LG Gram 16 2-in-1 is bigger and lighter than the HP Spectre x360 15, but there's a catch

On paper, convertible laptops sound like a great way to replace that aging tablet and clamshell laptop at the same time. In practice, however, many of these 2-in-1 solutions are quite large and bulky especially when looking at some 15.6-inch models like the HP Spectre x360 15 or Asus ZenBook 15 Flip. The latest LG Gram 16 convertible released earlier this year is special in that it manages to be both lighter and larger than its peers for easier use.

The LG advantages aren't minor, either. At just 1.5 kg, the 16-inch Gram 16 2-in-1 is 600 grams lighter than the HP Spectre x360 15, 400 grams lighter than the Asus ZenBook Flip 15, 500 grams lighter than the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1, and 500 grams lighter than the Lenovo Yoga C940 15 all of which come with smaller 15.6-inch displays. Even the 14-inch Asus ZenBook Flip 14 is only about 100 g lighter than the Gram 16.

What's LG's secret to creating such a lightweight convertible? A key disadvantage to the Gram 16 is its small cooling solution which was necessary to keep weight as low as possible. The copper heat pipe, for example, is much shorter than what you'll find on most other Ultrabooks. The system reaches thermal soak much more quickly as a result and so processor performance suffers when running demanding loads. Our own tests show clock rates fluctuating between 1.8 GHz and 2.4 GHz when running Prime95 for extended periods.

See our full review on the Gram 16 convertible here to learn more about the pros and cons of the system.