LG Gram review: Ultralight laptops work great on the go

It’s easy to name a product after a reliable and quantifiable measurement.

This is exactly what the Korean company LG did in the LG Gram. As its name suggests, this laptop is lightweight.

The 16-inch 16Z90Q review sample on loan from LG comes in at 1.2kg. Granted, this is more than 1 gram, but it’s pretty light for a 16-inch laptop.

For comparison, the top-specced 16-inch MacBook Pro weighs in at 2.2kg and tips the scales.

As thin (16.8mm) and light as the LG Gram is, it can pack all the connections you need on the sides. It has an HDMI port, two USB-C ports (using Thunderbolt 4, which means transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps), two USB-A slots, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

If you’re tired of carrying around a dongle, it’s a good idea to check all of these ports.

Also, the keyboard has enough movement and the keys are very “clicky” and satisfying to type on. There’s also a backlight to enter in the dark, and you can switch between them with the required function keys.

LG Gram divides people by adding a number pad to the right of the main keyboard. Personally, I found that the plugin made the main keyboard a little heavier than the comfortable one, and it took a few days to align it with the typing position.

Others may be willing to sacrifice space to take advantage of that number.

On the other hand, the trackpad is spacious and very comfortable to use.

LG chose a 16:10 screen ratio, which gives you an 11% taller screen than if you were using a 16:9 computer. So when it comes to websites, spreadsheets, or photos, it’s even better suited to a 14-inch screen.

An HD webcam has been added to the top bezel, making it suitable for Zoom and other video conferencing applications. It also means you can log in to your laptop through Windows Hello facial recognition.

One of the great features LG has added is called LG Glance which uses the webcam for some privacy related features. For example, if you detect that you are looking away, the screen will go dark and you will not be able to see what others are doing. Likewise, if you find someone trying to carry your screen over their shoulder, it warns you.

A resolution of 2560 x 1600 means graphics and animations look sharp and detailed. However, LG chose a glossy IPS panel, which gives it a matte finish rather than a reflective sheen. In my opinion, this makes this laptop stand out as a work tool rather than a media consumer.

In addition, there are no annoying reflections on the screen and the brightness is improved. Gram reached 350 weaves and was found to be comfortable to wear outdoors. If you are a digital nomad, you might like this. One thing to note is that this is not a touch screen. So if you’re already familiar with the 2-in-1 (LG is creating a hybrid version of Gram) and it frequently appears on screen as part of your computer operations, you should throw it away. With this device.

Speaking of digital nomads, the battery life per gram is also pretty impressive. It can be fast charged via the included 65W USB-C charger. LG also claims it will have a lifespan of around 13 hours, based on its own benchmark tests. I used the device during normal business hours. It is mainly used for typing, web surfing, sending email, etc. For email, music and video streaming, and gaming after the day is done. All this was with the screen brightness at maximum. Like I said, I got lucky eight and a half hours before I died.

Inside is the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 2.10GHz and 16GB of RAM. There’s also a whopping 1TB of storage space inside. LG Gram comes with Windows 11 Home and integrated Intel Iris X handles graphics^me..

However, if you prefer, you can configure your laptop with the external Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU for more demanding tasks. However, this leads to a slight weight gain.

Performance was unmatched in everyday use, and even when using Steam to load up some demanding games, Gram wasn’t thrilled. In fact, my only setback using the machine was that I was required to sign up and use it with a software suite like Amazon’s Alexa and McAfee Antivirus.

LG Gram contains very little bloatware, but these two appear to be infected with a virus. Uninstalling this will fix this immediately, but you will see a McAfee popup on startup.

Overall, the ultra-light and impressive business display is why you’re looking at an LG Gram like the MacBook Air or Samsung Galaxy Book.

Being able to carry this laptop in a bag is a great advantage without feeling its presence.

At £1,549, that’s not what you’d call a budget laptop, but if you’re looking for a strong, thin and light laptop, it’s worth the extra money.

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