LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) specs:
Value: $1,299 (beginning); $1,699 (as reviewed)
CPU: Intel twelfth Gen Core i7-1260p
RAM: 16GB LPDDR5
Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD
Show: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS
Battery: 13:08
Dimension: 14 x 9.5 x 0.66 inches
Weight: 2.5 kilos
The LG Gram 16 is a basic case of not judging a e book by its cowl, or a laptop computer by its lid, as at first look it’s an unassuming conventional clamshell with a silver metallic end, that’s till you decide it up. For a second you’ll really feel like Thor lofting Mjolnir, as there’s merely no approach selecting up a 16-inch laptop computer ought to really feel that easy.
The Gram 16 weighs a mere 2.5 kilos, that’s lighter than Air (the MacBook Air M2 at 2.7 kilos to be particular). And whereas its nearly impossibly light-weight body can be an incredible trick by itself, the Gram has extra up its magnesium alloy sleeve with over 13 hours of battery life, a gorgeously vibrant show, and spectacular efficiency.
Should you’re a scholar or a frequent traveler that desires to maintain issues mild with out having to squint at a 13-inch show, the Gram 16 could also be simply the laptop computer you’ve been searching for.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) worth and configuration choices
Beginning at $1,399, the LG Gram 16 delivers a 16-inch (2560 x 1600 pixel) 16:10 IPS non-glare show, an Intel Core i7-1260P processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD.
Our $1,699 assessment unit doubles the storage within the base mannequin to 1TB, however in any other case mirrors its specs precisely.
Whereas these are the retail costs, you’ll sometimes discover our mannequin for $1,449 or much less, which is stepping into extra comfy territory. A 2.5-pound laptop computer with a 16-inch show isn’t going to come back low-cost, so if you would like excessive portability with a big show, the Gram 16 is well worth the funding.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) design
The LG Gram 16 is a kind of laptops that you just first decide up and begin wanting round for the cameras as a result of clearly somebody is pranking you with an empty laptop computer casing. Sadly, my frequent pitches for laptop-based prank reveals maintain getting rejected, so what’s really occurring is that LG’s engineers are simply superb at their jobs
The magnesium alloy development of the Gram 16 signifies that not solely will it have you ever questioning that complete “legislation of gravity” factor, but it surely’s additionally extremely sturdy, assembly MIL-STD-810g necessities. So sure, this laptop computer is the type of factor a frequent traveler solely goals of —you received’t discover the load in your laptop computer bag, however once you neglect it’s in there and drop the bag, your laptop computer will nonetheless be superb. The alloy additionally helps the thermal efficiency of the laptop computer, so it doesn’t always spin up followers, which has battery advantages that we’ll get to later.
Opening the lid you might be greeted by that huge 16-inch show with almost invisible bezels; there isn’t any wasted area on this laptop computer. If you’re pondering you want much more display screen actual property, then excellent news, LG considered that too. The LG gram +view exterior monitor matches the Gram 16 measurement and determination precisely so it’s the proper companion once you want a dual-screen setup on the go. Beneath that display screen is a full-size keyboard with a quantity pad and an expansive touchpad, as soon as once more you might be having fun with the advantages of a bigger laptop computer with out the load.
I didn’t actually converse to the aesthetics of the design but, primarily as a result of the scale and weight are much more fascinating. The design is easy and utilitarian with simply “gram” centered on the lid. There’s a slight taper to the sides that make it nice to carry, but it surely’s a laptop computer that can take a look at residence in any setting. It’s obtainable in both Obsidian Black or the Silver of our assessment unit.
Breaking the scale down by the numbers, the LG Gram 16 is 14 x 9.5 x 0.66 inches and a pair of.5 kilos. That’s a featherweight in comparison with the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (14.1 x 9.9 x 0.6~0.7 inches, 4.6 kilos). Whereas rivals nearer to its weight class just like the MacBook Air M2 (12 x 8.5 x 0.44 inches, 2.7 kilos) and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (12.3 x 8.5 x 0.59 inches, 2.4 kilos) solely provide 13.6- and 14-inch shows, respectively.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) ports
The LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) has a sturdy choice of ports contemplating its diminutive measurement and weight. On the left aspect you get a full HDMI 2.0 port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a combo headphone/mic jack.
On the other aspect, you’ll discover a microSD card slot, a pair of USB 3.2 Kind-A ports, and a Kensington safety lock slot.
Should you want anything, like a full-size SD card reader or an Ethernet port you’ll want to show to a USB-C hub or docking station.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) show
The LG Gram 16’s 2,560 x 1,600 pixel 16-inch IPS show with its 16:10 facet ratio is among the many finest I’ve seen outdoors of an OLED panel. Whether or not you might be watching a video, browsing the net, or engaged on spreadsheets, it is going to elevate all of it (as a lot as potential for a spreadsheet anyway).
I examined this out by watching the trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally. The sharp and vibrant show captured each element and I felt like Namor was about to come back bursting by means of the panel because the blinding blue rays cascaded throughout the display screen.
The colorimeter within the lab agreed with me, because the Gram 16 reproduced 118% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. This was eclipsed by the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (139.3%), however the Gram vastly outperformed the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (69.5%), the MacBook Air M2 (75.9%), and the mainstream class common (98.1%).
| DCI-P3 colour gamut proportion | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon | 139.3% |
| LG Gram 16 | 118% |
| MacBook Air M2 | 75.9% |
| Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 | 69.5% |
The Gram 16’s brightness check outcomes weren’t dangerous at 332 nits, however I would favor to see one thing nearer to 400 nits for a laptop computer that’s so well-suited for vacationers. Solely the Inspiron 16 got here in under the Gram at 307 nits. The mainstream common (341 nits), IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (369 nits), and the MacBook Air M2 (489 nits) all outshone the Gram to various levels. It’s value noting that the anti-glare coating on the Gram’s show offers it an help in combating vivid environments, so whereas I’d love a brighter show, something wanting direct daylight doesn’t current a lot of a difficulty.
| Show brightness (Nits) | |
| MacBook Air M2 | 489 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon | 369 |
| LG Gram 16 | 332 |
| Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 | 307 |
The Gram delivered a median efficiency of 0.27 on our Delta-E colour accuracy check (decrease is best). The MacBook Air M2 (0.2) was much better, however LG edged out the Inspiron (0.28) and the Slim 7 Carbon (0.32).
Whereas it doesn’t dominate each class, LG struck a wonderful steadiness with the Gram’s show that make it a wonderful match for quite a lot of use circumstances from light-weight content material creation to productiveness, and naturally watching movies.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) keyboard and touchpad
The LG Gram 16 encompasses a backlit chiclet keyboard with a devoted quantity pad. The important thing journey is spectacular for such a slim laptop computer at 1.65mm, but it surely does really feel a bit cramped with a small left-shift key and slim quantity pad keys. The dearth of separation between the keyboard and the quantity pad might result in the occasional quantity sneaking into your writing by accid3nt. The expansive touchpad works nicely, though it’s off-center to accommodate the quantity pad.
At 86 phrases per minute with 98% accuracy within the 10fastfingers.com typing check, I used to be simply 1 wpm off my common. The keys bounce again rapidly, which mixed with the superb key journey makes for a snug typing expertise. For higher or worse, the Gram 16 additionally has a really noisy keyboard. It sounds much like a mechanical keyboard when typing, which some individuals will love, however in the event you’re sometimes working with others round it might irritate them.
The touchpad dominates the decrease half of the deck at 5.2 x 3.3 inches and is responsive when swiping or clicking. I had no difficulties utilizing typical Home windows gestures like pinch to zoom or two-finger scrolling.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) audio
The Gram 16 encompasses a pair of bottom-firing audio system which might be given a lift with DTS:X Extremely help. That’s not precisely a recipe for achievement in an period of top-firing quad-speaker techniques, but it surely was higher than I anticipated for such a wafer-thin laptop computer.
I listened to “Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor as a result of I’ve a TikTok-obsessed teenager and that music was omnipresent for some time. The bubblegum pop stuffed my medium-sized (12’ x 18’ toes) testing room at full quantity and the lyrics remained crisp and clear. The regular percussion within the background lacked any kick in any respect although, which isn’t shocking given the bodily limitations of the {hardware} within the Gram.
If you’re trying to really get pleasure from your music then decide up a pair of wi-fi headphones with the Gram, however for watching a video or simply having some ambient music within the background it is going to get the job accomplished.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) efficiency
The Intel Core i7-1260P processor within the LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q), paired with 16GB of RAM, is sufficient to fly by means of any productiveness work or net excursions you may throw at it, and it might even deal with some photograph modifying.
I loaded up 32 Google Chrome tabs together with two YouTube movies working concurrently at 4K and a YouTube Music tab enjoying the movie rating playlist that I typically hearken to whereas I work. I then proceeded with my typical workflow, which is a mix of Google Docs, Google Sheets, our customized CMS for publishing to our web site, and leaping between all these tabs as I analysis and write. None of this introduced the slightest subject for the Gram 16. I by no means observed any hiccups within the audio or visible stuttering as I moved between tabs and home windows.
The Geekbench 5.4 total efficiency check confirmed off the Gram’s prowess with a multi-core rating of 8,431. Solely the MacBook Air M2 (Apple M2, 8,919) outperformed it, whereas the mainstream common (6,998), Inspiron 16 (Intel Core i7-1260P, 6,757), and IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (AMD Ryzen 7 5800U, 6,241) had been left within the mud.
| Geekbench 5.4 rating | |
| MacBook Air M2 | 8,919 |
| LG Gram 16 | 8,431 |
| Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 | 6,757 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon | 6,241 |
Our Handbrake video modifying check requires the laptop computer to transform a 4K video to 1080p reveals, and it reveals why I’d advocate sticking to photograph modifying with the Gram, because it took 17 minutes for it to complete the conversion, adequate for useless final. The Air M2 (7:52) completed first, adopted by the Slim 7 Carbon (8:51), and the Inspiron 16 (11:27).
The Gram wins again efficiency factors with its blistering quick SSD. In our 25GB mixed-media file switch check, it averaged 1,506.9MBps, which was greater than double the mainstream common (720.61MBps), and over 700MBps quicker than the IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (799.99MBps) and Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (802MBps).
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) battery life
The battery life on the Gram 16 is improbable, all of the extra spectacular for a laptop computer this skinny and lightweight. In our Laptop computer Magazine battery check, which entails steady net browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the Gram didn’t come to a cease till 13 hours and eight minutes in.
That’s nicely past the mainstream laptop computer common (8:51) and the Slim 7 Carbon (9:56), nonetheless, it was up towards some heavy hitters with the Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (13:28) and Air M2 (14:06) managing to overhaul it. It’s value noting that it’s 2 kilos lighter than the Inspiron and I’m nonetheless not totally satisfied that Apple Silicon doesn’t bend area and time to permit these chips to ship the form of battery life they do.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) webcam
The Gram 16’s 1080p webcam was higher than I had hoped. I’m now not instantly excited to see {that a} webcam is 1080p, however the Gram 16 delivers a pointy picture that held up fairly nicely even once I caught to easy overhead lighting. It additionally helps Home windows Howdy facial recognition login due to its IR digital camera. No privateness shutter on this one, so if you’re involved with that you just’ll want to choose up a separate webcam cowl.
Whereas it received’t beat an exterior webcam, the Gram 16’s built-in digital camera received’t embarrass you when becoming a member of a video convention.
LG Gram 16 (16Z90Q) software program and guarantee
The LG Gram 16 ships with Home windows 11 put in and that features the standard encumbrance of bloatware like McAfee Livesafe antivirus, Cyberlink apps, streaming providers, and social media apps. I like to recommend a cleaning burn of the bloatware to uninstall something you received’t really use immediately earlier than you neglect.
Whereas I’ve Google Assistant gadgets littered about my residence, I don’t thoughts the Alexa performance constructed into the Gram 16. Should you’re an Amazon Echo home you’ll completely find it irresistible.
LG offers you quite a lot of its personal software program to assist improve your Gram 16 expertise. That features Sensible Assistant for adjusting the Gram’s efficiency, Virtoo for wirelessly connecting your telephone to your laptop computer, and Look by Mirametrix.
That final one requires a little bit of rationalization, it could set off a privateness guard if it detects another person taking a look at your display screen, privateness blur if it notices you aren’t wanting on the show, it could even transfer your cursor or a window between the laptop computer and the Gram +view transportable show. Should you’re somebody that works in public or in an workplace with confidential supplies these might be essential extras. For some customers, this can increase privateness issues with the digital camera at all times on though it’s strictly
The LG Gram 16 comes with a one-year restricted guarantee.
Backside line
In case your laptop computer want checklist features a huge display screen, a thin-and-light chassis, and lengthy battery life, I might need instructed you to maintain dreaming in years previous, however the Gram 16 checks all of these containers in daring. Whereas it comes up simply shy of qualifying for our laptops with the most effective battery life, the truth that it does so at simply 2.5 kilos with a 16-inch show and a strong core i7 CPU is nothing wanting astounding.
The Gram 16 ought to earn a spot amongst our finest ultrabooks and finest 16-inch laptops, however a couple of issues maintain me from elevating it even additional. The show brightness is merely adequate, not nice. The audio high quality from the bottom-firing audio system is equally superb, however not notable. Lastly, whereas I admire the complete keyboard with a quantity pad, the marginally cramped keys may be irritating and would take a while to regulate to.
If these appear extra like quibbles than severe issues, you’re proper. Total I cherished my time with the LG Gram 16 and so long as you aren’t trying to do any gaming or heavy content material creation, this slim laptop computer is prepared for something. Simply bear in mind to verify whether or not you really put it in your laptop computer bag, it’s so mild you may neglect it.
