We'll admit that we were taken in by the charm of this monitor. With its judicious blend of chrome, matte black and glossy white plastic, the L1740 is a real knockout in the looks department. The resemblance to the L1720 is fairly striking. The finish is clearly high-end, and will make the monitor manufacturers who have had a monopoly in this area sit up and take notice. It's notable that while some makers, like Eizo, don't hesitate to call in an outside designer for certain models, the L1740P comes from LG's own design center.

The control buttons have been moved to the edge of the monitor to preserve its lines. The only button on the front panel is the on/off switch, which is actually a touch-sensitive area located on the curve on the front of the monitor. It's a neat touch LG has used often since its first implementation on the legendary LG915FT+ CRT monitor. Other manufacturers like Philips have hopped on the bandwagon as well, especially when putting together high-design products like the 190X5.

The pilot light is located in the same area, above the curve of the chrome strip running along the lower part of the panel. The back of the unit also shows careful attention to detail, with very attractive white plastic, a metallic gray logo, and a removable cover for hiding the connectors. We should mention that this cover is well designed for a change, and fits in perfectly with the lines of the monitor once it's in place. It's a change from the usual ones that look like they've been stuck on as an afterthought.

In short, the L1740P is an extremely handsome monitor, and nobody's going to complain about that!