Typically, 17-inch laptops aren’t the easiest to transport. For good reason, often heavy and bulky, most are more like mobile workstations and big screens, but only at home.
A paradigm taken on the wrong foot by LG with the Gram, a high-performance machine with a large diagonal and whose main quality lies in its exceptional lightness for a machine of this size. But this is not his only asset.
The BFMTV newsroom conducted this test independently. BFMTV may receive compensation when one of our readers makes a purchase through the links in this article.
Its advantages
lg like a feather
Despite the 17-inch diagonal of its device, the South Korean manufacturer has managed to drastically restrict its weight. With a weight of 1.3 kilograms on the scale and a thickness of 1.78 cm under the fathom, LG’s laptop surprises with its lightness. Its attractive chassis is extremely sharp. A characteristic that is explained by the composition of its case made of a magnesium alloy, a material whose density is much lower than steel or aluminum, for an equivalent level of resistance.
In use, we are always pleasantly surprised to be able to grip, effortlessly and with one hand, a machine provided with such a format. A dazzling sensation that lasts even after several weeks of handling. In fact, thanks to the thinness of its slab, whose edges are reduced to the minimum expression to make it even bigger, the LG Gram easily slips into a standard backpack, which is often a challenge for a machine with such a large diagonal.
The Gram’s appearance may suggest that it is fragile. This is not the case. Although ultralight, you will always have the feeling of having a solid and consistent object in your hands. In addition, the laptop is MIL-STD 810G certified, a standard that guarantees a certain resistance to shock, vibration, or even rain and dust. We only regret that the case has the annoying tendency to retain fingerprints. Thus, the machine offers an excellent compromise between the comfort of a 17-inch screen and the ergonomics of a small 13-15-inch laptop. A unique positioning that has no equivalent in the market.
The other strong point of the LG laptop is its LCD screen. Fairly well calibrated, bright enough, displays good resolution, faithfully reproduces colors, and its anti-reflective coating ensures excellent readability both indoors and outdoors. Whether for work or entertainment (playing video games, watching movies…), its 16:10 format provides a very satisfactory wearing comfort.
honorable performances
The Gram is powered by your choice of a 12th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor associated with an Intel Iris Xe graphics chip. The device has 16 GB of RAM and, depending on the configuration chosen, a 512 GB or 1 TB SSD, a rather generous configuration that allows it to show good performance and some versatility. Fast thanks to the presence of its SSD, the LG laptop is endowed with quite impressive execution speed.
It’s simple: after pressing the power button, the device boots in the blink of an eye. A few seconds is enough to be on the home screen and no slowdown is to be deplored, even with multiple tabs and software open at the same time. This speed is further enhanced by some welcome features like the presence of a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button which is very useful for quickly unlocking the PC.
In addition, the LG Gram is capable of running recent video games that do not consume too many resources. Also note that this laptop is very quiet and barely heats up.
A satisfactory autonomy
In fact, we were able to use the Gram for a full work day, in moderate use (Internet, multiple programs open at the same time, and screen brightness at 50%) without having to recharge it, which is about ten hours of battery life. Battery.
A statistic that places him among the good students in his category. For the rest, thanks to its fast charging system, 30 minutes are enough to ensure 4 hours of autonomy. An undeniable advantage.
its disadvantages
Limited resources for certain uses
If it’s able to handle any daily office task with ease, the Gram isn’t a monster of power compared to other laptops of its size.
Limited by the configuration of the LG notebook, game enthusiasts as well as those who are into photo or video editing may be left unsatisfied. The Gram is aimed primarily at people who are looking for a machine with a wide screen and capable of performing office and multimedia tasks.
a high price
It is not the most expensive in its class. But the LG Gram, whose price ranges between 1,299 euros and 1,999 euros, is not within the reach of all pockets. It is quite possible to find 17-inch machines as efficient at an equivalent price, or even less. However, none of these can boast of offering such quality ergonomics.
average audio quality
The acoustic performance of the LG Gram is not the most efficient on the market. The sound emitted by its two speakers is not clear: a slight crackle is heard when pushed to the maximum. The use of headphones or a speaker is strongly recommended to overcome this.
Conclution
With Gram, LG keeps its promise: this model is exceptionally light and compact for an object of this format. It is also equipped with a large comfortable screen with thin edges, satisfactory performance and autonomy without forgetting its complete connectivity (one HDMI port, two USB 3.2 ports and two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, compatibility with Bluetooth 5.1). For all these reasons, its daily use is a real pleasure.
However, you will need to be willing to make some compromises if you want to purchase it for more advanced use that will require a much more powerful machine there. For the rest, the Gram is an excellent machine that, moreover, has no equivalent today.
Source: BFM TV
