7.8
LG Gram 17 (2023)
Like
Supremely gentle for a 17-inch mannequin
Ample RAM and SSD capability
Sturdy audio output
Don’t love
Dear
Some flex to mag-alloy chassis
Earlier-gen RTX graphics
So-so keyboard and touchpad
The LG Gram 17 line has all the time been about combining productiveness and portability, delivering a roomy 17-inch show that gives ample room to work in a trim, three-pound package deal. This yr’s model provides the choice for devoted GeForce RTX 3050 graphics, which makes the Gram 17 a superb match for content-creation fundamentals. The graphics enhance provides some weight to the Gram 17 and considerably shortens battery life, however the Gram 17 stays impossibly skinny and light-weight — and long-running.
Our gripes of previous Gram fashions stay, although: The magnesium-alloy chassis feels a bit flimsy, and the value is a bit steep. The Gram 17’s skinny enclosure actually makes it a light-weight journey companion, but it surely’s not practically as luxuriously solid-feeling because the aluminum chassis of an Apple MacBook Professional 16 or Dell XPS 17. The keyboard and touchpad are additionally negatively affected by the Gram 17’s excessive thinness. Priced at $2,300, our check mannequin provides aggressive processor efficiency for the value, however I am of the opinion that any laptop computer north of $2,000 ought to supply a GPU from Nvidia’s present 40-series era and never previous-gen RTX 3050 graphics. Given the tradeoffs it forces you to make, the Gram 17 is finest suited to extraordinarily cell energy customers who need a large-screen laptop computer within the lightest attainable package deal.
Configuration as examined
Worth as reviewed $2,300Display dimension/decision 17-inch WQXGA 2,560×1,600 antiglare IPSCPU 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-1360PMemory 32GB DDR5 6,000MHzGraphics 4GB Nvidia RTX 3050Storage 2TB PCIe NVMe SSDNetworking Intel Wi-fi-AX211 802.11ax, BluetoothConnections USB-A 3.2 Gen2x1 (x2), USB-C Gen3x2 (x2), headset combo jack, microSD card slot, HDMI outOperating system Window 11 Residence 22H2
The LG Gram 17 line begins at $2,000 for a system that options an Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, RTX 3050 graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Our $2,300 check system doubles the RAM to 32GB and the SSD to 2TB. Each fashions characteristic the identical CPU/GPU combo powering a 17-inch nontouch show with a 2,560×1,600-pixel decision, a tall 16:10 facet ratio and a variable 144Hz refresh fee. The LG Gram 17 begins at £1,600 within the UK for a mannequin with the identical Core i7-1360P processor however built-in Intel graphics. An RTX 3050-based mannequin is on the market in Australia for AU$3,599.
The Intel Core i7-1360P processor is a member of Intel’s 28-watt P sequence that sits between the extra environment friendly 15-watt U sequence and extra performance-oriented 45-watt H sequence. It options Intel’s hybrid structure with efficiency and effectivity cores; it has 4 efficiency cores, eight effectivity cores and a complete of 16 processing threads. Mixed with the RTX 3050 GPU and a beneficiant 32GB of RAM, the Gram 17 provides balanced efficiency. When matched up towards different content-creation laptops, its efficiency fell in between laptops — particularly the Dell XPS 17 9730 and Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely — that characteristic power-oriented Core i7 H-series processors and newer and extra highly effective RTX 4050 or 4070 graphics, and the 16-inch Lenovo Yoga 7i that contains a Core i7 U-series chip and built-in Intel graphics.
The M2 Professional-based, 16-inch MacBook Professional additionally proved itself quicker on the cross-platform Geekbench 5 and 3DMark exams whereas additionally lasting longer on our battery drain check. The Gram 17 lasted longer than 11 hours in battery testing, which must get you thru the longest of workdays (and it prices shortly, too). That mentioned, the earlier LG Gram 17 we reviewed in 2020 lasted practically two hours longer. And even the Dell XPS 17 9730 and its high-powered Intel H-series CPU outlasted the Gram 17 on our battery check.
A 17-inch ultraportable
The matte-black Gram 17 provides a glance that is akin to the minimalist great thing about a Razer Blade laptop computer. Absent chrome accents and with minimal branding, the Gram 17’s design is decidedly understated. It is also very skinny and light-weight at solely 0.7-inch thick and three.2 kilos. Whereas the 2020 LG Gram 17 weighed just below 3 kilos, the 2023 model stays very light-weight for a 17-inch laptop computer. We contemplate the Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely to be gentle for its class, and it has a smaller 16-inch show and weighs 4 kilos. The 16-inch MacBook Professional weighs much more at 4.7 kilos.
Matt Elliott/CNET
The tradeoff for getting such a light-weight package deal resides with some flex of the magnesium-alloy enclosure. It is simply not as inflexible as an aluminum physique. The keyboard deck feels pretty stable, and a lot of the flex is within the skinny lid behind the show. The thinness of the keyboard deck has extra to do with the so-so typing expertise than the slight quantity of flex it has. The keys supply shallow journey with agency suggestions. With a bit extra journey, the keys would really feel extra tactile with a snappier response. The keyboard is roomy, although, and no keys are shortened or squished to accommodate the quantity pad.
The touchpad is wider than earlier fashions and provides clean gliding with its matte end. Versus the keys, the touchpad provides too deep journey when clicking to the purpose of feeling mushy within the entrance corners.
Matt Elliott/CNET
The matte end on the touchpad and elsewhere on the Gram 17 means the laptop computer is a magnet for fingerprints and smudges. Hold a cleansing material helpful to maintain the laptop computer trying pristine.
The 17-inch, 16:10 show is delightfully huge. It is taller than a standard 16:9 widescreen show and can also be an inch wider than 16-inch, 16:10 laptops which are rising in recognition. The two,560×1,600-pixel decision ends in crisp textual content and pictures. And whereas the RTX 3050 would not make it a gaming monster, its show is quicker than the standard 60Hz panel with a variable 144Hz refresh fee that smooths out the looks of fast-moving video and can sustain with you throughout Fortnite and different informal shooters.
The panel is rated for 350 nits of brightness, and my testing confirmed it is even a bit brighter than that with a most of 390 nits. It provides greater than sufficient brightness for many indoor environments, and I even discovered myself utilizing it with the show brightness set to round 70% in my sunny breakfast nook.
The 1080p webcam produces a crisp, well-balanced picture with correct colours and pores and skin tones. I skilled some graininess in low-light conditions however nothing to the diploma you’d get with a lower-res 720 digicam. The webcam additionally has an IR sensor so you should utilize facial recognition for straightforward, safe logins. The laptop computer lacks a fingerprint reader, so the IR digicam is appreciated.
The Gram 17 contains a pair of bottom-firing audio system, which is often strike one and strike two in the case of laptop computer audio system. On bigger fashions, particularly, producers usually discover room for a quad array for fuller sound. And on many laptops, the audio system are positioned to fireside ahead from the entrance edge or upward from the highest, which often ends in higher audio. To my shock, the Gram 17’s audio system produced well-rounded sound that crammed my small workplace. They’re undoubtedly highly effective sufficient for watching motion pictures and exhibits and may even be used for some music playback so long as you retain your bass expectations in test.
Geekbench 5 (multicore)
MacBook Professional (16-inch, 2023) 15,009Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely 12,558Dell XPS 17 9730 12,355LG Gram 17 (2023) 9,983Lenovo Yoga 7i (82YN-16IRL8) 8,809
Word: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
The laptop computer provides a spare however helpful collection of ports. There is a pair of USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 assist on the left and a pair of USB-A ports on the best. You additionally get an HDMI port, a headphone jack and — in a nod to content material creators — a miniSD card slot. Because the laptop computer prices through the USB-C ports, it might’ve been good if LG break up the 2 of them up between the left and proper.
A purchaser purchasing for a 17-inch laptop computer is often in search of a system for the house or workplace the place it’s going to keep and never make the trek forwards and backwards between these two places with any nice frequency. The LG Gram 17 is exclusive in that it weighs simply over 3 kilos — gentle sufficient for each day commutes with out giving its proprietor a sore shoulder. And with an Nvidia RTX GPU, it holds some enchantment to on-the-go content material creators. Or college students who would possibly wish to interact in some informal gaming. Simply know you sacrifice a few of the stable really feel you’d get with an admittedly heavier aluminum chassis for the elevated portability.
The assessment course of for laptops, desktops, tablets and different computer-like units consists of two components: efficiency testing beneath managed situations within the CNET Labs and in depth hands-on use by our knowledgeable reviewers. This contains evaluating a tool’s aesthetics, ergonomics and options. A last assessment verdict is a mix of each goal and subjective judgments.
The checklist of benchmarking software program we use modifications over time because the units we check evolve. An important core exams we’re at the moment working on each appropriate laptop embrace: Primate Labs Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fireplace Strike Extremely.
A extra detailed description of every benchmark and the way we use it may be present in our How We Take a look at Computer systems web page.
Geekbench 5 (multicore)
MacBook Professional (16-inch, 2023) 15,009Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely 12,558Dell XPS 17 9730 12,355LG Gram 17 (2023) 9,983Lenovo Yoga 7i (82YN-16IRL8) 8,809
Word: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench 6 (multicore)
Dell XPS 17 9730 13,266Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely 12,717LG Gram 17 (2023) 9,366Lenovo Yoga 7i (82YN-16IRL8) 9,303
Word: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
3DMark Wild Life Excessive
Dell XPS 17 9730 17,740MacBook Professional (16-inch, 2023) 12,989Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely 12,853Lenovo Yoga 7i (82YN-16IRL8) 3,736LG Gram 17 (2023) 3,663
Word: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
PCMark 10 Professional
Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely 7,545Dell XPS 17 9730 7,114LG Gram 17 (2023) 6,708Lenovo Yoga 7i (82YN-16IRL8) 5,988
Word: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Guardians of the Galaxy (Excessive @1920 x 1080)
Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely 131Dell XPS 17 9730 122LG Gram 17 (2023) 60
Word: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
On-line streaming battery drain check
MacBook Professional (16-inch, 2023) 1,474Lenovo Yoga 7i (82YN-16IRL8) 820Dell XPS 17 9730 714LG Gram 17 (2023) 664Samsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely 634
Word: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
System Configurations
LG Gram 17 (2023) Microsoft Home windows 11 Residence; 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-1360P; 32GB DDR5 6,000MHz RAM; 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics; (2) 1TB SSDDell XPS 17 9730 Microsoft Home windows 11 Residence; 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-13700H; 32GB DDR5 4,800MHz RAM; 16GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics; 1TB SSDLenovo Yoga 7i (82YN-16IRL8) Microsoft Home windows 11 Residence; 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-1355U; 16GB DDR5 6,400MHz RAM; 128MB Intel Iris Xe graphics; 512GB SSDSamsung Galaxy E-book 3 Extremely Microsoft Home windows 11 Residence; 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-13700H; 16GB DDR5 6,000MHz RAM; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics; 1TB SSDMacBook Professional (16-inch, 2023) MacOS Ventura 13.2; 3.3GHz Apple M2 Professional (8P/4E) 12 CPU cores, 19 GPU intergrated cores; 32GB LPDDR5 RAM; 2TB SSD