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<\/source>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\u00a31,999 (about $2,640 \/ AU$3,910)<\/strong><\/li>\nAvailable in three colorways<\/strong><\/li>\nHigh-end specs<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe LG Gram 17 costs \u00a31,999 (about $2,640 \/ AU$3,910) and is available now. It arrives in your choice of three finishes \u2013 black, white, or charcoal gray \u2013\u00a0and it can be had with between 16-32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and a 1TB or 2TB NVMe SSD. As for graphics, you have a choice of either an Intel Arc or Intel Iris XE Graphics GPU.<\/p>\n
At this price, the LG Gram 17 is competing in the premium sector, rubbing shoulders with the likes of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 \u2013 which, in our view, is the best business laptop<\/u> . That machine is superbly built with an excellent keyboard and display. Specs-wise, it does come in behind the LG Gram 17, and so do its costlier range-topping variants. However, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 is durable and built to last, delivering your money\u2019s worth. \u00a0<\/p>\n
At the other end of the market sits the Acer Travelmate P4, which can be had for as little as $400. For that, you do get lesser specs, with older CPUs and no NVMe SSD options, but we still found it to be a very competent performer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you desperately want a 17-inch display, then we think the Dell XPS 17 (9730) is the best laptop with a large screen. It\u2019s also replete with Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs, perfect if you\u2019re after serious gaming and content creation pedigree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
LG Gram 17: Specs<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n\nLG Gram 17 specs<\/caption>\n \n\nHeader Cell \u2013 Column 0 <\/span><\/th>\n LG Gram 17 (2024)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/tbody>\n \n\nPrice<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a31,999 (about $2,640 \/ AU$3,910)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nDisplay<\/strong><\/td>\n17-inch, 2560×1600, 16:10 60Hz IPS w\/ anti-glare coating<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nCPU<\/strong><\/td>\nIntel Core Ultra 7 155H<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nGraphics<\/strong><\/td>\nIntel Arc<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nRAM<\/strong><\/td>\n32GB LPDDR5x<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nStorage<\/strong><\/td>\n1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4 SSD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPorts<\/strong><\/td>\n2 x USB 4 Type C, 2 x USB Type A 3.2, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack, HDMI, microSD slot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nConnectivity<\/strong><\/td>\nWi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nBattery<\/strong><\/td>\n77Wh Li-Ion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nWeight<\/strong><\/td>\n2.98lbs (1.35kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nDimensions<\/strong><\/td>\n14.91 x 10.19 x 0.70ins (378.8 x 258.8 x 17.8mm)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nLG Gram 17: Design<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
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<\/source>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs with many Windows laptops in recent years, the LG Gram 17 takes design cues from Apple\u2019s MacBook line. It keeps to a minimal aesthetic, with clean edges and surfaces unsullied by unnecessary bulges or protrusions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, almost immediately on opening its lid my confidence in the build quality of the LG Gram 17 was sapped. The hinge is incredibly loose, meaning the display ricochets like a pendulum. It could be argued this is the price you pay for such an effortless mechanism, but I don\u2019t think this bodes well for its longevity.<\/p>\n
In fact, the premium feel is lacking from the entire chassis \u2013 although, again, this may be the sacrifice for keeping the LG Gram 17’s weight down. And for a 17-inch laptop, it’s impressively light and thin, which makes traveling with it far less hassle than it otherwise would; it slotted nicely into my backpack for my commute to the office, and I didn\u2019t feel overburdened. There\u2019s no doubt that as large laptops go, the LG Gram 17 is one of the most portable around.<\/p>\n
The keys are compact and well made. The trackpad is highly engineered and large, too, with a very smooth surface that creates little friction. This makes for pleasant and precise swipes and gestures.<\/p>\n
As fond as I am of number pads, incorporating one in the LG Gram 17 does compromise its ergonomics. It means the character keys are forced over to the left, which I found made the typing position more awkward, with my right hand closer to the left than I\u2019m used to.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s welcoming to see a large screen that isn\u2019t compromised by a thick bezel. What’s a shame, though, is how much the bezel protrudes on the LG Gram 17, with the display itself set quite far back \u2013 another area where you can tell corners have been cut, and where it fails to live up to the sleekness of Apple\u2019s laptops, despite its attempts to emulate their style.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/source>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe display itself uses IPS technology, which produces a fine enough image. However, it fails to impart a level of sharpness you’d expect from the 2L\/ WQXGA resolution. On smaller screens that same resolution looks sharp and sleek, but that fidelity starts to deteriorate once it\u2019s stretched out to 17-inch. However, what can be said in its favor is its anti-glare properties, which do indeed help to retain visibility even in bright sunlight.<\/p>\n
As for port selection, the LG Gram 17 has two USB-C and two USB-A ports, the former pair on the left and the latter on the right. There\u2019s also a headphone output, a microSD card slot, and an HDMI port. Oddly, the latter is located before the USB-C ports, meaning that your charging cable will be plugged in closer to the front than you’d expect, which might upset those who are particular about cable management.<\/p>\n
The keys are well damped with just enough travel, making for a snappy and satisfying feel. However, all too frequently my keystrokes would fail to register, in particular when hitting the “o” key, for reasons I struggle to fathom. As a conservative estimate, I’d say that more than half the time presses would result in nothing appearing on-screen.<\/p>\n
Another typing issue is the aforementioned position of the character keys. As well as making the hand position awkward, it also resulted in my right thumb palm resting on part of the trackpad. Occasionally, this would cause swipes and taps to register.<\/p>\n
For any laptop, these two issues pose a major obstacle for getting work done. However, for one such as the LG Gram 17, designed with productivity in mind, it\u2019s close to unforgivable. These may just be personal issues, with others unaffected; but I\u2019ve never had typing issues to this degree on other laptops I\u2019ve tried.<\/p>\n
Conversely, I also experienced too many occasions where the trackpad would fail to register taps I performed deliberately. However, in other aspects, the trackpad is great to use. It\u2019s smooth and accurate, while swipes and gestures are easy to perform consistently, thanks to the responsiveness.<\/p>\n
LG Gram 17: Performance<\/span><\/h2>\nThe LG Gram 17 is fast when it comes to performing most productivity tasks. Everything from knocking out spreadsheets and word processing to low-key photo editing is within reach. And, when it comes to downtime, video playback is fast and smooth, even with 4K content. The Intel Core Ultra 7 certainly appears to live up to expectations.<\/p>\n
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LG Gram 17: Benchmarks<\/div>\n
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3DMark:<\/strong> Night Raid: 16,752; Fire Strike: 6,131; Time Spy: 2,908Cinebench R23:<\/strong> 1,595 (single-core); 9,746 (multi-core)GeekBench 6.3:<\/strong> 2,198 (single-core); 11,358 (multi-core)PCMark 10 (Home test):<\/strong> 6,039PCMark 10 (Battery test): <\/strong>5,477Battery Life (TechRadar movie test)<\/strong>: 12\u00a0hours, 12\u00a0minutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor more intensive workloads, the LG Gram 17 is somewhat inconsistent. In our benchmarking tests, it scored well on office-based tasks. It beat the Microsoft Surface 7 in the PCMark Home test, although it did lose to it in GeekBench single- and multi-core tests with considerably lower scores.<\/p>\n
For more graphics-heavy workloads, scores weren\u2019t so great either. The LG Gram 17 still beat the Surface 7, but in our Dell XPS 17 (9730) review<\/u>, this laptop performed far better \u2013 not exactly surprising, given the LG Gram 17 I had to test came with an Intel Arc GPU, rather than an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 featured in the XPS 17 (9730) we tested.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, the LG Gram 17 keeps the bloatware to a minimum, with only a handful of LG apps preinstalled. Most of these function well for the most part, and refrain from eating into performance or bombarding you with notifications. The LG Recovery and Update can intrude at times with notifications; but, thankfully, most of them are worthy of your attention.<\/p>\n
Other LG apps include ThinQ, which, quite frankly, seemed redundant, only letting me contact support; and LG Gram Link, which lets you connect with your mobile device, allowing for file sharing to screen mirroring. Both function well, although the mobile app did have trouble connecting to my network until an update fixed the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/source>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMirroring my phone screen on the LG Gram 17 worked well, but keyboard and trackpad inputs were sluggish. You can also duplicate and extend the LG Gram 17 display on your smartphone, and this is more responsive, although I think it would be better to mirror on a tablet than a small smartphone screen. Using the keyboard and trackpad to control my phone was also responsive during my tests, although for some reason I wasn\u2019t able to scroll web pages on the Chrome mobile app.<\/p>\n
One of the chief annoyances I had with the LG Gram 17 was the noise. Occasionally \u2013 and especially when setting up \u2013 there would be a low-end hum, elevating to a higher pitch and louder volume under more intensive workloads. I was almost convinced it was the sound of a hard disk, as it sounded very similar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the initial setup, fan noise became less frequent, but would still rear its ugly head from time to time. In addition, the base of the LG Gram 17 would also on occasion become hot, which would be uncomfortable if using the machine on your lap. Sometimes, even the keys themselves became hot to the touch. This was a real cause for concern, and didn\u2019t instill me with much confidence to use the LG Gram 17 for heavy workloads over long stretches.<\/p>\n
As far as the speakers go, they perform well enough, offering a balanced sound without distortion. They don\u2019t have much impact, but compared to most other laptops, they acquit themselves admirably.<\/p>\n
LG Gram 17: Battery<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
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<\/source>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAlthough LG doesn\u2019t provide a figure for the battery life of the Gram 17, it does claim it to be \u201cultra-long\u201d. During my tests, I found it could handle more than a whole day\u2019s worth of work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tested the battery life by using the 3DMark benchmarking tool, as well as playing a 1080p 30fps video on a loop. From a full charge, the LG Gram 17 lasted an impressive 12 hours and 12 minutes before shutting down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This means the LG Gram 17 eclipses the Microsoft Surface 7, our current pick as the best laptop<\/u> overall, which lasted about 10 hours during our tests. It also beats our pick for the best large laptop, the Dell XPS 17 (9730), which managed 9 hours and 5 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\nShould you buy the LG Gram 17?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n\nLG Gram 17 score card<\/caption>\n \n\nHeader Cell \u2013 Column 0 <\/span><\/th>\n Notes<\/th>\n Rating<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/tbody>\n \n\nValue<\/strong><\/td>\nThis is an expensive laptop, and yes, it’s large; but there are equally capable performers in this class for less.<\/td>\n 2.5 \/ 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nDesign<\/strong><\/td>\nThe LG Gram 17 is impressively light for a laptop of this size, but the build quality isn\u2019t the best and the keyboard is hard to live with.<\/td>\n 2.5 \/ 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPerformance<\/strong><\/td>\nFast where it counts, the LG Gram 17 lives up to its premium intentions in some regards, but the noise and heat are real issues.<\/td>\n 3 \/ 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nBattery<\/strong><\/td>\nBattery life is impressive, beating some of the best laptops around according to our benchmark tests.<\/td>\n 4 \/ 5 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nOverall rating<\/strong><\/td>\nThe large and light LG Gram 17 is easy to carry around and performs well in certain scenarios, but the build quality, ergonomics, noise and heat hold it back.<\/td>\n 3 \/ 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBuy it if…<\/h2>\n