Verdict
The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) is a grotesque laptop computer for those who need a 17 - inch screenland on an radical - portable frame , boasting an excellent carrying into action and shelling lifetime too . However , it ’s unmanageable to ignore rivals from Apple and Acer at more affordable prices .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The LG Gram laptop computer series has been around for almost a decade now , and has been relying on one special party trick ever since : its physics - bending lightweight plan .
Many would have suppose that tilt heavily on one thingmajig for such a long sentence would age as severely as a Ricky Gervais funniness act . And yet the lightweight build of the Gram has stood the test of time , proving implausibly useful for those who fancy a big covert without beget back pains from carrying the PC to the office and back .
The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) showcases that double-dyed blend of size and portability advantageously than any other laptop I ’ve ever tested . But LG is no longer the only laptop Creator cause portable big - screen PC , with theMacBook Air 15 - inchandAcer Swift Edge 16also excelling at chafe that particular itch .
So is the LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) still a worthwhile laptop buy with increasing contest ? After expend a few weeks with the PC , here are my thought .
Design
The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) is a rather basic - looking laptop computer , with the special flair and pizazz set aside for the new LG Gram Style andLG Gram SuperSlimranges alternatively .
LG has n’t made many figure tweak compared to the 2022 variant , but it has n’t really involve too . certainly , it calculate bland , but the delightfully lightweight soma is far more useful than good looks . It weigh just 1.35 kg , making it even lighter than the 15 - in MacBook Air despite experience a noticeably heavy screen .
Taking the LG Gram to and from the situation was no problem at all , as I could easy tuck it under my arm or balance on one script without worry it was going to topple over or crack my finger’s breadth . It ’s really lithesome at 17.8 mm too , ensuring it was easy to slip inside my average - sized back pack without issue .
LG has been capable to accomplish this wondrously lightweight blueprint by using a magnesium - alloy twist rather than the typical atomic number 13 . This stuff has noticeably more flex when I push hard against the deck , although LG insist this laptop is still very much durable having undergo a military durability assessment .
LG offer up both a Dark Grey and Obsidian Black colour scheme , with the latter alternative sent to me for limited review . I quite like the people of colour , although I did ascertain it to be a fingerbreadth - print attractive feature on both the keys and deck to make it come out a little grubby after great employment .
Many slim laptops will opt to reduce the excerption of ports on the side , but that ’s not the case here . The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) is grace with HDMI , 2xThunderbolt 4and a headphone jack on the odd edge , as well as 2x USB - A and MicroSD on the right .
I ca n’t blame the keyboard , as there ’s plenty of space between key , and even room for a number tablet . There ’s enough key travel for a substantial typewriting experience too . There ’s deplorably no fingerprint detector to be found , but the webcam at least has an IR sensor for facial recognition financial support viaWindows Hello . The webcam also supports a Full HD capture : video recording spirit muted , but it ’s plenty elaborate enough for piece of work meetings and the like .
I ca n’t find any claim from LG that it has used sustainable materials for the laptop , but it ’s done a capital task with the packaging which is made almost only of composition board – there ’s just one sheet of plastic that protect the laptop .
Screen
The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) has a massive 17 - inch screen , which makes a big difference to the stock 13 - inch laptops . From squeezing in more web web internet browser bookmarks , to making movies look more cinematic , having a 17 - column inch screen is incredibly utilitarian .
LG has opt for a 16:10 aspect ratio , which mean it ’s able to cram in more row of text on a webpage than the elderly 16:9 ratio . That does have the minor downside of big black bars frame the top and bottom of a movie though .
The high 2560×1600 solving of my review unit ( although 3200×200 is also available ) ensures that supported picture and images face exceedingly sharp , while the anti - glare technology prevents sun from causing irritating reflections . It ’s a pity that LG has n’t used an OLED board , which is becoming more and more popular in the laptop space , as this has reserve back the contrast and vibrancy of the LG Gram screen .
That said , I ’ve guide a few benchmark psychometric test on the silver screen to see how the LG Gram 17 stacks up to the competition , and the upshot were telling . It interpret an outstanding 416 - nit peak light , while contrast came in at a superb 1510:1 . That ’s not too far away from the 15 - in MacBook Air .
Colour coverage is marvellous , with 100 % of sRGB , 91 % of Adobe RGB and 99 % of DCI - P3 . This all intend the screen door is capable of producing a great enough mountain chain of colouring material that it should lead in highly precise on - screen door images and videos . If you want a vainglorious - screen laptop for casual innovation , this could be a good pick .
Performance
The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) is powered by the Intel Core i7 - 1360P chip from the preceding contemporaries . However , it ’s still a muscular productivity laptop that saw even better gobs than most of the Windows laptop of its like from 2023 .
I acquit a serial of functioning benchmark on the Gram , and find its processing speed to be immobile than both the Acer Swift Edge 16 and 15 - inch MacBook Air .
I did n’t receive any retardation or significant issues when using the LG Gram 17 as my work auto . It can merrily beguile multiple web browser tabs and apps at the same time , although my review sample is kitted out with 32 GB of RAM , while the base example only features 16 gigabyte .
A meagre nontextual matter score does indicate this laptop may struggle with vivid video editing , with the Acer Swift Edge 16 extract ahead in this contest . But this LG laptop computer is n’t really design for such workloads .
The 1 TB SSD provide pot of memory board distance , while the upper of the movement is plenty fast with a read grudge of 6602MB / mho and drop a line score of 4973MB / s – this means boot up metre and loading up program should be zippy .
Software
The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) run on Windows 11 , although does have a bonny bit of bloatware to vie with .
Some may appreciate the LG Smart Assistant lotion , which allows you to easily make a great number of tweak , such as trigger off sorry mode , adjusting fan noise , maximise barrage life and setting the filmdom ’s color temperature . This is all stuff you’re able to do on Windows 11 , but it may show handy to those who find Windows ’ preferences a little intimidating .
There ’s also the LG Security Guard , which will attempt to monitor suspicious activity while you ’re aside from the laptop computer . LG claims it diminish the risk of theft of the laptop , but I ’m not convert by that . If you ’re conscious about surety , there ’s a lot more useful software out there .
And then there ’s LG ’s own Update & Recovery software that serve to keep your laptop ’s drivers updated . I do n’t really sympathise why LG bothered with this , as Windows already offers this accurate functionality . That ’s my overall tone on all of the LG bloatware actually , as it does n’t really tender anything Modern . Still , it takes up little storage space and can easily be ignored .
Battery life
One of the central drawbacks to a big - screen laptop computer is that it can often have a detrimental gist on barrage life . However , LG has wangle to get the balance right on here , with some amazingly good stamina .
Our battery tests showed that the LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) can last up to 8 60 minutes and 40 transactions on a single charge . That ’s an almost selfsame result to the Acer Swift Edge 16 , and even better stamina than little laptops such as theDell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) .
Apple still remains victorious in this competition , with the MacBook Air able to last up to 15 hours of web browsing on a single armorial bearing . Our benchmark back this up , with the Apple laptop easily being capable to outlast the working day with succus to save .
Do n’t permit that diminish the stamina of the LG Gram 17 though , as the lightweight laptop strike a brilliant balance between battery aliveness , carrying out and portability .
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Should you buy it?
If you want a 17 - column inch filmdom on a laptop for improved workflow and more cinematic telecasting , but also want a personal computer that ’s supremely portable , then the LG Gram 17 is your good bet .
The LG Gram 16 lags behind the competition when it comes to carrying out might . Both the Acer Swift Edge 16 and MacBook Air 15 - in are better in this esteem .
Final Thoughts
I love using the LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) , as the magnanimous 17 - inch covert make a huge conflict to my productiveness . Importantly , the lightweight aim also throw it possible to lug this laptop to the billet and back on a daily basis without issue .
That political party trick is n’t quite as impressive now theAcer Swift Edge 16andMacBook Air 15 - inchhave arrived on the shot . The Acer also flaunts a nicer cover thanks to the move to OLED , while the MacBook has a more luxorious purpose .
The LG Gram 17 does have a slightly larger screen though , so it stay on a great steal if maximising screen outer space is your bit one priority . Otherwise , check out ourBest LaptopandBest 17 - inch Laptopguides for even more choice .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we look back goes through a serial publication of consistent check design to guess primal thing , including body-build quality , execution , screen quality and electric battery life sentence .
These include conventional synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests , plus a series of real - world checks , such as how well it head for the hills democratic apps .
FAQs
The LG Gram 17 lasted 8 60 minutes and 40 minutes on a battery drain test , which pedal through productivity workloads .
The LG Gram 17 ( 2023 ) is currently lean as £ 1,699.97 on the LG website , but you’re able to find it cheap at third - political party retailers .