LG Gram 17 (2021) review: a class of its own

I’ve read a lot before about what it’s like to use, hold and type an LG Gram, but it did not detract from the impressive first impression it made when using the first Gram 17 for the first time. not – especially this larger model. The Gram 17 has a grandiose 17-inch screen, but it is only three kilograms, which is light enough to carry with one hand. The keyboard is a joy to tap into with a surprising amount of tactility and moves in the keys, and the battery life survives an entire day of work, even many seconds. It’s a quiet laptop, and even under pressure, its fans were not loud enough to hear it once.

The Gram communicates with its biggest selling points – lightness and longevity – so effectively that it overcomes some persistent minor problems. It contains a keyboard layout that can be difficult to customize. For example, the num lock is too easy to accidentally press, and is right next to the backspace, and the only function key is too far away from the main function row buttons, which adjust the volume one-handed. Lastly, the big trackpad is not always good for palm rejection. These are important things for every laptop to get right, let alone a bunch of extra real estate that needs to be used to prevent such errors.

This new model for 2021 is mostly a specification update, not a design overhaul compared to the 2020 version. But this is a good update. Within the only $ 1,799 Gram 17 configuration from LG (it’s available since the end of March for $ 1,699), there’s now an 11th generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor that promises and delivers better performance and longer battery life than the 2020 model , my colleague. Monica Chin rated. On top of that, the model’s faster 4.266 MHz LPDDR4X RAM, of which it has 16 GB, probably plays a role in the speed increase. It’s not a drastically different computer to use than before, but it may be more reliable this time around.

LG Gram 17

LG has packed a lot of keys here, but it is not as logically laid out as it could be.

LG Gram 17

The large size and 16:10 aspect ratio on the screen give plenty of room to breathe.

While I managed my usual collection of about 10 tabs in Microsoft Edge for work, while Slack and Spotify ran together, the performance did not falter at all. This is a minimum of skill tests for laptops, so for something more demanding, I ran a five-minute, 33-second test file from us Edge video team by Adobe Premiere Pro. Last year’s model took thirty minutes to do so, but it’s done within about 11 minutes. It does not hold candle to laptops that place more emphasis on power usually at the expense of leverage, but it is enough to justify the Gram 17’s price a little easier. Razer’s Book 13 with the same processor performed about a minute faster with this test, but the Gram is on par with the latest Dell XPS 13 and Asus ZenBook 14.

The battery is also surprisingly good – and better than before. With the same amount of applications I mentioned earlier, the Gram 17 lasted an entire workday until about the next 12 hours. If you are looking for a laptop that can work a full day without a charger, whether you have video calls or not, this is one for you shortlist. It features the same 80Wh battery as last year’s model, which is still impressive, considering the Gram 17’s lightweight profile.

The USB-C charging is also similar to the 2020 version. LG now includes a 65W USB-C power adapter instead of the 48W charger that came with the previous model. It can recharge faster with the accompanying brick (which is no bigger than a compact power bank), but it still takes a few hours to completely refill it.

This sums up the biggest changes to Gram 17. this year. There are also some minor adjustments I like. The arrangement of ports has been shifted into a more logical layout. On the left there is a Thunderbolt 4 port (it can be used to charge, data or connect to a screen), one USB-C 4.0 Gen 3 port, a headphone combo connector and ‘ an HDMI port. On the right you will find two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports next to a microSD card slot and a Kensington slot.

LG Gram 17

The Thunderbolt 4 port, USB-C 4.0 port, headphone jack and HDMI port are on the left.

LG Gram 17

On the right side, the Gram 17 has two USB Type-A ports and a microSD card slot.

If you buy 17-inch laptops, it is difficult to find anything lighter than the Gram. It’s 2.98 pounds, which is just a little heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Air. The Dell XPS 17 is one of LG’s main competitors in this space, but its base model weighs more than one and a half pounds more. If you get an XPS 17 model like the one we rated in July 2020, it will weigh almost as much as two Gram 17s at 5.53 pounds. The extra weight does bring more power and a dedicated GPU into the Dell, but if you just want a large portable screen for productivity, the Gram is more than capable.

As my colleague Monica Chin mentioned in her review of the LG Gram 17 of 2020, this laptop is not that pretty. It still does not stand close to the high-end design of the XPS 17, with an aluminum chassis. The Gram has a tough body with magnesium alloy, but it looks and feels plastic. That said, there is technically nothing wrong with its design, and it looks better than most black aluminum laptops I have tried to withstand fingerprints. Some people may prefer that the design does not stand out much, even if the keyboard is on in the background.

LG Gram 17

The fingerprint sensor embedded in the on / off button works consistently as intended.

LG Gram 17

The 720p webcam delivers a blurry image, but it is of serviceable quality.

Something small that I wish LG was offered with this model is the option for a matte display. It’s rare that ultrabooks have it, but I find it hard to stay focused on what’s happening on screen when I can see a reflection of all my apartment’s events staring at me. Wherever you use this laptop, glare can be a big problem, as with a TV. This does not mean that the Gram 17 screen is sharp and vibrant. It’s a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS touch panel from the company’s own display division, and it makes everything look great with 99 percent DCI-P3 color gamut. If a touch screen is important to you, LG’s Gram 2-in-1 laptops include it. LG was one of the first Windows laptop manufacturers to switch to a 16:10 aspect ratio, and the Gram 17 also has one. This gives you a bit more vertical real estate to work with on screen compared to 16: 9 screens. This is the most beneficial for productivity (you see more information at the same time, so less browsing is required), but you have black mailbox for most full-screen videos you watch.

The Gram is short on bloatware, which I would love to see. It comes with Amazon’s built-in Alexa, though it needs to be activated before you can use the service. Some other pre-installed programs include McAfee LiveScan and a range of CyberLink creative tools. Compared to a few other laptops I’ve used recently, like Acer’s Predator Triton 300 SE, the Gram does not seem to move pop-up notifications in your face every time you use it.

LG Gram 17

The keys have a movement of 1.6 mm and feel tangible to tap on.

LG Gram 17

The design of the Gram does not stand out, but some people like it.

There are few 17-inch laptops to choose from and even fewer models that are as lightweight as this. This year’s LG Gram 17 is unique in the sense that it is more powerful than ever before, but does not abandon its portability. Oddly enough, the only competition he is currently facing is from LG. The 16-inch Gram is lighter and cheaper, but it has the same design, screen size, port choice, battery capacity and specs (except it has significantly less storage) for $ 1,399. You can find one that has the same 1 TB storage as the Gram 17 for $ 1,599. If the Gram 17 price of $ 1,799 is too expensive, you have at least one alternative that is likely to produce the same good results.

But if price is not an issue and you want a surprisingly portable and powerful laptop with a large screen, the Gram 17 is in a class of its own.

Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

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