Reviewing a computer is never a simple job, there are so many scenarios to evaluate and being able to fully understand the potential of the product is a difficult task. LG Gram 17 it was renewed during this 2021, making a large number of changes compared to the previous year's version and also correcting some of the critical issues that had been highlighted by users and reviewers from all over the world.
This LG Gram 17 (2021) it is not a product designed for creators and / or for those who work in the multimedia sector: the price could deceive you, but this laptop is intended more for business users than anything else, and now I'll explain why.
LG Gram 17 (2021) review
Design and Materials
Ok the first reaction, very often, is what counts! "Wow, but it's HUGE”Is what I thought as soon as I unpacked it. Yes, because theLG Gram 17 (2021), as the name implies, it is a laptop with a 17-inch screen and, logically, the size of the entire notebook basically depends on the diagonal of the screen.
That said, LG Gram 17 (2021) is incredibly light: contrary to what one might think, while weighing only 1350 grams, does not convey the idea of being a cheap device, quite the contrary. The shell is made of magnesium alloy, which means that it is a less robust material than plastic, but lighter, more reliable and less prone to breakage and damage.
Tale magnesium alloy makes the device almost "flex" on itself: in fact, by grasping the display, this aspect is particularly noticeable. Even in the center of the keyboard the excessive lightness of the materials used highlights a bending towards the interior which for many could be annoying, but for others not that much.
Despite the low weight, then, you can open the laptop with one hand, a sign of an excellent balance by LG. The dimensions of the LG Gram 17 (2021), it goes without saying, are quite pronounced: 380.2 x 260.1 x 17.8 mm which, when compared with my Macbook Pro 13 ″ open the door to a possible new scenario of David against Goliath.
This aspect is negligible since, in case of need, the grams 2021 it can also be found in smaller cuts from 14 (with some sacrifices to hardware level) and 16 inches (also with the same HW of 17 ").
The colors in which LG Gram 17 (2021) is available are two: gray like the one I tried, and black.
Good one provision of doors present on the LG Gram 17 (2021): an HDMI 2.0 input is available, two Thunderbolt 4 ports up to 100W, a 3.5mm jack for headphones, two USB 3.2 ports, a MicroSD reader and the Kensington Lock.
LG did not spare itself: as for technical equipment and design study, this LG Gram 17 (2021) represents the perfect combination of lightness, reliability and portability.
Display
The most beautiful aspect of all that most struck me is the : left out the 17 "diagonal which I particularly liked, just the WQXGA IPS type panel used with resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels with color gamut DCI-P3 99% has gods tremendously beautiful colors.
The colors are vivid, wealthy of details and nuances, i texts are razor sharp and definition is very high: it will be a pleasure to watch a movie on this screen, edit some photos on the fly or even simply enjoy the Windows wallpapers, because I assure you the experience is truly exceptional.
Il screen ratio is 16:10 instead of the noble 16: 9 spread almost everywhere; this can be a pro in web browsing or in Office suite programs, but a cons for example on YouTube or elsewhere where slightly more pronounced black bands will be visible.
I don't personally love the glossy finish of the display; personally I like the opaque panels much more but there are compromises to which you have to go down, because if the opaque reduces reflections, the glossy stands out the images and gives an unparalleled visual quality. However, if you work in environments with a lot of light, where reflections are the order of the day, an opaque panel will save your life; otherwise it is the work in environments where the light is “controlled”, then this panel with the glossy finishes will not create problems for you.
Speakers and Audio Quality
The speakers didn't convince me, I'll tell you right away. Compared to the 2020 model there has been an improvement on the part of LG, since it has included one 2W speaker plus one 2W settable up to max 5W with smart amp on Windows, but the positioning remains wrong and meaningless once again.
The speakers, in fact, are inserted under the body and the sound waves, consequently, end up directly on the desk or on the support base, thus limiting the diffusion of the audio. This is a shame because if we lift the laptop the audio quality is not bad, certainly the volume is not very high overall, but it is much better than many other products out there.
Comparing the speakers of mine Macbook Pro 13 ″ M1 with this LG Gram 17, LG's laptop comes out tremendously defeated. Let's be clear, it's not a challenge, but it's just a yardstick that I wanted to use to test these speakers.
Hardware and Performance
The hardware referred to LG Gram 17 (2021) disposes under the body is well balanced; in the Gram family this is undoubtedly the best performing device and is equipped with a processor Core i7-1165G7 4th generation of the Intel Evo platform, with 8 cores 2.80 Threads clocked at 4.70GHz and Turbo clocked at 28GHz, a TDP of XNUMXW and 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM memory at 4266MHz (2x4GB expandable up to 24GB). The graphics card is integrated, and it's one IRIS Xe and the internal storage of type NVMe M.2 Pci Express is equal to 512GB.
Le performance they are good, even if we must not be misled by the price of this LG Gram 17 (2021); many may think that this is a multipurpose device suitable for gaming, video editing and other daily operations. I have to give you this bad news.
LG Gram 17 (2021) is a device for the productivity, intended for a business environment and therefore much more suitable for working with the Office package, Mail, online browsing and, why not, university and high definition movie playback. This does not mean that you will not be able to edit photos with Photoshop (because it does it very well), but know that its intended use is not to edit videos or play some video games.
However, I wanted to try more out of curiosity than anything else to perform FIFA 2021 coins which, despite being a latest generation video game, is not so demanding in terms of specifications: the outcome it was obviously embarrassing, with fps below 20 even to the smallest details. It is fair to clarify that it is not a laptop suitable for gaming.
However i benchmarking they gave us good results, in the production field he is a faithful companion in adventures; temperatures during the stress sessions were a bit high with peaks close to 90 degrees, as well as after 2 hours of streaming on Netflix with temperatures close to 65-70 degrees. The fans are rarely heard and the heat dissipation personally did not convince me very much: this necessarily wanting to make ultra-quiet devices is not always good.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Il touchpad has been enlarged compared to the last generation: 8 x 13 cm , about 10% larger than the previous one, dimensions in my opinion right to work comfortably without getting too tired.
The keyboard is the right size, the keys are flat with a stroke of 1.65mm, and return a firm but very quiet feedback. I found the directional arrows a little too small, the enter key too small; on the other hand, however, there is the numeric keypad on the right side.
A biometric reader to be used in compatible apps or when Windows starts instead of the PIN or password.
Battery
Despite the decidedly low weight, LG Gram 17 (2021), owns one 80Wh battery which allows you to complete an entire working day made up of emails, video calls on Skype, changes to online worksheets, plus some social use and streaming in the lunch break.
Speaking of numbers, with a battery test of PC Mark 10 run at 100% maximum brightness the overall battery life exceeded poco 12 hours. In FullHD streaming with Netflix always on, brightness at maximum and audio played by the laptop speaker, I found a consumption of about 10% per hour.
Charging via the Thunderbolt 4 port and65W power supply it is very fast: for a 0-100% cycle it will be enough poco more than two hours.
Price and Conclusions
The time has come for the final verdict: LG Gram 17 (2021) it's a laptop complete, I liked it, but I can't recommend it to anyone, inevitably.
It is a product intended for those who work with laptops in the office environment, travel a lot and often and need a good battery; it is a notebook recommended for those who do a lot of mail, web browsing, office suite and similar work. It is not a laptop suitable for those looking for a notebook to produce 4K movies, constantly edit photos and take advantage of many applications that usually require much more powerful GPUs.
However LG Gram 17 (2021) has a nice design, for an excellent form-factor, for an outstanding display and a weight deserve it unbeatable. In addition, it is characterized by the excellent value for money: in the price list, the version I tried (17Z90P) that is the most performing, is available at € 1.799,00 but on Amazon you can already find it at much more competitive prices.
