LG Gram SuperSlim review: A tiny laptop with a big display

Price When Reviewed

$1,999.99

Best Prices Today: LG Gram TremendousSlim

$1799.99

$1899

$1,899.00

$2299

LG’s Gram laptop computer line is understood for its low weight and slim design, but it surely appears the corporate’s engineers felt they might do higher. The result’s the LG Gram TremendousSlim, a 15.6-inch laptop computer that’s not more than .49 inches thick and weighs a mere 2.18 kilos. It’s the thinnest, lightest 15.6-inch laptop computer offered proper now, however prioritizing portability over efficiency isn’t for everybody. Read on to study extra.

Looking for extra light-weight laptops? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best 2-in-1 laptops accessible proper now.

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Specs and options

LG’s Gram TremendousSlim isn’t a spec sheet famous person. It packs an Intel Core i7-1360P and sticks with Intel built-in graphics, which is unhealthy information for anybody seeking to play PC video games or use a GPU to speed up productiveness. The 1080p OLED show additionally merely whelms, although it does carry out properly in real-world use. 

• CPU: Intel Core i7-1360P
• Memory: 32GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Iris Xe
• Display: 15.6-inch 1080p 60Hz OLED
• Storage: 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Webcam: 1080p 
• Connectivity:  2x USB 4 with Power Delivery, DisplayPort Alternate Mode, Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 4 with Power Delivery.
• Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: IR Camera for Windows Hello facial recognition 
• Battery capability: 60 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14 x 8.95 x .49 inches
• Weight: 2.18 kilos
• MSRP: $1,699.99 base MSRP, $1,999.99 as-tested

The entry-level LG Gram TremendousSlim, which retails for $1,699.99, packs an Intel Core i7-1360P processor, Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics, a 1TB strong state drive, and 16GB of RAM. That’s possible one of the best configuration for most individuals, however my upgraded evaluate unit crammed in 32GB of RAM and a whopping 2TB of strong state storage (within the type of two 1TB PCIe SSDs), which inflates the worth to $1,999.99.

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Design and construct high quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

The LG Gram TremendousSlim has a navy blue magnesium alloy chassis that’s unadorned other than a small silver Gram emblem within the middle of the laptop computer’s lid. The supplies really feel as plain as they give the impression of being, missing any texture which may assist the laptop computer stand out from the group. I just like the navy blue colorway, not less than.

There is one factor of the design that stands out: The side ratio. The laptop computer has a 15.6-inch, 16:9 widescreen as a substitute of the taller 16:10 side ratio in style amongst latest laptops. As a outcome, the laptop computer appears to be like and feels broad relative to its depth. Its bodily measurements, nonetheless, present it’s barely smaller than most 15.6-inch and 16-inch laptops.

As talked about, the laptop computer’s chassis makes use of a magnesium alloy. It’s a remarkably sturdy and lightweight materials that helps the Gram TremendousSlim obtain its low weight of two.18 kilos. Magnesium alloy isn’t notably inflexible, nonetheless, the laptop computer’s slim profile, which measures simply 0.49 inches thick, leaves little house so as to add reinforcement. 

Shoppers within the Gram TremendousSlim should settle for a compromise. This laptop computer is gentle and skinny, which makes it excellent for journey, however lacks the heft and luxurious you’ll get pleasure from from an Apple MacBook Air 15, Dell XPS 15, or Razer Blade 16.

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

The LG Gram TremendousSlim has room for a spacious keyboard with massive keys and a numpad on the right-hand facet. Technically, the numpad keys aren’t fairly full-sized, however they’re so shut that the distinction is hard to note. There’s loads of house alongside the palm relaxation, too, so your palms gained’t be left dangling off the sting of the laptop computer.

However, the laptop computer’s slim chassis means there’s an absence of house for key journey. Key motion is brief and agency, which ends up in a picket really feel that lacks tactile suggestions. The keyboard is extraordinarily quiet (which some customers may favor), however I like a bit of extra response once I activate a key. The typing expertise is appropriate total, however alternate options just like the Dell XPS 15 and Lenovo Slim Pro 7 outperform the LG.

White LED keyboard backlighting comes customary and is managed with a keyboard shortcut. It does the job however is in any other case unremarkable. There’s no colour customization and simply two brightness settings (other than off).

A small touchpad measuring 4 inches broad and three inches deep is centered beneath the keyboard. It’s tiny by the requirements of recent 15 and 16-inch Windows laptops, most of which have a touchpad measuring 5 or 6 inches broad. The lack of house could be a difficulty for many who get pleasure from Windows’ multi-touch gestures. Fortunately, the touchpad in any other case feels responsive and easy. I additionally admire that the touchpad is centered on the laptop computer as a substitute of pushed in direction of the left facet, which is normally the case with laptops which have a numpad.

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

Every LG Gram TremendousSlim has a 1080p 60Hz OLED non-touch show. It doesn’t look spectacular on a specification sheet, principally as a consequence of its 1080p decision, but it surely appears to be like improbable in real-world use.

The show’s 1,920 x 1,080 decision works out to 141 pixels per inch, which is a bit decrease than a 27-inch 4K monitor’s pixel density of 163 pixels per inch. Still, the Gram TremendousSlim packs sufficient pixels to ship sharp visuals. YouTube movies look crystal-clear and tiny fonts and rendered with minimal pixelation. 

The OLED panel provides punch with an successfully infinite distinction ratio and very good colour gamut. It delivers wealthy and vivid visuals, rendering darkish scenes with convincing shadows alongside saturated colours in brighter content material. The Gram TremendousSlim is nice for watching a film or streaming Netflix. The show’s wonderful colour efficiency additionally proves useful when enhancing photographs or video.

Gamers shall be disenchanted to study the show has a 60Hz refresh charge. That’s considerably stunning, as many competing laptops which have an OLED panel ship a 90Hz and even 120Hz refresh charge. However, given the absence of discrete graphics on this laptop computer, gaming efficiency clearly isn’t a precedence.

While the show is strong, the Gram TremendousSlim’s audio is satisfactory at finest. Maximum quantity is loud sufficient to fill a small room with sound, however the audio system have a skinny, hole high quality and a muddy mid-range. Even acoustically easy content material, like a podcast, can introduce distortion that makes listening disagreeable. Headphones or earbuds are beneficial. 

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

LG conceals a fantastic 1080p webcam within the Gram TremendousSlim’s skinny show bezel. It delivers a pointy picture with good colour replica, and whereas I wouldn’t suggest it for skilled video content material creation, it performs properly for video conferencing on platforms like Zoom. 

The webcam is accompanied by a microphone array that captures sturdy, strong audio. You’ll not often hear outdoors noises, too, because the microphones within the Gram TremendousSlim appear to filter out background noise extra aggressively than most laptops. This will scale back the amount of your voice if you happen to’re circuitously dealing with the laptop computer throughout a name, nonetheless.

Windows Hello facial recognition login is supported by the webcam and works flawlessly, offering a fast and simple approach to log into the laptop computer the second you sit in entrance of it. As is typical of Windows Hello facial recognition, it really works properly even in low-light environments. 

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

The LG Gram TremendousSlim is targeted on USB-C connectivity with three USB 4 Type-C ports, two of which assist USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort Alternate Mode, and Thunderbolt 4. The third USB 4 port solely helps USB Power Delivery.

This has its advantages. All USB-C ports present excessive knowledge switch charges and connectivity is definitely improved with a USB-C hub. I additionally like that each one three USB-C ports can cost the laptop computer. On the opposite hand, the laptop computer would require an adapter or hub to be used with older screens, exterior exhausting drives, and most webcams, which is annoying if you happen to use these peripherals steadily.

There is one extra port to say: a 3.5mm combo audio port. It’s included on practically all fashionable laptops, after all, however I’m completely satisfied to see LG didn’t sacrifice it within the identify of portability.

LG’s resolution to depend on USB 4 isn’t distinctive. Dell takes an identical tact with the Dell XPS 15 (although it does present an SDcard reader). Apple’s not too long ago launched MacBook Air 15 has even much less connectivity, providing simply two USB 4 / Thunderbolt 4 ports. But different potential alternate options, just like the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16-inch, have USB-A and HDMI-out.

The Gram TremendousSlim’s wi-fi connectivity picks up slack for the slim port choice with assist for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. The laptop computer’s Wi-Fi remained sturdy and dependable even when utilizing the laptop computer 50 toes away from the router in a indifferent workplace. 

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Performance

LG’s Gram TremendousSlim sits in an odd place between bigger and extra highly effective 15-inch and 16-inch laptops, such because the Dell XPS 15, and extra transportable 14-inch laptops just like the Lenovo Yoga 9i or Slim Pro 7. All Gram TremendousSlim configurations ship with the Intel Core i7-1360P, a 12-core processor with 4 efficiency cores and eight environment friendly cores, and all depend on Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Our exams start with PCMark 10, a benchmark suite that judges a laptop computer primarily based on a wide range of exams. The LG Gram TremendousSlim has hassle right here, reaching a complete rating of simply 4,989. That’s a tad higher than the Intel Core i7-1355U however in any other case falls behind comparable laptops. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Gram TremendousSlim hit a Cinebench R15 multi-core rating of 1,430. That’s an affordable rating for a laptop computer with an Intel Core i7-1360P processor and sufficient to position the LG above the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. However, it clearly loses to the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro’s new Ryzen 7735HS and the Dell XPS 15’s extra power-hungry Intel Core i7-13700H.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Our Handbrake check wasn’t the Gram TremendousSlim’s most interesting second. It transcoded a 30GB video file into an Android-friendly 1080p .MKV format in 26 minutes and 21 seconds.That’s barely faster than a Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 packing a last-gen Intel Core i7-1255U processor. 

What provides? Blame the Gram TremendousSlim’s thermal administration, which prioritizes quiet operation over efficiency. That’s excellent news if the whirr of followers annoys you—the laptop computer isn’t silent, but it surely’s quiet and fan noise solely turns into noticeable throughout heavy, sustained hundreds. It rapidly turns into sizzling, nonetheless, reaching exterior temperatures of as much as 107 levels. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Graphics efficiency is arguably the Gram TremendousSlim’s most critical limitation. Intel Iris Xe is able to enjoying many fashionable 3D video games at low framerates and element settings, but it surely doesn’t preserve tempo with the newest AMD Radeon graphics built-in into Ryzen 7000-series processors, and even probably the most primary discrete graphics options will depart Intel Iris Xe within the mud. 

That’s an issue for 3D video games, after all, and may maintain the laptop computer again in productiveness workloads. Many fashionable functions can use a GPU to speed up video encoding or AI duties, however that’s not an possibility on the Gram TremendousSlim.

The LG Gram TremendousSlim’s efficiency is straightforward to sum up: it’s not nice, Bob. Performance is greater than satisfactory for day-to-day use and simply tackles reasonably demanding duties, like enhancing massive photographs or a 1080p YouTube video. Still, it’s clear the LG Gram TremendousSlim’s efficiency is extra in keeping with 13 and 14-inch laptops and falls behind many equally priced than 15-inch and 16-inch opponents. 

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Battery life

The LG Gram TremendousSlim packs a meager 60 watt-hour battery. That’s small for a laptop computer on this class—the Dell XPS 15, by comparability, offers an 86 watt-hour battery.

IDG / Matthew Smith

It’s a little bit of a shock, then, to see the Gram TremendousSlim outlast many alternate options. The LG endured our battery check, which loops a 4K clip of the quick movie Tears of Steel, for 12 hours and 51 minutes. That defeats the Dell XPS 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 and comes near the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro.

Credit the laptop computer’s meager {hardware}. The LG Gram TremendousSlim’s efficiency is modest for the worth, however the lack of power-hungry {hardware} helps squeeze most life from each watt accessible. The Gram TremendousSlim ought to deal with an eight-hour workday of sunshine to reasonable use.

The laptop computer expenses over USB-C, as properly, and can fortunately suck energy from any half-decent 65-watt energy adapter. That additional aids its portability, as frequent fliers can simply cost the laptop computer with a compact third-party power adapter.

LG Gram TremendousSlim: Should you purchase it?

The LG Gram TremendousSlim is a laptop computer designed for a specific area of interest. It gives a giant 15.6-inch show, numerous reminiscence, and gobs of strong state storage, however lacks the CPU and GPU efficiency most individuals will anticipate in a big laptop computer with a base worth of $1,699.99. The LG Gram TremendousSlim might make sense in order for you a big laptop computer solely since you favor a giant display, or in order for you a big laptop computer that feels smaller than it’s. If you need efficiency, nonetheless, you’ll be happier with a bigger, thicker laptop computer just like the Dell XPS 15 or Asus Vivobook 16X OLED.