LG Gram laptops have always been good, but their main selling point has always been their light weight. They’re as light as they come, whether it’s a 2.2-pound 15.6-inch laptop or a 2.98-pound 17-inch laptop. The design was always a little dull, and the magnesium build never felt particularly premium, but they did one thing exceptionally well. Everything has changed. This year’s Gram laptop lineup is unique, and the LG Gram Style simply blew me away when I saw it at CES 2023.
The LG Gram Style is the most beautiful laptop LG has ever produced
When I asked what colour the LG Gram Style was (after inspecting it), I was shown a spec sheet that simply stated that it was a dynamic colour. The word they were looking for was iridescent, which means it changes colour depending on how you look at it. It’s absolutely stunning.
It’s also no longer entirely made of magnesium. Although there is more glass involved, the 14-inch model still weighs only 2.2 pounds, while the 16-inch model weighs closer to 2.7 pounds. Yes, it’s incredibly light for something that feels and looks so high-end. That’s not all, because it has a haptic touchpad similar to Dell’s XPS 13 Plus. Because the touchpad has no borders, you’ll only see the iridescent palm rest when you look at it. When you press the touchpad, the two sides light up. This should provide more guidance than Dell’s option, which doesn’t provide any indication of where the touchpad ends.
Display
OLED displays are another important component of LG’s new Gram lineups. The 14-inch model has a resolution of 2,880×1,800 at 90Hz and a resolution of 3,000×2,000 at 120Hz. To be honest, everything about this laptop looks fantastic. I appreciate laptop manufacturers focusing on design. HP used to be all about making a sexy Spectre x360, but Lenovo has stepped up with the pretty Yoga 9i and its golden colours and glossy edges. Dell has also redesigned its laptops, with the XPS 13 now available in Umber and Sky colours. It’s always exciting to see. Let’s put an end to boring grey or silver laptops.
The display contains some intriguing elements. The screen, like the new LG Gram Style, is OLED, but it’s 1,920×1,080 and 16:9 at 15.6 inches. The aspect ratio is an odd choice for a brand new laptop, and I suspect it has something to do with the weight goal. Using a 16-inch 16:10 panel requires a larger device, which would almost certainly add more than a gramme to its weight. It’s worth noting, however, that the Gram 15 is the only other Gram with a 16:9 display. I did ask LG why it still makes four sizes, and I was told that the 15-inch model is still popular.
The regular LG Gram has also been updated
Speaking of dull, grey laptops, LG Gram laptops received 13th-generation processor refreshes. There hasn’t been much change with the Gram 14, 15, 16, 17, 14 2-in-1, and 16 2-in-1. While the Gram 17 remains at 2.98 pounds, there is now an option for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, which weighs 3.2 pounds. The 16-inch model also has a dGPU, and both now have dynamic refresh rates of up to 144Hz.
Although not necessarily thin, LG Gram has always been renowned for being light. The LG Gram Ultra Slim fills that role. Compared to the next-thinnest Gram, which is 15.9mm thin, it is 10.99–12.55mm thin (the LG Gram Style 14). The LG Gram Ultra Slim weighs one gram less than the other Grams. It weighs 998 g, compared to the 999g weight of the Gram Style 14 and the Gram 14. Usually, it’s not a coincidence when this occurs. For instance, laptops weigh 999g as a result of an internal goal to keep the weight below one kilogramme. It is my assumption that the Gram Ultraslim weighs 998 g because it was designed with the intention of being lighter than the rest of the laptops.
Keyboard and battery
One thing to keep in mind is that the keyboard is shallower than the rest of the lineup. I inquired about the depth of the keys but received no response. If I receive a response, I will update this article. The battery is the smallest in the Gram lineup, with a capacity of 60WHr. The next smallest is 72WHr, which is found in Gram 14.
While I love the LG Gram Style and think the standard Gram lineup is mostly spec bumps, I’m sceptical of the Gram Ultraslim. Sure, it’s very thin and light, and it’s quite sexy. However, in order to get there, it will have to make sacrifices. It has a smaller battery and a lower resolution OLED display.
Material Difference but a complete package
I believe that, in addition to being known for being extremely light laptops, the Gram lineup has also been known for not compromising in order to get there. The only difference is the material, but they’ve packed great displays, full-size processors, and more. LG could have done so if it had adhered to that principle. The straightforward solution would have been to make the Gram Ultraslim a 14-inch laptop. The screen would be 16:10, and the battery would be larger.
In fact, we all know that laptops with smaller screens are more popular. They simply sell more. As a result, when a company offers two laptop sizes, the smaller one almost always has more colour options. However, LG now offers nine laptops under the Gram brand. One has a 17-inch display, three have 16-inch displays, and two have 15.6-inch displays. LG must be seeing success with larger-screen laptops, possibly because it can make them lighter and easier to transport than the competition.
