LG Gram ultralight laptop Review

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I’m going to say right out of the gate that this is not going to be your typical laptop review. I’m not going to get into processors and chips, and test processing speed or any of that. So if that’s what you’re looking for, this is not the review for you.
The reason I’m not getting onto that is because I’m not an expert in laptops or PCs for that matter. But when I was offered a chance to try out LG’s new impossibly light and big-screened Gram laptop I didn’t want to let the opportunity slip by.
You see I’m a Mac user by choice in most of my work life, but I was issued a Dell PC for some other work. The Dell is a small, fat, heavy tank so I wanted to see what’s new in the PC world. I’d also heard some really great things about this laptop. So what I’m going to do is share some of the basics and my overall feelings about this laptop and its promises.
Early heads up if you like like & SUB.

Getting this laptop set up is easy enough. Because I was treating it as a new laptop with no data to move over, that helped a lot. (Since this device was only on loan to me for a few days and would later be shared with others I was not willing to put a bunch of personal info onto it either.)

The LG gram offers fingerprint identification via a small sensor imbedded in the power button. A few touches to enable it and it was ready to unlock the computer in a snap.

The fingerprint sensor unlocks fast; before I could even really lift my finger from the sensor it was open and ready to use.

Let’s talk about the design and hardware of this laptop. It really is impossibly light. It doesn’t weigh a gram, more like about three pounds, but it is lighter than any other laptop I’ve ever used, particularly given its huge screen size.

I was debating about whether it feels cheap because it’s so light. It’s also got a lot of flexibility to it.

I felt better about the lightweight feel when I read the Gram passed seven military-grade tests for durability including rigorous tests for shock, low pressure, high or low temperature, dust and more.

When using it to edit documents, the text leaps off the page. Even when using smaller fonts it’s very easy to read. (One thing worth noting though, you will need a Microsoft outlook license in order to use apps like Word.)

I can definitely say the sound quality is impressive. I feel like it leans a bit to the high end and can sound tinny, but you’re not buying a laptop for its abilities to mimic surround sound, are you?

It’s also easy enough to type on the keyboard. The keys are comfortable to type on and not very clicky at all.

Someone on Instagram pointed out to me the trackpad isn’t centred under the spacebar or the keyboard. As a righty, I didn’t find this problematic, but lefties might…

The battery life is pretty impressive and LG say it’s more than enough to last all day. The battery is supposed to deliver up to 17 hours of power, making it great for travel.

The LG Gram still has plenty of options when it comes to physical connections.
On one side There’s an AC power port, USB, HDMI and a thunderbolt port which you can use for a bunch of different things, including charging.
On the other end there’s 2 more USB ports, a headphone jack Micro SC card reader and security lock.

As an Apple user, I was concerned about how much connectivity I could get between my iPhone and the Gram. After all, iPhones are made to match up with Macbooks, not PCs.

I was glad to see I could back up files and share them across devices with Microsoft One Drive. Microsoft one drive is essentially cloud storage and access to all your files from your different devices. Having this on your iPhone and the Gram makes file and photo sharing easier.

The Gram also has ‘find my device’, which lets you use your devices location to help you find it if you lose it or if it is stolen. You must be signed into windows with your Microsoft account to use this feature. This is by no means a new or revolutionary feature but it’s an important one that does let you track down a misplaced or stolen laptop.

Overall, from a basic consumer perspective, I really like my LG gram experience. I think this is an outstanding laptop for people who travel a lot, or who want to do a lot of video work. It’s light weight, streamlined, has a beautiful screen and looks and sounds great overall. It’s great for working and entertainment.

Any downsides I found had more to do with my own need for compatibility with the devices I already have. Chances are if you’re shopping for a PC you already know what you need it to do and what you’re getting into.

The gram costs between $1,599.99 and $2,199.99 depending on configuration and options you choose.