LG Gram 16
A 16in laptop that weighs less than a 13in model, the Gram 16 is perfect for life on the go or at home
SCORE
PRICE £1,208 (£1,449 inc VAT) from pcpro.link/320gram
This year, LG hasn’t only refreshed the 17in Gram ( see opposite), but has also introduced a new model: the Gram
16. It does a similar job to its larger sibling but in an ever-so-slightly more compact package. The idea, however, remains the same: to maximise screen space without packing on the pounds.
And it’s worked. Thanks to its lightweight magnesium alloy chassis, the Gram 16 weighs a mere 1.16kg. That’s more than three-quarters of a kilo lighter than the Apple MacBook Pro 16in ( see issue 316, p44) and 540g lighter than the 16in Honor MagicBook Pro ( see p57).
LG sells a slew of different models, all of which feature Intel’s 11th-generation Core processors with integrated Iris Xe graphics. In our test unit, the adorably named 16Z90P-K.AA75A1, that means a quad-core Intel Core i7-1165G7, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB NVMe SSD. Not enough storage space? Fear not, an M.2 (2280) slot sits empty inside for upgrades.
This year’s Gram laptops adopt a smart matte finish and improved build quality, with a more rigid feel to the chassis than last year. It’s been tested to MIL-STD-810G standard, so you can be confident it will survive life on the road.
LG has also redesigned the keyboard, with each key now larger and with sharper corners than before, although the gap between them is narrower. As a result, typing feels different: the keys have a punchier click and less bounce. In tandem with a roomier touchpad, that means the Gram 16 is a pleasant machine to use, but I’m still not sold on the utility of the number pad squeezed in on the right-hand side.
The Gram 16 doesn’t come with a DC power input port, instead employing USB-C charging at up to 100W. There are now two Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports on offer, and it’s good to see that (as with the Gram 17) you still get a full-size HDMI port, 3.5mm headset jack, two USB-A 3.2 ports and a microSD card slot.
There’s no face login, with the webcam above the display a disappointingly average 720p affair, but LG neatly embeds a fingerprint sensor into the power button in the top-right corner of the keyboard. The DTS:X Ultra speakers are another strength compared to most laptops, but as they’re downwards firing work best on solid surfaces.
As with other Gram laptops, it’s the display that takes centre stage and this is an extraordinarily good one. What you miss in touch capability you gain in usability. The screen’s 16:10 aspect ratio and 2,560 x 1,600 resolution make it feel as if you can squeeze more onto it than on other laptops of
“The screen’s 16:10 aspect ratio and resolution make it feel as if you can squeeze more onto it than on other laptops of this size”
this size. The screen appears vast in comparison to 13in and 14in laptops; even 16:9 15.6in laptops feel a lot smaller in use.
The screen performs exceptionally from a colour output perspective. It produces a colour volume of around 101% of the DCI-P3 colour space and 99% of Adobe RGB. It’s reasonably accurate within P3 too, returning an average Delta E of 1.88.
Inside, the Gram 16’s quad-core Core i7-1165G7 and 16GB of RAM give it a clear performance advantage over last year’s Gram 17. In our benchmarks, the laptop showed a whopping 39% improvement and although the differences were less pronounced in shorter tests, there was an uptick across the board.
Battery life is excellent, with the laptop lasting 11hrs 51mins in our video-rundown tests. It’s not quite up to the level of the M1 MacBook Air, but it’s better than any 15.6in laptop I’ve tested.
The LG Gram 16 is a terrific laptop that is extraordinarily light despite that big, practical screen. On top of that, it has surprisingly good battery life. If that’s what you’re after then, just like Gram 17 opposite, it’s worth the price.
Four-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor Intel Iris Xe graphics 16GB LPDDR4X RAM 16in non-touch IPS display, 2,560 x 1,600 resolution 256GB NVMe SSD 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) 2 x USB-A 3.2 HDMI microSD slot
3.5mm combo jack 720p webcam 80Wh battery Windows 10 Home 356 x 243 x 16.8mm (WDH) 1.16kg 1yr C&R warranty