The new LG Gram 17: a high performance but too flexible

No other 17-inch laptop is as slim and light as the LG Gram 17. At the same time, the laptop also has something to offer in terms of the equipment. A current Intel Core i5-1135G7 delivers a high performance in combination with 16 GB of working memory and a fast Samsung M.2 NVMe SSD. The device is completed by a fairly good display in the 16:10 format with a high resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. 

Unfortunately the display is very reflective, so that the readability can already become limited indoors. And this, when at the same time, the lightweight could really be the ideal mobile companion to work anywhere, thanks to the long battery life.

The low weight is mainly made possible by the light metal case made from magnesium. While the case is attractive visually, unfortunately it is also characterized by a fairly high flexibility. We were able to determine in the test, that the laptop could be warped enough to cause unintended button presses on the ClickPad. The magnesium case also has an impact on the price. Our test unit of the LG Gram 17 17Z90P currently costs about 1500 Euros (~$1780) in the tested configuration.

The computing power of the LG Gram 17 has improved strongly compared to the predecessor. Together with the new Intel SoC, PCIe 4, and with it also Thunderbolt 4, are now included in the LG Gram 17. At the same time, the maintenance options were reduced, and the working memory cannot be replaced anymore in the new model. But at least there continues to be a free M.2 slot to expand the storage. It is now also much harder to access the insides of the laptop. When gluing down the rubber feet, LG has made such a solid job of it, that we were unable to access the case screws hidden underneath the rubber feet without damaging the laptop in the test.

You can find more information and benchmarks in our review of the LG Gram 17 17Z90P.