LG Gram 17-inch review: Playing games with your mind

As someone who used to travel a lot, I have struggled with heavy office laptops that become a pain in the neck over a period of time. As the heavy backpack, weighed down by the laptop and its adapter, started taking a toll a few years back, I moved almost completely to an iPad for my travels. However, not everyone has the luxury to survive on an iPad, not when your office work needs you to use some old-world software. This is where the LG Gram could be a game-changer.

LG Gram specs: 17-inch IPS LCD WQXGA (2560 x 1600) | Intel Core i7-1065G7 1.30GHz (Turbo up to 3.90GHz), L3 Cache 8MB | 8GB RAM + 512GB ROM  | Intel Iris Plus Graphics | Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 + Bluetooth 5.0 | Thunderbol 3/USB 3.1 Type-C x 1, USB 3.1 x 3, HDMI x 3, RJ Ethernet, SD card reader | 80W Lithium Ion battery | 1.35kg

LG Gram review: What is good and what is not?

Given my past experience with 14-inch laptops, a 17-inch device is almost unthinkable for me. So when I took the LG Gram out of the box, I had a bit of a startle. My mind was calculating a certain weight given the size, and it ended up being much less than that giving me and my brain a startle. The LG Gram is that kind of device, a 17-inch laptop that weighs all of 1.35kg. Yeah, you read that right. In comparison, the MacBook Pro 16 inch weighs 2 kg.

While this is a really large laptop, LG has really tried its best to keep the Gram design thin. And thin it is in a good way, not really compromising on the ports users might need. But then there is no doubt about the fact that this is a large laptop. It is the magnesium alloy body that helps keep the weight really low despite the large footprint.

In fact, having not gone to the 17-inch form factor in a long time, my mind kept struggling to process the keyboard, which is spaced out and laid out almost like a desktop one. It has a separate number cluster, dedicated arrow keys, and functions buttons, as well as actual space between the keys. I can’t remember when I saw all of these together in a laptop keyboard last time. The trackpad is large too and often you realize you are clicking in the middle and you were aiming for the left corner. The Gram has a backlit keyboard that works very well when you are working from home in the early hours of a winter morning in Delhi. The power button also houses a fingerprint scanner that is fast and makes accessing the laptop quite easy for the user.

The display is impressive and that is something you would expect from LG. The 17-inch IPS LCD has a WQXGA (2560 x 1600p) resolution and is bright and crisp, ensuring you will no issues working, or consuming, content in any scenario. The audio quality is good enough for this screen and overall the LG Gram is a great device for consuming videos.

The LG Gram 17 inch is powered by a 10th gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor and can rise up to anything you want this laptop to do. It also stays cool, despite the small chassis and no visible fans on the body. However, the 8GB RAM might prove to be a bit limiting for some users, especially those working on video or data crunching. Ang given the size of this device, it won’t be easy to get a RAM upgrade.

The other good thing is the battery, which can last over 15 hours with the most taxing work you throw at the Gram. Given the size, this is more than good.

LG Gram: Should you buy it?

With a box price of Rs 1,40,000, the LG Gram presents an option for those who need a large screen for work, but still don’t want to be tied up to their desks. Just the weight of this device, or the lack of it, should endear this to many users looking for a laptop replacement this festival season.

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