New Chocolate BL40.

LG's 2009 BL40 New Chocolate pioneered 21:9 cinema display on phones — beautiful glass + metal slate.

01Display

76/100

At 76/100 this is one of the strongest display showings among feature phone phones of 2009 — 8 points above the cohort average.

TypeCapacitive TFT
Size4.0"
Resolution800 x 345 (21:9 cinema)

02Music

78/100

78/100 puts it above the 73-point average for feature phone phones of 2009.

03Camera

70/100

At 70/100 this is one of the strongest camera showings among feature phone phones of 2009 — 6 points above the cohort average.

Main5.0 MP AF + flash

04Battery

70/100

70/100 — right at the average for feature phone phones of 2009.

Capacity1,000 mAh

05Software

60/100

60/100 — right at the average for feature phone phones of 2009.

What works
  • First 21:9 cinema display phone.
  • Beautiful glass + metal design.
  • Dolby Mobile.
  • 5 MP AF cam.
What doesn't
  • Proprietary OS.
  • 21:9 awkward for normal apps.
  • $700 premium price.
  • No app ecosystem.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 7-phone cohort of feature phone devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .