LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight Review: The Lightest Laptop?

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LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight: At First Glance

Many people love to work on large-screen laptops, but most of these people are usually discouraged by their weight. This is because most large-screen laptops (15-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch) usually weigh above 2000 g.

Thankfully, LG has made it its responsibility to provide a lightweight laptop that also offers a large screen at the same time. Hence, the brand released the LG Gram 16 in 2021, a lightweight laptop with a 16-inch display screen.

In fact, this laptop is so light to the extent that it won a Guinness World record for the lightest 16-inch laptop ever. Impressively, the laptop isn’t just light, but it also offers excellent overall performance.

However, the laptop is quite expensive, costing about $1,419.99 when I published this article in May 2022. Having said a few things about the LG Gram 16, read the remaining sections below to know more about it.

LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight: Design, Display, Ports, and Connectivity

In the aspect of design and build, the LG Gram 16 is totally made of magnesium alloy. The laptop’s chassis has a clean design and a rough texture.

This rough texture provides excellent grip and helps to resist scratches and smudges fairly well. Besides, while many other magnesium alloy laptops feel somewhat like plastic, the LG Gram 16 does not.

Instead, the laptop feels durable and solid. As a matter of fact, the laptop should be able to withstand rough handling.

When it comes to color availability, LG offers this laptop in either black or silver color. On the lid of the laptop, you will find the word “gram” imprinted at the center.

However, the lid has a noticeable flex that may get you worried if you intend to make the LG Gram 16 your everyday laptop. For this reason, I will advise that you always put it in a protective sleeve before putting it in your backpack.

Moving on, opening the lid exposes the laptop’s massive 16-inch display. This large screen size makes it possible to do split-screen multitasking.

Moreover, the display has very small bezels around it which gives it an elegant look. Impressively, the thin top bezel still creates room for an HD camera which is decent for video calls and snapping pictures.

Meanwhile, on the bottom bezel, there is an LG logo for brand identification.

Back to the display, as you might expect from an LG laptop, the display is amazing. To be specific, the LG Gram 16’s 16-inch display has an IPS LCD panel that makes it very bright and detailed.

Moreover, as an IPS panel display, it also has wide viewing angles. Therefore, the display can be clearly viewed from any position or angle without losing quality or accuracy.

Another display feature of the LG Gram 16 is its WQXGA (2560 x 1600 pixels) resolution. A Wide Quad Extended Graphics Array (WQXGA) display has four times as many pixels as a WXGA (1280×800 pixels) resolution display.

The implication of its higher pixel quantity is that the display will produce sharper and more detailed picture quality. In addition to its impressive resolution, the LG Gram 16’s display also supports 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

The DCI-P3 color gamut is the industry’s standard color space for video editors. Thankfully, wide coverage of 99% means that the color production of the display will be accurate.

That aside, the laptop’s display has a maximum brightness of 331 nits which makes it bright enough for outdoor usage. However, the display features a glossy surface which makes it prone to reflection when used in well-lit areas.

Overall, the LG Gram 16 has an exceptional display for surfing the internet and other kinds of computing work. Additionally, you certainly won’t have any issue using it to watch the latest series on streaming services such as Netflix.

Now that we have discussed the display features of the LG Gram 16, let us discuss its hinges. The hinges firmly hold the lid of the laptop in position but also allow it to bend back and forth.

However, the maximum angle to which it can bend is about 140 degrees. Impressively, these hinges are not too tight, making it easy for users to open the laptop’s lid with a single hand.

Now let us proceed to the deck of the LG Gram 16. The first thing you will find on the laptop’s deck is a full-size keyboard with spacious keys.

The dedicated numeric keys are, however, smaller than the rest of the keys. Nevertheless, the keyboard offers decent feedback, and the keys are very responsive.

Thus, you should enjoy typing with the LG Gram 16’s keyboard. To make things better, the keyboard is backlit with white LEDs that are very bright and uniform.

Hence, typing in dark areas shouldn’t be a problem.

As expected, you will find a touchpad at the bottom of the LG Gram 16’s keyboard. This touchpad measures 129.54 x 83.82 mm and features a smooth glass surface.

Furthermore, the touchpad is very responsive and accurate, thanks to its precision driver support. The touchpad is also solid, and it does not make any rattling sound when tapped.

For biometrics, the laptop has a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button. This fingerprint reader supports Windows Hello, and it allows you to log in to the Windows OS quickly using your fingers.

Proceeding to the ports and connectivity options, the LG Gram 16 features a good number of ports that can be found on its sides. Precisely, on its left side, you will find two USB 4 Type-C ports and a power delivery port.

There is also a DisplayPort and a combo audio jack on the left side of the laptop. Meanwhile, on the laptop’s right side, there is a memory card reader, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, and a cable lock slot.

For wireless connectivity, the LG Gram 16 comes with Bluetooth 5.1 and a built-in Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 201.

Finally, because we have said so much about the thinness and lightweight of the LG Gram 16, let us discuss its exact weight and dimension. Despite being a 16-inch laptop, the LG Gram 16 weighs only 1,190 g.

In fact, this laptop is lighter than most 15-inch laptops. Also, it is lighter than the 16-inch Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Gen 6, which weighs 2,540 g.

For its dimension, the LG Gram 16 measures 355.8 x 243.3 x 17 mm (W x D x H). Hence, this laptop is quite compact and slim.

Moreover, compared with the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Gen 6, the laptop is slimmer. To be more specific, this Lenovo laptop measures 356 x 264.2 x 21.7 – 26.8 mm (W x D x H).

In conclusion, the LG Gram 16 offers a brilliant design and durable build. Also, the laptop comes with an impressive 16-inch display, and it is fairly lightweight.

As a result, to conclude this LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight design review section, I will be rating the LG Gram 16 a nine out of ten.

LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight: Processor (CPU) Performance

For the processor, the LG Gram 16 features an Intel Core i7-1165G7. This processor is a quad-core processor, which implies that it has four processing cores. 

Just in case you are wondering what processor cores are, they are independent units in a processor. These cores receive multiple instructions from the processor and execute them.

Hence, the more cores a processor has, the better and faster it can execute tasks. Therefore, with four cores on the Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, it will execute tasks faster than processors with a lesser number of cores.

In addition to its four cores, the Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor runs at a base frequency of 2.80 GHz. It also runs at a maximum frequency of 4.70 GHz.

Judging from its specs, this processor is quite decent and fairly powerful. Hence, you will have no trouble using the LG Gram 16 for intensive workloads.

Having said that, let us further evaluate the laptop’s processor performance using its result on a Cinebench R23 test. This test works by evaluating the performance of the processor’s cores when handling demanding tasks.

Furthermore, the benchmark test can either use a single processor core in performing the tasks or use all the cores. When it uses a single core, it is referred to as the Cinebench R23 single-core test.

On the other hand, if the benchmark test employs all the processor cores, it is referred to as the multi-core test. In both cases, higher scores are preferable because they imply a good processing performance.

On that note, the LG Gram 16 scored 1311 points in the single-core test and 4652 points in the multi-core test. Comparatively, the ASUS Vivobook S15 S533EQ-BQ002T scored 1512 points in the single-core test and 5156 points in the multi-core test.

Therefore, the ASUS Vivobook S15 S533EQ-BQ002T has a better processing performance than the LG Gram 16. For your information, the ASUS Vivobook S15 S533EQ-BQ002T also uses an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor.

In conclusion, the LG Gram 16 features a quad-core processor that is powerful enough for demanding tasks. However, this laptop did not catch up to one of its competitors on a processor benchmark test.

Nevertheless, I will offer the LG Gram 16 a rating of eight out of ten in this section.

LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight: Memory (RAM) Performance

The LG Gram 16 is equipped with a 16 GB DDR4 4266 MHz memory. To break that down, the memory size on the laptop is 16 GB.

Meanwhile, the type of RAM it uses is DDR4 which has a frequency of 4266 MHz. You should also be aware that the memory is soldered to the laptop’s motherboard; hence, it cannot be upgraded.

This might be sad news for those who want a laptop with upgradeable memory. However, LG did a good job by equipping the LG Gram 16 with 16 GB RAM.

That is because, with 16 GB RAM, performing various tasks on the laptop should be swift and problem-free. Also, multitasking with this laptop will be a delight.

Speaking of multitasking, the laptop can comfortably open up to 25 Chrome tabs without lagging or slowing down.

Now let us proceed to talk about the laptop’s result in a PCMark 10 benchmark test to further verify its performance. One thing the PCMark 10 test has in common with the benchmark test discussed in the previous section is that high scores are better.

However, this test is an app-based benchmark test that evaluates the memory performance of a computer by simulating everyday productivity tasks. So, at the end of the test, the LG Gram 16 delivered a score of 4,917 points.

Although this laptop did not top the performance chart, it performed better than the Acer Swift 5, which scored only 4,894 points. However, topping the performance chart is the HP Pavillion 15, which scored a whopping 5,814 points.

All in all, I will rate the LG Gram 16 an eight out of ten in this LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight memory review section. 

LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight: Storage Options and Performance

The LG Gram 16’s storage specification is another feature that makes it price-worthy. To give more details, it comes with an NVMe M.2 2280 SSD that supports a maximum storage capacity of 1 TB.

SSDs are the fastest storage drives available in the market today. However, unlike HDDs, they are quite expensive and offer limited storage space.

Nevertheless, they don’t make any noise when operating. For more information about SSDs, you can read our What Is A Solid State Drive article.

That aside, the LG Gram 16 offers an SD card reader for storage expansion. Hence, if you find its SSD’s maximum storage capacity of 1 TB limited, you can make use of this card reader.

Now let us talk about the storage performance of this laptop. First and foremost, on a transcoding test, the laptop’s SSD was able to transcode a 4K resolution video to 1080p resolution in 17 minutes and 58 seconds.

While this seems impressive and quite fast, it is slower than the category average of 16 minutes and 55 seconds. To further verify the laptop’s storage performance, let us talk about its result on a CrystalDiskMark benchmark test.

For your information, a CrystalDiskMark test is used to evaluate the performance of storage drives by measuring their read and write speed. If you don’t know, read speed describes how fast a storage drive can open files.

Meanwhile, write speed describes how fast the storage drive can save files. By the way, a high “MB/s” value on the CrystalDiskMark benchmark test indicates fast read and write speed.

On that note, the LG Gram 16 offered a sequential read speed of 1748 MB/s. It also delivered a sequential write speed of 2521 MB/s.

Comparatively, the Acer Swift 5 has a sequential read speed of 1054 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 1137 MB/s. Hence, the LG Gram 16 should open and save files faster than the Acer Swift 5, which also uses SSD.

All things considered, I’ll rate the LG Gram 16 a nine out of ten in this section of the review.

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LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight: Graphics Card Performance

For executing graphics-related tasks, the LG Gram 16 uses integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. This graphics card has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1300 MHz.

However, as an integrated GPU, it is built into the laptop’s processor and does not have dedicated video RAM (VRAM). Due to its lack of video RAM, this graphics card will depend on the laptop’s 16 GB RAM to execute graphics-related tasks.

The implication is that the laptop might not be able to smoothly execute graphics-intensive tasks and play high-end games. However, the laptop should be able to play a few high-end games at medium and low graphics settings.

For instance, the LG Gram 16 managed to deliver 47.7 fps when playing The Witcher 3 (2015) on medium graphics settings. Also, it delivered an impressive 84.8 fps while playing GTA V on medium graphics settings.

For more details about the graphics performance of this laptop, I will share its result in a 3DMark 11 benchmark test. In case you do not know, the 3DMark 11 test is used to evaluate the 3D rendering ability of a computer’s GPU.

You should also be aware that a high score on the 3DMark 11 test means good performance. Hence, in the test, the LG Gram 16 scored 6,305 points.

Impressively, this score is significantly higher than the Acer Swift 5’s score of 4,775 points. It is worth mentioning that this Acer laptop also uses integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics.

To end this LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight GPU review section, I will rate the LG Gram 16 an eight out of ten.

LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight: Battery Life and Performance

To start with, the LG Gram 16 comes with a 2-Cell 80 Wh Lithium-ion battery. LG advertised that this laptop should last up to 22 hours.

However, to verify LG’s claim, we will discuss the laptop’s results in various battery tests. The first test involves keeping the laptop idle with its Wi-Fi disabled and display brightness set to medium.

At the end of this test, the LG Gram 16 lasted for 22 hours and 33 minutes.

The second test involves continuously surfing the web on the laptop via a Wi-Fi connection while its display brightness is set to medium. The LG Gram 16 delivered a battery life of 9 hours and 7 at the end of this test.

Although these battery lives are quite decent, they are not as long as the Acer Swift 5’s battery life. Specifically, on the first battery test, the Acer Swift 5 delivered a battery life of 23 hours and 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, on the second battery test, the laptop delivered a battery life of 13 hours and 37 minutes.

Nonetheless, I will rate the LG Gram 16 an eight out of ten in this battery review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The selling point of the LG Gram 16 is its portability and lightweight despite being a 16-inch laptop. Impressively, despite being lightweight, the laptop offers an amazing list of hardware specs.

To be more specific, the laptop features a powerful processor, an impressive display, and a fast SSD. That’s not all; even though the laptop features an integrated GPU, it can play a few high-end games on low and medium graphics settings.

Also, the laptop’s battery life is quite decent. However, the LG Gram 16 is somewhat expensive.

Nevertheless, if you need a lightweight laptop with a huge display screen, you need to consider the LG Gram 16.

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