LG Gram 14Z90N
Specifications
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Price comparison
Average of 3 scores (from 2 reviews)
Reviews for the LG Gram 14Z90N
Larger than a Dell XPS 13 but at least 200 grams lighter, the 14-inch LG Gram 14Z90N is one of the lightest subnotebooks you can find with a U-class Core i7 CPU. Expect some steep compromises along the way in regards to performance.
Source: Expert Reviews
Apart from its lack of active cooling, there’s no real reason not to recommend the LG Gram 14. It’s a sleek and extraordinarily lightweight machine with a premium build and gorgeous IPS FHD display. If you can forgive the throttling issue, it’s a decent performer too. The main reason I wouldn’t buy it and why I think you shouldn’t either is that there are better options out there. The LG Gram 14 sits in an unhappy middle ground between power and portability. Want something ultraportable? The Samsung Galaxy Book Ion weighs even less than the LG Gram 14 yet outperformed it in our testing, has better battery life and it has one of the most stunningly bright displays on any laptop we’ve tested at Expert Reviews. Meanwhile, should you require a laptop that can take full advantage of that Core i7 CPU, you’re best off with a machine like the Lenovo Yoga C940 or Dell XPS 13 (2020).
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/13/2022
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Expert Reviews
Archive.org versionApart from its lack of active cooling, there’s no real reason not to recommend the LG Gram 14. It’s a sleek and extraordinarily lightweight machine with a premium build and gorgeous IPS FHD display. If you can forgive the throttling issue, it’s a decent performer too. The main reason I wouldn’t buy it and why I think you shouldn’t either is that there are better options out there. The LG Gram 14 sits in an unhappy middle ground between power and portability. Want something ultraportable? The Samsung Galaxy Book Ion weighs even less than the LG Gram 14 yet outperformed it in our testing, has better battery life and it has one of the most stunningly bright displays on any laptop we’ve tested at Expert Reviews. Meanwhile, should you require a laptop that can take full advantage of that Core i7 CPU, you’re best off with a machine like the Lenovo Yoga C940 or Dell XPS 13 (2020).
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/01/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Comment
Model:
The LG Gram 14Z90N introduced a new standard of advanced and ultra-slim laptops. It has the power to do anything and the portability to go anywhere, no matter if it is for working, gaming, designing or video editing. As fas as the design goes, the LG Gram 12Z90N is made of a nano-carbon magnesium alloy material to create the casing enveloped in a matte coating. The use of nano-carbon magnesium alloy allows the weight of the laptop to be reduced to less than 1 kg. The laptop has also passed the MIL-STD-810G durability tests, thus it is very good in terms of sturdiness and durability. The bottom cover of the laptop has an integrated design, equipped with non-slip rubber pads and a left and right channel speaker configuration. The full-size keyboard configuration of a standard laptop is built into the laptop, and the island-style keyboard architecture provides an input experience that is shallow but has good feedback. The flat touchpad below supports gesture operations and multi-touch functions.
The left and right sides of the laptop are equipped with two sets of USB-A 3.1 connection ports, a set of USB-C 3.1 transmission ports, an HDMI output, a 3.5mm headset hole, a micro-SD card reader, an anti-theft keyhole, a power input jack, and attached there is a charging indicator. The display with a 14-inch IPS panel has a maximum screen resolution of up to 1920 X 1080 pixels. With the Gram's Full-HD display, users can work, game or stream content with full detail, colour and clarity. A video lens and dual-array microphone device are integrated above the display screen. As for the performance, the notebook features an Intel Core i7-1065G7 Ice Lake processor (1.30 GHz, Turbo up to 3.90 GHz) and Intel Iris Plus Graphics. It is also equipped with 16 GB of DDR4 memory and a 512GB SSD (Solid State Drive) for storage. Powering the LG Gram 14Z90N is a built-in 4cell 72Wh rechargeable lithium battery that can provide a runtime of up to 18.5 hrs. Conclusively, the LG Gram 14Z90N is a laptop that has an outstanding battery life.
The rest of the hardware specifications and performance are mid-level, especially concerning the graphics performance. It is more suitable for people who are looking for a laptop for working on-the-go, e.g. office work, browsing and light entertainment. The LG Gram seems like a Windows alternative to the MacBook Air, but let’s not forget that there are many other Windows laptops in this category, and some do a much better job of being a MacBook Air alternative.
Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam
Series:
LG introduced its Gram laptop to the world four years ago with the intention to produce notebook as featherweight as possible. With the same noble intention of making it as light as possible, LG has brought forward its 2020 Gram lineup into the market. The extremely light weight of the laptops is due to the fact that the laptops are built with a specially designed, innovative magnesium-alloy frame. Apart from the light weight, this new series has also retained its Gram’s hallmark feature by retaining the svelte form factor. However, this new 2020 series has gone through quite a number of upgrades to cater for the high price tag.
The new Gram series has been introduced with four models which ranges from 14 inches to 17 inches display size along with a 2-in-1 system embedded within it. This opens the possibility for users to choose the best model which caters the individual’s preference and personal interest. As far as the battery capability is concerned, it should be noted that the 14 inches model has retained a similar battery size as the Gram series predecessor which is 72Watt-hour battery. While the 15 inches and 17 inches model cater an 80Watt-hour battery, the 14 inches model is believed to be able to operate at its best with the smaller battery due to its smaller display size. As for the 80 Watt-hour battery, LG claimed that it can provide 17 to 18.5 hours battery life after full charging. However, the real experience with the battery longevity still needs some testing in real-time with real user experience.
Despite the varying battery sizes, all four models of the Gram 2020 laptops have been enhanced with a ‘Mega Cooling’ thermal management system. This is known to be able to improvise the entire user experience and the overall performance of the models. The 17 inches model is incorporated with 16GB of RAM while the other models comes in with 8GB of RAM. The 17 inches model do have some variation due to its bigger display size. Even with the display resolution, the 17 inches sports a 2560 x 1600 display while the other models carry 1920 x 1080 display. This will obviously cater for different viewing quality and user’s viewing pleasure as well. But again, the experience itself is entirely subjective depending on the taste and interest of the individual involved.
In addition to the ones mentioned above, the Gram 2020 lineups also feature Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 3 port. While some might not consider the inclusion of Thunderbolt 3 a must, those who are gamers at heart would definitely rejoice with this addition in the laptop built. The reason being is that Thunderbolt 3 allows the connection to a more powerful external GPU which is worthwhile when it comes to gaming needs for some users. So, the Gram 2020 series can cater for both personal and professional use as well.
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU): Integrated graphics card in Intel Ice-Lake G7 SoCs based on the new Gen. 11 architecture with 64 EUs (Execution Units / Shader Cluster). The clock rate depends on the processor model ranging from 300 MHz base to 1050 - 1100 MHz boost. The Ice-Lake chips are produced in the modern 10nm process at Intel produced.
Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
i7-1065G7: Ice Lake-based quad-core processor for thin and light laptops. The four cores are clocked at 1.3 GHz to 3.9 GHz and should offer 18% more IPC (instructions per clock) than the previous generations (and therefore partly close the clock speed gap). Produced on first-gen 10 nm Intel process.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
14.00":
There are hardly any tablets in this display size range anymore. For subnotebooks, on the other hand, it is the standard format.
The advantage of subnotebooks is that the entire laptop can be small and therefore easily portable. The smaller display also has the advantage of requiring less power, which further improves battery life and thus mobility. The disadvantage is that reading texts is more strenuous on the eyes. High resolutions are more likely to be found in standard laptops.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.LG:
LG Electronics Inc. is a subsidiary of LG Group. It is a South Korean company and was founded as Goldstar Co, Ltd, in 1958. The group offers products in the fields of information technology, consumer electronics and mobile communications, and home appliances. LG Electronics is the world's third largest home appliance manufacturer. As a notebook manufacturer, LG only became known to a wider audience in the German-speaking market in 2005. After a few years, LG largely withdrew from the laptop sector. The product range includes OLED, LED/LCD and plasma TVs, home theater systems, Blu-ray players as well as audio and video players.
81.77%: This rating is slightly above average, there are somewhat more devices with worse ratings. However, clear purchase recommendations look different.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
