LG Gram 17: At First Glance
The LG Gram 17 is a very large laptop. In fact, it appears too large to be classified as an Ultrabook.
However, this laptop upholds Gram’s reputation for lightweight laptops despite its large size. Like every Gram laptop, you will be shocked by how light the LG Gram 17 is when you pick it up.
When holding the LG Gram 17, it almost feels like something is missing from the laptop. Ironically, this LG Gram 17 model is equipped with high-end hardware specs and a larger battery.
LG Gram 17: Design, Dimension, and Weight
The overall design of the LG Gram 17 didn’t change from that of its previous models. Moreover, it shares the same appearance as the 13-inch, 14-inch, and 15-inch Gram laptops.
It has a simple and attractive design commonly associated with Gram laptops. The LG Gram 17’s design makes it cool to be used in both official and unofficial settings.
Furthermore, the LG Gram 17 is specifically engineered to be portable and extremely light. This laptop is also relatively compact with very nice and thin bezels.
Moving on to weight, the LG Gram 17 weighs 1338 g and measures 381 x 266.7 x 17.7 mm. Surprisingly, this laptop weighs slightly less than the 13-inch MacBook Pro despite being a 17-inch laptop.
You might be wondering how LG made achieved this. This laptop’s lightweight is made possible with LG’s magnesium alloy construction – they like to call it nano-carbon construction.
However, this nano-carbon construction makes the LG Gram 17 feel like plastic. Hence, it doesn’t feel very premium.
Moreover, there is a lot of flex around the laptop. Its lid, in particular, tends to wobble a lot.
But then, LG has done a good job considering how extremely light this laptop is. Moreover, LG claims that this laptop meets military-level durability – the MIL-STD-810G certification test.
Therefore, the LG Gram 17 can withstand shocks, dust, high and low temperatures, vibration, and humidity.
Furthermore, this laptop has a well-spaced backlit keyboard that feels very comfortable for long typing sessions. The keyboard also has a numeric num pad.
Its precision touchpad is moderately sized, and it feels very responsive.
Additionally, the LG Gram 17 offers a good port selection. It offers 3 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB Type C port, an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt 3, and a headphone jack.
Overall, the LG Gram 17 has a simple and remarkable design. Therefore, it achieves an eight in this review.
LG Gram 17: Processor (CPU) Performance
LG equipped the LG Gram 17 with a quad-core Intel Core i7-8565U processor. This processor has a base frequency of 1.80 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.60 GHz.
The LG Gram 17 is a laptop prioritized for productivity. Even though its processor is not as powerful as the Ice Lake or Tiger Lake processors, the laptop is still powerful enough.
As expected, the LG Gram 17 breezes through regular computing tasks like web browsing, document editing, and sending emails. Moreover, this laptop handles heavy computing tasks like content creation and industrial app or program usage.
On a Geekbench 4 test, the LG Gram 17 scored 13,557, surpassing the premium laptop average of 12,480. However, the LG Gram 17 was no match for powerhouses like the Dell XPS 15 and the 15-inch MacBook Pro – they scored 19,77 and 23,140, respectively.
Nonetheless, the LG Gram 17 bags an eight in this review for its superb CPU performance.
LG Gram 17: Memory (RAM) Performance
LG ships the LG Gram 17 with 8 GB DDR4 RAM. This laptop has two RAM slots on its motherboard.
Therefore, you can upgrade the LG Gram 17’s RAM capacity via one of the RAM slots. However, the laptop supports a maximum size of 16 GB.
I tested this laptop with an upgraded 16 GB RAM. In my test, the LG Gram 17 kept up with all the workload I required it to handle.
To be specific, the LG Gram 17 didn’t encounter any problem with 30 Chrome browser tabs and an album streaming on SoundCloud simultaneously. There was no lagging or slowing down while I switched between the browser tabs.
As a result, the LG Gram 17 earned an eight for its incredible multitasking capabilities.
LG Gram 17: Storage Options & Performance
The LG Gram 17 offers a 512 GB SSD for storage. You also get a microSD card reader for storage expansion.
This 512 GB SSD is not as fast as expected. On a file transfer test, the LG Gram 17 copied a 4.97 multimedia file at a rate of 213 MBps.
It was unable to surpass the premium laptop average of 527 MBps.
However, read and write speeds were okay. On a CrystalDiskMark test, the LG Gram 17 recorded a sequential read speed of 3271 MBps and a sequential write speed of 1881 MBps.
In conclusion, the LG Gram 17 scores a seven in this review for its average storage speed.
LG Gram 17: Graphics Card Performance
The LG Gram 17 comes with an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU. This GPU has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1150 MHz.
The integrated UHD Graphics 620 GPU in this laptop has been the same for some years. Therefore, the LG Gram 17’s graphics performance is not beyond expectations.
Moreover, the LG Gram 17 can barely play most current AAA title games. However, it is okay for casual gaming.
However, you may need to reduce the graphics settings of some games in order to get good frame rates. On a gaming test, the LG Gram 17 averaged 54 FPS on low settings when it ran Dirt 3.
Obviously, the LG Gram 17 is not very suitable for gaming. Therefore, it scores a six in this graphics performance review.
LG Gram 17: Battery Life and Performance
The LG Gram 17 features a 4-Cell 72 Wh Lithium-ion battery. LG claims that this laptop can last up to 19.5 hours.
It would have been wonderful if this advertised battery life was exactly what the LG Gram 17 offered. Unfortunately, the LG Gram 17 lasted 12 hours on a battery test that involved continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi.
Nonetheless, the battery life this laptop offers is incredible. Moreover, it exceeded the premium laptop average of 8 hours and 31 minutes runtime.
In comparison, the Dell XPS 15 was only a few minutes short of the LG Gram 17’s runtime. The Dell XPS 15 lasted 11 hours and 55 minutes. However, the 15-inch MacBook Pro was behind both laptops – It lasted 10 hours and 25 minutes.
As a result of its impressive battery life, the LG Gram 17 scores a nine in this battery performance review.
Frequently Asked Questions
The LG Gram 17 is not suitable for gaming. It can barely play most current AAA title games. However, it is okay for casual gaming. However, you may need to reduce the graphics settings of some games in order to get good frame rates.
Some LG laptops offer enough battery life to keep you going through an entire workday. While some offer less battery life. Premium laptops, like the LG Gram 17, can offer up to 17 hours of battery life with a single full charge.
No, it doesn’t. The LG Gram 17 is equipped with a non-touch IPS LCD screen.
Yes, it does. The LG Gram 17 comes with Bluetooth 5.0
The LG Gram 17 is a good laptop with many excellent features. It has a large screen and long battery life, and it is also surprisingly light. Additionally, the laptop also offers a well-spaced keyboard that delivers a comfortable typing experience. LG Gram 17 is definitely worth your money.
Conclusion
The LG Gram 17 is an extremely portable 17-inch laptop that packs incredible processing power. Moreover, this laptop enhances your overall productivity.
If you value portable laptops, you should consider LG Gram 17. However, you should go for another laptop if you need one for heavy gaming.
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