LG Gram 16 2-in-1 review: insanely thin, insanely gorgeous

With all of the discuss of Microsoft Copilot+ and Home windows on Arm, it’s straightforward to overlook that almost all laptops right now are nonetheless powered by Intel’s Meteor Lake chipset. They usually’re viable laptops, significantly should you want a machine that doesn’t but equip Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite. The LG Gram 16 2-in-1 is one such laptop computer, providing a big show in a really moveable bundle.

And after I say “moveable,” I imply it. The LG Gram 16 2-in-1 is extremely skinny and light-weight whereas packing in a stunning 16-inch high-res OLED show. It’s meant for individuals who need numerous display actual property however don’t wish to carry round a thick and heavy laptop computer. In that respect, the LG Gram 16 2-in-1 delivers, though it had some essential flaws to think about earlier than you exit and purchase it.

Specs and configurations

LG presents two configurations of the Gram 16 2-in-1. The primary prices $1,500 and contains an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16.0-inch 3K OLED show. For a further $600, you may improve to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.

These are premium costs, and also you’re probably paying an additional for the exceedingly skinny and light-weight design. The HP Spectre x360 16, the Gram 16 2-in-1’s most sensible competitor, is far thicker and quicker, and it begins at $1,600 ($1,110 on sale) with the identical chipset and RAM however with a 512GB SSD and a 16.0-inch IPS show. You’ll pay $1,815 ($1,315 on sale) for precisely the identical configuration.

On the excessive finish, the Spectre is $2,335 ($1,835 on sale), which features a quicker Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. So, should you can catch the HP when it’s on sale, you’ll pay a number of hundred {dollars} much less relying on the configuration and also you’ll get a quicker laptop computer. Whereas not a 2-in-1, the MacBook Air 15 can also be an affordable comparability and it’s equally priced.

Design

LG’s Gram lineup is aimed toward being extremely skinny and light-weight, and the Gram 16 2-in-1 suits the invoice. Although it equips a spectacular 16-inch OLED contact show, it’s simply 0.51 inches at its thickest level and 0.49 inches at its thinnest. It weighs 3.08 kilos, lower than some 14-inch laptops. By comparability, the HP Spectre x360 16 is 0.78 inches thick and weighs 4.3 kilos, making it a lot much less comfy to make use of in pill mode. The MacBook Air 15, a clamshell, is simply 0.45 inches thick and weighs 3.3 kilos, making it really feel denser in hand.

Talking of the texture, the Gram 16 2-in-1 is manufactured from magnesium, a light-weight alloy that’s sturdy however tends to be extra versatile. You may inform when evaluating it to the all-aluminum designs of the Spectre and MacBook Air, with the chassis, keyboard deck, and lid being much more bendable. I gained’t say it’s a poorly constructed laptop computer, as a result of it’s not. It’s simply not your best option for many who like inflexible laptops.

Observe that the lid opens easily with one hand, even with such a lightweight chassis, however it’s unusually wobbly. That contributes to it being a bit of unstable in tent mode, and the lid strikes an excessive amount of in clamshell and media modes.

Aesthetically, the Gram 16 2-in-1 is engaging, with an all-black coloration scheme and simply sufficient contours on the perimeters to keep away from being nondescript. The MacBook Air 15 has a blockier look with Apple’s meticulous design, and the Spectre x360 15 is a contact extra ostentatious. None of those laptops stands out in a means that might make the aesthetic a decision-maker.

Keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard is rather a lot like Apple’s Magic keyboard in that it has very shallow keys with loads of key spacing and enormous keycaps. I discovered the switches to be snappy and exact, and until you simply don’t like shallow keyboards, you’ll like this one. The Spectre x360 16’s keyboard has deeper journey, which could attraction to some folks greater than the Gram 16 2-in-1’s.

The touchpad is a disappointment. First, it’s too small. There’s room for a a lot larger model. Second, it’s mechanical, and extra premium laptops are together with haptic touchpads which might be extra exact, quieter, and supply extra performance. Each the MacBook Air 15 and the Spectre x360 16 have significantly better touchpads.

Connectivity and webcam

Connectivity is sweet for a really skinny and light-weight laptop computer, with a mixture of trendy and legacy ports. The one factor lacking is an SD card reader, which creators gained’t like. Given the beautiful show, I can see this as an excellent laptop computer for evaluating photographs and video, even when it’s not the quickest for processing them. Wi-fi connectivity is one era behind, however it gained’t be out of date for fairly a while.

The webcam runs at 1080p, which equals the MacBook Air’s, however is properly behind the Spectre’s 9MP webcam. It had adequate picture high quality and helps Microsoft’s Studio Results software program by way of the Intel Meteor Lake Neural Processing Unit. However, it gained’t equal Microsoft Copilot+ PCs on this regard. Whereas referred to as an “AI PC,” there aren’t many on-device AI options to speak about. The infrared digital camera works properly for Home windows 11 Good day facial recognition.

Efficiency

Most 16-inch laptops are meant for creators, and they also pack in additional highly effective elements than the LG Gram 16 2-in-1. Whereas the 28-watt Intel Core Extremely 7 155H chipset with 16 cores (six Efficiency, both Environment friendly, and two Low Energy Environment friendly) and 22 threads is quick sufficient for CPU-intensive duties, the built-in Intel Arc graphics aren’t quick sufficient to hurry up duties like video encoding.

For these, you want a discrete graphics card, which the Spectre x360 16 presents — albeit, the entry-level RTX 4050. The MacBook Air 15 makes use of Apple’s M3 chipset, which is about as quick because the Core Extremely 7 155H however has optimizations that make it quicker in inventive duties.

In the end, the Gram 16 2-in-1 is a lot quick for individuals who need a big show for multitasking productiveness workflows, and for media shoppers who admire expansive OLED panels. It’s not going to please creators, however no extraordinarily thin-and-light laptop computer is probably going to take action.

Gaming isn’t actually an choice, aside from working older titles at decrease graphics settings. I included the MacBook Air 13 M3 as a proxy for the 15-inch mannequin, and each are more likely to carry out the identical.

Battery life

LG’s Gram laptops are likely to get good battery life, however I used to be suspicious given simply 77 watt-hours of battery capability — not rather a lot for a 16-inch laptop computer — and a power-hungry high-res OLED show. I wasn’t anticipating a lot.

Nevertheless, I noticed 9.5 hours in our internet looking check and 12.25 hours in our video looping check. These are good outcomes for an Intel Meteor Lake laptop computer and lengthy sufficient to vow near a full day when working typical productiveness duties. Another 16-inch laptops get a lot worse battery life even with a lot bigger batteries. So, I’ll contemplate this a win for the Gram 16 2-in-1.

Show and audio

Together with its extremely skinny and light-weight chassis, the Gram 16 2-in-1’s greatest attribute is the expansive 16-inch show. It’s barely sharp sufficient at 3K (2880 x 1800), however it runs at a quick 120Hz and it’s sensible out of the field with vibrant colours and inky blacks.

My colorimeter agreed. The OLED panel is brighter than most OLEDs I’ve examined, coming in at 489 nits (means above our 300 nit baseline). Its distinction is almost infinite and measures at a spectacular 27,810:1. The mix of that form of brightness and distinction makes for some spectacular HDR. The colours are broad too at 100% of sRGB, 96% of AdobeRGB, and 100% of DCI-P3, and coloration accuracy was glorious with a Delta-E of 0.85. It simply doesn’t get significantly better than this.

General, everybody will love this show. It’s giant, lovely, and nice for productiveness, creativity, and media consumption.

An excellent laptop computer for media and multitasking

The Gram 16 2-in-1 has its flaws. It’s a bit bendable, which could trouble some folks, and it doesn’t supply the form of graphics efficiency that many individuals 16-inch laptops want to satisfy their demanding creativity workflows.

However, it’s quick sufficient for hardcore productiveness customers, it’s extremely skinny and light-weight and so very moveable, and the massive show is superior for each getting work carried out and watching high quality content material. It’s a bit expensive, however it’s straightforward sufficient to suggest.