LG has created an amazing line of laptops designed to be the lightest possible. People love its 17-inch laptop as it is good for productivity and looks great. LG’s notebook is sleek and performs well.
It has a stunning display that won’t break records, but an 11th-generation Tiger Lake CPU runs multiple applications and office-bound tasks with ease. The LG Gram 17 provides functionality such as Thunderbolt 4 and a better than all-day battery life, making it versatile for anything you need for your personal or professional use.
Pros
- + Excellent battery life
- + Large, high-quality display
- + Very light
- + Whisper quiet
Cons
- – Expensive
- – Subject to screen glare
- – Touchpad could be better
Key Specification
Model number: 17z90p
Weight: 1.35kg (2.98lbs)
Dimensions: H x W x D = 26.01 x 38.02 x 1.78 cm (14.97 x 10.24 x 0.7 inches)
Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7 (2.8 GHz, Turbo up to 4.7 GHz, L3 Cache 12MB, 28W)
System memory: 16GB LPDDR4X 4266MHz
Storage: 256GB
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Screen: 17 inch IPS WQXGA 2560 X 1600
Sound: Stereo Speaker 2.0W x 2, Max 5W (Smart Amp) Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit)
Ports: 1 x HP-Out (4Pole Headset, US type), 1 x HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen2x1 (x2), USB 4 Gen3x2 Type C (x2, with Power Delivery, Display Port, Thunderbolt 4)
Design and build
This LG Gram 17 laptop has a carbon and magnesium chassis with silver “Gram” logos on the top cover and lower bezel.
Despite the ‘LG Kilogram’ being a more literally accurate name for this laptop, some people might not realize that it’s surprisingly light. It’s almost the first thing you see when beginning to lift it out of the box. With a weight of just 2.98 pounds, this 17-inch laptop is light and easy to carry around.
LG Gram 17 is one of the lightest 17-inch laptops around. Other productivity-based laptops don’t compare well with it. The LG Gram 14 and 16-inch versions of the LG Gram 17 have even less weight than the competition. They are slightly cheaper as well. With the LG Gram 17, you’ll save space and increase screen size.
LG Gram 17 (2021)’s dimensions are 15 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches (381 x 261 x 17.78mm) and it comes with a larger screen making it more of a desktop than a laptop. A lightweight design might give users peace of mind, but people should be careful to avoid damaging the laptop. It is impressively capable of withstanding wear and tear, featuring a metal body that is resistant to dust and other common threats.
Those who care about port availability, won’t be disappointed. The LG Gram 17 has 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports and can be charged by them. It also has an HDMI port and an audio jack on either side, which allows for more flexibility with the laptop’s connectivity options.
There are three USB ports on the right side of a laptop: two USB 3.2 and one microSD card slot, giving you multiple options when it comes to plugging in portable storage devices, connecting your devices, and allowing them to transfer files or charge.
The LG Gram 17 (2021)’s physical look isn’t impressive when your first see it. You might not want to spend much time with it if you open up. But its aesthetic design is rather plain and you don’t need more than a glance at the screen to make it a highly sought-after laptop.
When it comes to productivity, the LG Gram 17 has a large screen and resolution of 2560 x 1600. It’s hard to beat for trying to get tasks done quickly and easily. It offers a high-resolution display which means there are more features displayed on web pages and programs. The screen looks great because it is LCD.
The laptop is designed with a satisfyingly punchy keyboard. The movement of each key press provides strong feedback when typing to ensure that it never becomes a chore. The touchpad is less impressive, though.
Some users may miss the omission of dedicated left-click and right-click buttons. Other buttons often provide a satisfying tactile experience on other productivity laptops. The power button provides a fingerprint scanner and makes it easy to log in. It also is fast and accurate, making the LG Gram 17 an important tool for getting back into your project quickly and painlessly.
Performance
LG has impressed us from a design perspective and the LG Gram 17 does not disappoint under the hood. Intel’s 11th-gen processor does a great job at juggling multiple things and that’s what makes this laptop so handy.
This laptop features an Intel Core i7-1165G7, as well as Intel Iris Xe, integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Those last two also help this laptop’s speeds tremendously.
The laptop allowed me to perform quick tasks even under the stress of multiple tabs and programs open at the same time. The LG Gram’s top-of-the-line components didn’t slow down Google Chrome when I used it.
When editing photos, there is an option to use a high-quality screen. Editing long sessions of photos at 4K and above can strain the laptop battery life, though, so if you spend a lot of time editing pictures on your computer many times over–perhaps as part of your job–a more specialized laptop might be better for you than the LG Gram 17.
This is what we observed during our time working with the laptop on a day-to-day basis. For example, during our benchmark tests, only mild humming and heat buildup was recorded. These are expected.
The laptop’s biggest benefit is the ability to connect easily to external displays. The laptop also has ports on the back, making it easy to plug in bulky external hard drives and chargers.
Connectivity
LG’s Gram 17 has a good complement of ports that should be an asset in any enterprise or educational setting, including 2x USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a MicroSD card slot. The Gram 17 has Thunderbolt 4 ports that make it easy to transfer files from your home computer to a storage device.
With two chargers connected to your laptop, you can quickly receive a charge from one port and simultaneously use the other port on your laptop to display 2 4K (with a dock) or one 8K displays.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The LG Gram 17 keyboard has been improved and the capacity for comfortably typing has been increased. The Enter, Shift, and Esc keys have been moved further outside of the frame making them easier to reach (but not as easy to hit).
LG has a keyboard that is quiet, easy to use and has plenty of travel. The backlit keyboard lets you use the keyboard in almost any lighting situation.
The LG Gram 17 gave me a good impression of its trackpad. It has a rectangular shape with a smooth touch like silk, and the size is perfect for my fingers to navigate. The laptop also registered solid clicks and was responsive.
Battery life
The LG Gram 17 was easily the best performer in our benchmarks because of its amazing battery life. LG’s PC Mark 10 battery test clocked in at 13 hours and 48 minutes with the laptop’s screen set to 50% brightness. It is safe to say that your LG Gram 17 will stay plugged in for a full work or school day without needing to keep recharging.
Despite the fact it doesn’t have a big battery, the LG Gram 17 will need charging eventually and LG has made sure there are fast USB-C charging ports.
Final Verdict
The LG Gram 17 is one of the lightest, most portable business laptops with productivity chops available today. It has a WQXGA display that feels roomy and enjoyable to use, yet it offers enough processing power for lightweight computing without compromising on battery life. All in all, the LG Gram 17 offers a combination well worth the price.
