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MagyarLG Gram 15 (2022) laptop review: Focused on portability
Since we have already reviewed the 2022 version of the LG Gram 17 and the LG Gram 14, the refreshed 15-inch edition is the only device still missing from the lineup.
Our configuration of the 15Z90Q houses a Core i5-1240P from Intel's Alder Lake generation, 16 GB of (soldered) DDR5-RAM, and a 1-TB M.2 SSD. The display uses a matte IPS panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and reaches a color space coverage of 100 % relative to the sRGB reference and a brightness of 350 nits. We will verify the accuracy of these specifications shortly. The system costs approximately around 1,200 USD as configured, which is somewhat steep with regards to the installed hardware.
Competitors of the LG Gram 15 include other 15-inch office laptops with the 80-EU version of the Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 such as the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL, Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A and the Honor MagicBook 15. Aside from the aforementioned laptops, we also included the older Gram 15 in our comparison tables.
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85.9 % | 12/2022 | LG Gram 15Z90Q i5-1240P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.1 kg | 17.4 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.9 % | 01/2022 | LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.1 kg | 17.4 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 82.8 % | 04/2021 | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.8 kg | 18.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 81.4 % | 02/2021 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.9 kg | 18 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 83.6 % | 07/2021 | Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.5 kg | 17 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 |
Case
The chassis, which consists of a magnesium alloy according to LG, is very reminiscent of last year's model, although a few differences become apparent upon closer inspection (such as the webcam's form & the keyboard font).
Like with the previous Gram 15, we have mixed feelings about the chassis. While the system is extremely lightweight at just 1.1 kg and highly portable thanks to its modest dimensions (only 17.4 mm thick), the device's rigidity leaves something to be desired due to its very thin surfaces (with haptics that are more similar to plastic than metal), particularly when applying pressure.
In a few areas, the case yields noticeably. The wobbly display lid is highly susceptible to twisting from the corners. Here, LG may have gone too far down the thin and light rabbit hole. Similarly, there is room for improvement when it comes to the hinges. The display tends to teeter when the laptop is subjected to tremors. Aesthetically, the chassis looks very sleek and attractive. The build quality also warrants no criticism.
Connectivity
Interfaces
The port selection is identical to last year's model. Aside from the Ethernet port (an appropriate USB-LAN cable is included in the box), most of the important ports are available. While there are two traditional USB type-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports located on the right, two modern USB4 type-C ports that support Thunderbolt 4 in addition to DisplayPort and Power Delivery occupy the left edge. The included 65-watt charger also uses the type-C form factor. An HDMI output, audio jack, microSD card reader, and a Kensington lock port complete the list of ports.
Since all ports are located in the rear half of the sides, there is sufficient room for mouse movements available for users who choose to connect an external pointing device.
SD Card Reader
Combined with our reference card, the performance of the aforementioned microSD card reader is only average. That being said, it is comparable to the solutions of its competitors, if applicable, with sequential read speeds of 90 MB/s and around 70 MB/s when transferring pictures.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL (AV Pro V60) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Average of class Office (8 - 82.7, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL (AV Pro V60) | |
| Average of class Office (25 - 90.5, n=43, last 2 years) | |
Communication
Since the Wi-Fi values are not directly comparable with the other devices in our comparison due to our modernized test setup, their values are missing. In conjunction with our new reference router Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, the integrated Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 reaches excellent speeds of 1514 Mb/s and 1640 Mb/s while sending and receiving data, respectively.
Webcam
Users should not expect too much from the integrated webcam. As per usual, the color accuracy is an obvious weakness of the solution (the image looks relatively pale). Thanks to the 1080p resolution, the sharpness is decent.
Maintenance
Since the screws on the bottom of the laptop are hidden beneath (glued-on) rubber feet or covers and our model comes from a shop, we decided against opening the case.
Warranty
LG offers an international 24-month warranty.
Input Devices
Keyboard
We are pleased with the manufacturer's approach to the input devices. For laptop standards, the keyboard offers a fairly accurate and crispy feedback with distinct key clatter. Thanks to the keyboard backlight with two brightness settings, using the laptop in the dark is a good experience. The layout will likely be contentious. The ISO-region versions still use a one-row enter key. Similarly, the three-column numpad and the relatively cramped arrow keys will potentially leave some users disappointed.
Touchpad
The LG's touchpad is comfortable to use. Despite the low rigidity of the chassis, the buttons near the bottom edge of the pad offer a surprisingly distinct actuation point and allow for precise inputs. The relatively smooth surface offers good gliding properties. Similarly, gestures are well supported. With a size of ~11 x 7 cm, the touchpad is sufficiently large.
Display
Unlike its predecessors, the current-generation Gram features a matte display, which is not just easier on the eyes, but also significantly better for outdoor visibility.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 420 cd/m²
Contrast: 1313:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.51 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.89
ΔE Greyscale 3.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
65.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
95% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.052
| LG Gram 15Z90Q LG LP156WFC-SPZ2 (LGD0706), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G LG Display LP156WFC-SPY1, IPS 99% sRGB, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL LG Philips LP156WFC-SPD7, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A LG Philips LGD065A, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 BOE TV156FHM-NH2, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -2% | -36% | -39% | 3% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 63.5 | 62 -2% | 40.36 -36% | 38.32 -40% | 65.4 3% |
| sRGB Coverage | 95 | 92 -3% | 60.4 -36% | 57.5 -39% | 96.3 1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 65.1 | 64 -2% | 41.72 -36% | 39.6 -39% | 67.5 4% |
| Response Times | 17% | -19% | -10% | -1% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 48.4 ? | 36 ? 26% | 40 ? 17% | 37 ? 24% | 36 ? 26% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 19.6 ? | 18 ? 8% | 30.4 ? -55% | 28 ? -43% | 24.8 ? -27% |
| PWM Frequency | |||||
| Screen | -25% | -93% | -55% | -17% | |
| Brightness middle | 420 | 343 -18% | 288 -31% | 285 -32% | 332 -21% |
| Brightness | 399 | 311 -22% | 276 -31% | 255 -36% | 318 -20% |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 86 -2% | 87 -1% | 84 -5% | 87 -1% |
| Black Level * | 0.32 | 0.46 -44% | 0.26 19% | 0.325 -2% | 0.27 16% |
| Contrast | 1313 | 746 -43% | 1108 -16% | 877 -33% | 1230 -6% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.51 | 3.5 -39% | 5.9 -135% | 4.23 -69% | 3.3 -31% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.64 | 6.25 6% | 18.4 -177% | 7.94 -20% | 7.8 -17% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.89 | 1.17 -31% | 4.9 -451% | 3.75 -321% | 1 -12% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.3 | 4.35 -32% | 3.8 -15% | 2.51 24% | 5.2 -58% |
| Gamma | 2.052 107% | 2.55 86% | 2.34 94% | 2.57 86% | 2.07 106% |
| CCT | 6921 94% | 6016 108% | 6856 95% | 6626 98% | 7370 88% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 38.1 | 36 | |||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 60 | 57 | |||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -3% /
-14% | -49% /
-70% | -35% /
-45% | -5% /
-10% |
* ... smaller is better
Many aspects of the display compare favorably to the older Gram 15. One example of this is the luminance, which has been increased from around 300 nits to approximately 400 nits. Combined with the lower black value (0.32 vs. 0.46 nits), the contrast nearly doubles. A 1300:1 contrast ratio and an sRGB coverage of 95 % should make most users happy.
Similarly, the color accuracy is impressive, although we were able to further improve upon the delatE values by calibrating the display ourselves (our calibrated ICC profile is available for download next to the illumination graphic).
The gaming capabilities of the 60-Hz display are limited due to its mediocre response times. Meanwhile, the display shines with typical IPS viewing angles. The choice between the 16:9 aspect ratio of our test model and the 16:10 panels of the 14-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch models is a matter of personal preference.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 19.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 11.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 37 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 48.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 26.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 82 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance
As configured, the LG Gram 15 is a mid-range office laptop. While the CPU performance is sufficient for many use cases, the iGPU quickly reaches its limits in 3D applications.
Test Conditions
LG's Smart Assistant is now well organized and offers multiple cooling modes from silent to high. We ran all benchmarks using the normal setting, which is the factory default, unless stated otherwise.
Processor
LG uses a Core i5-1240P processor. The Alder Lake model is based on the 10-nm process and offers four performance cores with Hyper-threading and eight efficiency cores without HT for a total of 16 threads.
The LG Gram 15 limits the performance of the CPU. Although the results from a cold system look quite good, the performance decreases massively over time and - to make matters worse - then fluctuates so heavily that it occasionally descends to the level of the Core i5-1135G7, as our Cinebench loop shows. In our review of last year's Gram 15, the Core i7-1165G7 also did not live up to its full potential.
Update: We ran a second Cinebench loop with the cooling profile High. In this scenario, the performance dropoff is much less drastic and the fluctuations less severe.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
| CPU Performance Rating - Percent | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL -2! | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A -2! | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Average of class Office | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Average of class Office (763 - 24250, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (2405 - 9694, n=16) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Average of class Office (4027 - 102228, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (7407 - 49934, n=16) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Average of class Office (279 - 4442, n=119, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (415 - 2462, n=16) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (29405 - 76736, n=16) | |
| Average of class Office (8031 - 113016, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Average of class Office (404 - 14288, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (2135 - 6540, n=16) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Average of class Office (2054 - 54365, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (5113 - 23992, n=16) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Average of class Office (5226 - 147611, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (8849 - 90370, n=16) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (101.6 - 812, n=16) | |
| Average of class Office (67.6 - 1018, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Average of class Office (432 - 12755, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (1154 - 5258, n=16) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (11873 - 43661, n=16) | |
| Average of class Office (4814 - 48177, n=120, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
System Performance
The CPU performance fluctuations barely affect the system performance benchmarks. With 4992 points in PCMark 10, our test device places first in our comparison. The fast DDR5-RAM of the LG Gram is likely a major contributing factor. Subjectively, the Gram 15 is slightly less responsive than similarly equipped laptops.
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Average of class Office (2325 - 7157, n=105, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (4881 - 5345, n=11) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Average of class Office (5095 - 20841, n=105, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (8890 - 10652, n=11) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Average of class Office (3041 - 10198, n=105, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (6118 - 7058, n=11) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Average of class Office (1912 - 9056, n=105, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (5169 - 6213, n=11) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 4992 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (23312 - 70537, n=16) | |
| Average of class Office (7158 - 88119, n=121, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (18989 - 70553, n=16) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Average of class Office (7325 - 87297, n=121, last 2 years) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (23454 - 62496, n=16) | |
| Average of class Office (7579 - 94965, n=121, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1240P (85.1 - 188.3, n=11) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Average of class Office (44.3 - 188.3, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
Even though the latencies compare favorably against other devices from our comparison, LatencyMon still warns of potential issues during real-time audio and video editing.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Solution
The storage solutions suffers the same fate as the CPU. While the initial performance matches our expectations with good speeds, the performance decreases substantially after a short time and begins to fluctuate heavily in a way not dissimilar to the processor. We have already observed similar behavior on many laptops with the latest PCIe4 SSDs (LG uses the 1-TB Samsung PM9A1).
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The Gram 15 is not suitable for demanding 3D applications. The integrated Iris Xe Graphics G7 of the Core i5-1240P only has 80 EUs and is overall unable to compete with modern dGPU solutions from Nvidia and AMD. Even the older Gram 15 is faster in 3D benchmarks, since its Iris Xe Graphics G7 at least comes with 96 EUs.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 4914 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 88656 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 18160 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3563 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1238 points | |
Help | ||
| Blender - v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
| Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (463 - 3047, n=47) | |
| Average of class Office (343 - 3786, n=109, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
The Gram 15 is not a good choice for modern titles. This is exemplified by The Callisto Protocol, which suffers from extreme stuttering even at the lowest 1080p settings. Older titles are often still playable, albeit rarely at (very) high settings.
| Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Office | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A -1! | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G -1! | |
| The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Average of class Office (2.66 - 34, n=110, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| Average of class Office (7.8 - 121.2, n=123, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 high (fps_test=3) | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| Average of class Office (5.55 - 92.6, n=123, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| The Witcher 3 | |
| 1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing | |
| Average of class Office (7.82 - 106.3, n=96, last 2 years) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (21.8 - 56.9, n=100) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
| Average of class Office (3.49 - 59.1, n=104, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (9.3 - 33.5, n=98) | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Average of class Office (2.66 - 34, n=110, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (6.26 - 15.7, n=89) | |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL | |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
| Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 | |
The results of our The Witcher 3 (FHD/Ultra) endurance test paint a similar picture as our CPU and SSD loop tests: The clock rate and speeds oscillate drastically, which does not reflect well on the cooling solution and the energy management.
Witcher 3 FPS Graph
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| GTA V (2015) | 90.9 | 83.5 | 19.5 | |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 54.2 | 30.4 | 16.9 | 9.7 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 106.9 | 71.3 | 36 | 33.7 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 27.1 | 15.9 | 0 () | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 41.9 | 27.8 | 24.8 | |
| Far Cry 5 (2018) | 35 | 19 | 16 | |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 69.3 | 23 | 22.5 | |
| Elden Ring (2022) | 24.7 | 14.7 | 11.8 | |
| A Plague Tale Requiem (2022) | 5.98 | 5.3 | 4.66 | |
| Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection (2022) | 5.35 | 4.83 | 4.49 | |
| Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 2022 (2022) | 0 game wont start (crash) | 0 game wont start (crash) | 0 game wont start (crash) | |
| Spider-Man Miles Morales (2022) | 4.94 | 4.57 | 4.38 | |
| The Callisto Protocol (2022) | 10.9 | 8.6 | 5 | |
| Need for Speed Unbound (2022) | 8.82 | 8.32 | 6.36 |
Emissions
Noise Emissions
Even though the new LG Gram 15 is often slower than its predecessor in 3D applications, the noise and heat emissions are higher. Instead of 32 dB(A), the 2022 edition produces up to 37 dB(A) under load, making it noticeable, but still not distracting. During idle, the 15-inch system remains fairly quiet at 26 to 28 dB(A) with the fans shutting off entirely depending on the system's load.
For particularly sensitive users, the silent mode could have been an obvious choice. Like on the Gram 14, however, the performance unfortunately dips so severely that even just playing HD video causes stuttering and freezing. This makes this mode somewhat useless, which is a shame.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 26 / 27 / 28 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 37 / 37 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25 dB(A) | ||
| LG Gram 15Z90Q i5-1240P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | 7% | 5% | 5% | 6% | |
| off / environment * | 25 | 25 -0% | 24.4 2% | 24.5 2% | 24.6 2% |
| Idle Minimum * | 26 | 25 4% | 24.4 6% | 24.5 6% | 24.6 5% |
| Idle Average * | 27 | 25 7% | 24.4 10% | 24.5 9% | 24.6 9% |
| Idle Maximum * | 28 | 26.7 5% | 27.4 2% | 26.4 6% | 24.6 12% |
| Load Average * | 37 | 32.2 13% | 30 19% | 32 14% | 33.9 8% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 37 | 36.3 2% | 33.9 8% | ||
| Load Maximum * | 37 | 32.4 12% | 40.4 -9% | 39 -5% | 36.5 1% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperatures
Even though with peak temperatures of 46 °C, the surfaces never become uncomfortably hot, the values are increased compared to the Gram's competitors. Meanwhile, things look significantly better during idle. Around 23 °C on average warrants no criticism.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 46 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.7 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 36 °C / 97 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29 °C / 84.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-1.3 °C / -2.3 F).
| LG Gram 15Z90Q i5-1240P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 3% | -5% | 12% | 6% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 46 | 42.9 7% | 39.9 13% | 33.6 27% | 35.4 23% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 45 | 39.4 12% | 46 -2% | 30.1 33% | 40.8 9% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 25 | 25.4 -2% | 26.8 -7% | 25.5 -2% | 25.4 -2% |
| Idle Bottom * | 24 | 24.9 -4% | 29.3 -22% | 26.1 -9% | 26 -8% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
Since the hardware already struggles with extreme fluctuations in normal applications, extreme throttling under full load should not come as a surprise. In our stress test with FurMark and Prime95, the clock speed of the CPU occasionally dips below 1 GHz, while the iGPU can drop to as low as 100 MHz.
Speakers
For a device as thin and light as the LG Gram, the audio quality is impressive, although the bass reproduction of the 2.0 setup is of course less than ideal.
LG Gram 15Z90Q audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 13% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 82% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 20% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 75% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.4% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 57% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 71% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Energy Consumption
One of the biggest advantages - at least during idle - is the low power consumption. Only 7 watts on average represents the best value in our comparison. Under load, the consumption of the 15-inch system increases to up to 66 watts.
| Off / Standby | 0.4 / 0.9 Watt |
| Idle | 4 / 7 / 13 Watt |
| Load |
45 / 66 Watt |
   
| |
| LG Gram 15Z90Q i5-1240P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 13% | -6% | 19% | 13% | 8% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4 | 2.9 27% | 5.1 -28% | 3.3 17% | 3.4 15% | 4.3 ? -8% |
| Idle Average * | 7 | 8.7 -24% | 9.1 -30% | 8.4 -20% | 7.7 -10% | 7.35 ? -5% |
| Idle Maximum * | 13 | 11.5 12% | 11.7 10% | 8.9 32% | 8.3 36% | 9.15 ? 30% |
| Load Average * | 45 | 29.2 35% | 33.3 26% | 30.1 33% | 32 29% | 41.1 ? 9% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.2 | 26.4 25% | 39.2 -11% | 33.9 4% | ||
| Load Maximum * | 66 | 63.6 4% | 69.3 -5% | 45.4 31% | 65.2 1% | 58.1 ? 12% |
* ... smaller is better
Consumption Witcher 3 / Stress Test
Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
The latest Gram 15 inherits its predecessor's 80-Wh battery capacity. Thus, the significantly longer runtimes compared to 42-Wh and 49-Wh competitors should not come as a surprise. The older model still lasts slightly longer. Up to 23 hours of idle runtime at minimum brightness and almost 12 hours of web browsing at medium brightness is still an impressive result. Under load and at maximum brightness, our test device still reaches a runtime of just above 3 hours.
| LG Gram 15Z90Q i5-1240P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 80 Wh | LG Gram 15Z90P-G.AA89G i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 80 Wh | Lenovo ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 45 Wh | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 48.85 Wh | Honor MagicBook 15 i5 1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 42 Wh | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 22% | -61% | -36% | -37% | -15% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1384 | 1560 13% | 1436 ? 4% | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 716 | 821 15% | 335 -53% | 416 -42% | 451 -37% | 594 ? -17% |
| Load | 173 | 239 38% | 55 -68% | 122 -29% | 117.7 ? -32% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The verdict on the 2022 version of the LG Gram 15 is highly dependent on your requirements.
This system is likely a suboptimal choice for users who are looking for maximum performance and rigidity. The laptop noticeably yields under pressure and there are significant performance fluctuations - this applies to the CPU, iGPU, and the SSD.
The LG Gram 15 can be a good choice for users who are looking for a system with a lightweight chassis and long battery life for undemanding workloads such as office tasks and video streaming or web browsing.
The 15-inch system is almost unrivaled in these three disciplines, making it a well-suited companion for traveling that - thanks to its (finally) matte screen and high maximum brightness - does not have to shy away from outdoor use.
The Honor MagicBook 15 is a potential alternative that comes with a slightly higher weight and weaker battery life, but also a more robust chassis and more consistent performance in exchange.
Price and Availability
The LG Gram 15Z90Q is available from various online stores such as Amazon for around 1,445 USD.
LG Gram 15Z90Q
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12/26/2022 v7
Florian Glaser
Pricecompare
