LG Genesis Review: Dual-Display Goodness

BUILD & DESIGN:

If you're used to a smartphone that doesn't have a physical keyboard, the Genesis may seem to be on the bulky side. It's much thicker than many modern smartphones, but if you're a texting fiend or you're planning to do a lot of data entry, the extra size is worth the trade off on portability.

There's nothing particularly sexy about the Genesis, but it is a solid device. If I had to pick a design aesthetic, I would think of terms like modern, streamlined, and subtle. The main keys under the screen are made of the same material as the rest of the phone so they don't draw unnecessary attention. There's a slight ridge over the buttons on the left side of the phone, so they're hidden from sight when you're looking at the device head-on, but still eminently accessible.

The phone is all plastic, in black and a very dark hematite gray. The back is smooth, but it isn't too slippery, especially since my fingers naturally curve around that ridge on the left side and find a firm grip on the buttons located there.

All of the corners are rounded, and there's nothing sharp to poke you when you put the Genesis in your pocket. It's a noticeable presence in your pocket, but it works and won't weigh you down too much.

Display
There are two displays on the LG Genesis, the main 3.5-inch exterior display and an interior 3.2-inch display for use with the physical keyboard located under the main screen. Both of them are WVGA (800 x 480), and both are touchscreen displays, though you're less likely to use that functionality on the interior display since the Genesis has an excellent five-way navigator.

These displays are sharp, offering vivid color, though the larger exterior display is just slightly better if you look very closely. I didn't have any problems with jaggy fonts, ghosting video, or muddy photos. Colors were somewhat washed out in bright sunlight, but both displays were still readable outdoors.

Keyboard
The Genesis has a physical keyboard underneath the main display; it opens from the right. You'll see right away that the keys are big and well spaced. There's a column of keys on the left that replicate the buttons on the front of the phone for menu, home, back, search, and voice commands. There's a full number row on the top, which I really appreciate, and all of the keys are well marked too, so you shouldn't waste too much time when you're first acquainting yourself with the keyboard.

The space bar is the length of three keys, and the enter key is two letter keys wide so they're easy to hit even when I'm typing in a hurry. I didn't have any problems hitting the wrong key either, because each of the letter keys is molded to provide just a little extra separation between each one. It's a subtle thing, but it does make a difference.

To the right of the keyboard you'll find very large send and end keys, plus a five way navigator. The arrow buttons are large and offer a satisfying click when pressed. The OK button is big enough to hit easily, though it's on the same level as the arrow keys so you may find yourself hitting an arrow key by accident.

The only real negative on the keyboard is so nitpicky it isn't really a negative:  I wish that the markings for the punctuation were some other color besides orange. When the keyboard is illuminated in low light conditions the orange really stands out, but during the day it's a little hard to see. I would have preferred blue or green, but of course others may not share the same opinion.

Other Buttons & Controls
The headphone jack and charge/sync port (which is covered by a pop-off cover) are on the right side of the device, while all of the other controls are on the left: the camera button, volume buttons, and the power button. It's a really nice setup because you never have to fumble to figure out which button is which, even if you're not looking when you pull your phone out of your pocket.

There are also two buttons underneath the screen; the one on the left is menu and home, while the one on the right is back and search, depending on whether you press on the left or the right of each button. They're basically flush with the phone, but large so they're easy to use.

The phone comes with an 8GB microSD card (located under the battery, of course) and it supports capacities up to 32GB.