While normally overpriced for the specs at $2400, an $1100 discount brings it down to a more attractive option. I paid $1170 using discounted Aldi gift cards.
16" 16:10 WQXGA (2560*1600) 350nits IPS Anti-Glare Display
Intel Ultra5 125H 14 core processor (1.2 - 4.5GHz)
16GB LPDDR5X @ 7467MHz
256GB SSD Gen-4 (Dual/Spare slot)
Ultra-light weight 1199g
1 x HDMI 2.0 port
2 x USB-A 3.2 ports
2 x USB-C Thunderbolt-4 ports
Wi-Fi 6, BT v5.3
Windows 11 Home Plus
it's soldered ram w expandable m.2 storage
RAM no. Has dual SSD slots however it only takes single sided drives
I've been happy with my 11th gen version (16") for the last 3 years, it's noticeably light for the size, and battery life is very good for a windows laptop
Here's one of the only reviews I can find of the non-pro version, albeit the 17"
wow just watched some reviews, this thing so damn thin, but how is LG laptops quality? I got a LG washing machine still going strong!
I have the 2020 model. Still going strong. I prefer the LG over the 2023 Macbook Air 15 inch which I also own. This laptop is noticeably lighter than the MacBook. And it’s windows so win win.
How’s the battery life? I use mba coz the battery life. Windows laptops always need to charge
The 2020 model? Not great - probably 6ish hours doing productivity work. I think 15 hour is the sweet spot which I understand the new Grams can do.
If you care about battery life, you gotta go with the MacBook Air. That thing is outrageous and its why I have one. But the Gram is (imho) notably lighter with a bigger screen. I definitely prefer moving around with the Gram - whether it is on holiday or just from couch to kitchen table. And for $1500 less than the Mac? Gotta be the Gram for me.
How is the 2020 LG in terms battery life and heat/noise generated?
The M-series chip MacBooks are my #1 simply because they can last for aaaages and even when you throw the fridge at it it is still dead quiet and even cold to the touch.
Where as any intel-based laptop gets hot and loud simply doing f-all. I actually prefer windows os and connectivity/compatibility way more than Macs but I find that the battery degrades quickly and it feels hot and has a little hum or a loud hiss doing normal stuff, let alone heavy stuff.
M-series Macs are dead silent and cold. It really felt like going into the next generation of laptops for me, because previously the “laptop” device (both windows and macs intel based) degraded so fast that within 1-2 years you would be only able to use it in a desktop manner anyway because it lost its qualities of being a laptop - a convenient device to use on the go.
I feel like even to this day, the most expensive and sleek windows laptop will still not have the battery and heat/noise performance of a base level MBA.
I've got the 2021 17" - cannot complain take it travelling and between two work sites and its handled everything pretty well.
No GPU which brings the weight down I'm sure but never maxed out the specs - I've got only a 2K 44.5" ultra wide. Played a bit of BF2 on it but that's about it.
Really wanted to get one of these after researching online, but when I handled one in store it felt very flimsy. Like every movement would wobble the screen. Maybe I’m just spoiled coming from thinkpad but I’d rather a slightly heavier machine that feels more ‘solid’
Edit: having said all that, this is an amazing price for this machine
Yeah that is pretty noticeable I guess, but how else to reduce the weight? And that is the main draw card for these models, the fact that they are super light. If you don't need to worry about weight, you can prioritise other specs happily from other manufacturers.
I'm talking about carbon X1, it's 14" and lighter than this one I think and solid too. Granted this OP one is 16" screen but even the Gram 14 is only ~100g lighter than the thinkpad, which feels a lot more solid.
What's the price of a Carbon X1 though? If I recall, it's expensive :D Not like for like comparison, but if you can afford it and want those features, for sure!
@JownehFixIT: No question the X1 is more exxy (and they keep going up).
Was just commenting on my experience - coming from a carbon I was looking for a cheaper alternative to replace it, and I was convinced the Gram was it until i held it in store. The Gram was a lot more exxy at that point than OP deal - at $1299 I probably would've got it without a second thought tbh
Ended up getting my first macbook air instead, still learning the kb shortcuts
@andresampras: Haha yeah! Just substitute Apple (command) for ctrl in heaps of cases and you're halfway there!
THere's a reason why thinkpads are generally more heavier and heftier than other laptops. They are built like tanks.
hence the name should be TankPads
Perhaps ThinkTank would be better
The T series are tanks, but the Carbons are lightweight. And the Nano is even lighter, under 1kg, but a smaller laptop. They are awesome.
And they all feel very sturdy even without heft
The Gram is very nice but they can feel hollowed out or something
I have a couple of LG Grams and they seem pretty durable and both are going strong.
LG says that they're certified for MIL-STD-810H military durability testing.
The laptops do have a bit of flex though. It probably a personal preference kind of thing, but if flex annoys you, its probably not the laptop for you.
That military certification barely means anything. Plenty of laptops pass that inlcudin my piece of of crap asus tuf gaming laptop fx505dt from some yrs back.
I've got one, you're right, screen feels very flimsy and the whole unit is do damn light. Mine has no USB A ports just C, kind of wish I got the older version with some USB A ports. Overall though I am happy with it, good if you travel a lot with just carry on luggage,
Maybe I’m just spoiled coming from thinkpad
The Business World’s Favorite Laptop Has Barely Changed in 30 Years (07 AUG 2024)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-business-worlds-favorite-la…
Any gf 4050+
16g+ laptop around 1000,?
me 2
All laptops are gluten free, but not at that price
Good thinking, I was looking for a 4050+ girlfriend. Whatever that means.
Picked this up last weekend with the 10% gift card bonus promo. $1399 - https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-swift-go-evo-16-inch-ul…
Comparable to this, possibly a bit more solid build, 512GB SSD, Oled, wifi 7 but no 2nd slot SSD.
Been happy with it - stable!
Had a Swift go 14 Oled 7640u. Hard disk has wiped itself once (Micron brand) and regular AMD Radeon GFX driver crashes. Had enough.
1.6kg vs 1.2kg, not really a fair comparison
yep i feel the acer is overpriced
Better CPU/GFX in the AMD version of the Acer Go. Picked one up in the deal 2 weeks ago. I'd of jumped on this LG gram is it had better gpu.
@Xizor: Hmm, the GPU is very comparable. Does depend on titles.
I play Pinball FX. On the 760m, was horrible. Miles better on ARC
YMMV
@lowey71: Cant speak to that but current model has the 780M which is a step up. Still working out what games i want to put on it besides Beyond All Reason (RTS), probably mostly older games, time killer stuff. Just got it for travel.
So for effectively $1260 you get a double size SSD + pretty stunning OLED 3.2x2k 120hz panel in comparison to the LG
Weighs 400g more and loses the 2nd SSD slot
Dont really feel ripped off or would have better with this.
You've had it for one week. Harley long enough to judge if it's stable, won't crash or wipe your had drive like your last one.
True! Crossing fingers. But no GFX driver crashes, no TB docking issues (phantom external screen after undock, no dock audio device going missing - need reboot to recover)
Just all felt a bit immature.
Maybe I had a bad unit? All I can say is that I have none so far with the 125H whilst the 7640u always had a few issues, albeit minor/annoying
Edit:
This sounds similar to me: https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/1ew5dxj/comment/…
But after you had enough, you still go back to another swift go? Want to give Acer another chance?
Well not sure if Acer is at fault here. Is it AMD (Radeon crashes)? Is it Micron(SSD wipe)? or is it Acer manufacturing/design?
Personally been quite happy with both units in a physical sense, value/features etc. Just the glitches on 7640u and a desire for a larger screen made me give the Intel variant a go.
Really want this but as a 14''.
I won't mind it for this; Gram is so thin and light that it is lighter than the usual 14" laptop.
Fair point.
I just prefer a laptop without the number pad on the right… Asymmetric
I'm guessing you know but for anyone else reading, these do come in a 14"
hmdi is the weakness
How so?
2.0 not 2.1
for the rrp $2400 they were stingy
These laptops actually came at these prices in JB very often. I had the i7 512gb version at $1500.
Could be the previous year's model but this review covers most of the usability aspect of this:
https://youtu.be/55j5uimlTVg?si=NWV2w6M-jFGckDDp (JustJosh)
My experiences:
Good stuff:
- noticeably light
- multiple ports including USB As and Cs
- has numberpad (for those that care)
- performance as expected
Bad stuff:
- speakers are trash
- keyboard isn't that tactile (preferences)
- no fingerprint scanner
- basically zero bios updates and randomly goes into bitlocker recovery screen
- a lot of the LG software is useless and just bloat
Overall not too bad but I would prefer something a bit more solid and stuff like fingerprint and good speakers are just missed opportunities
Good speakers is hardly an opportunity when it's that thin and light, it's kinda not physically possible
Nah it can exist. Like some phones have good speakers. Surely it must be better than phones
There's an app called FxSound that I always install on my PC to improve the loudness of the speakers. Try it out.
I have the last years model 17ZB90R with 16GB DD4 Ram.
My Ram usage is around 70-80% so I would not buy anything where the Ram can not be upgraded to 32GB
LG gram 17ZB90R 17" Notebook Intel i7-1360P 16 GB LPDDR4X 512 GB
https://www.lg.com/us/laptops/lg-17zb90r-k.aac7u1-gram-lapto…
My Ram usage is around 70-80%
To improve your RAM usage, try debloating Windows.
I have already disabled most apps in the windows start up.
What else do you recommend?
whyisave may have meant to try this: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat
Just be careful when selecting items to remove, as the default selections may go to remove applications you actually use or need. You can always default the settings back if you remove anything you didn't mean to (I think).
350nits 👎
I picked one up today, and it's very light. I weighed it using a Breville scale (thanks OZB), and it came in at 1.18 kg, which is slightly lighter than advertised. The screen is crisp and bright. I like the keyboard; it has a nice amount of travel and a somewhat clicky feel. It also has Windows Hello facial recognition, so I don’t miss the fingerprint scanner. The speakers sound a bit hollow, but using the Dolby Atmos Dynamic setting makes them more bearable. Most Windows laptops have mediocre speakers anyway though.
Humble brag…
It’s not a brag lol. I just wanted to share my thoughts for anyone considering this laptop.
Thanks for the info :) Do you find it has fan noise doing desktop stuff?
It’s generally silent during basic tasks like browsing and working on Word docs. The fan kicks in when you push it, but it’s a gentle sound in normal mode - nothing like typical gaming laptops.
I cannot find this model [16Z90S-G.AA53A] from the LG website. The closest I can find is [16Z90S-G.AP55A]. Maybe a bit hard to get s/w and driver updates from the LG website.
Oh - OT flashback to my Toshiba Portege - I loved that thing. The build felt flimsy, but it survived a few falls and a coffee spill after being cleaned by a professional. My sister inherited it and it run until 2021 - almost 10 years.
I have a 14" 2012 model and it's still working well, albeit a bit slow but still fine for browsing so build quality is decent.
Everyone is wow'd by the weight and design. It was a newish line so the price wasn't this ridiculous back then. Definitely would not buy at full price today
But interesting to see it's weaknesses are still there
The 16" & 17" Grams are a bit heavier in the base and easily open one handed. I had the 2021 model 16" before this one
What is aldi discount from OP referring to?
I bought one from Doncaster, VIC. I asked, "Can this be cheaper?" and got it for A$1287. There was no stock available, so I will collect it later in the week.
Does snow white look pretty?
That's a 2021 11th gen 16Z90P. I have actually had that exact (white) model for three years and love it. I wish my new one was white too
Just bought last one in jbhifi home, haven't opened yet just little concerned if it can't run basic games? Not much reviews on YouTube as well, is ifine running low res games like dead space 1 or WOW and far cry? Staff told me this laptop is only 6 or 8 months old and on clearance some reason maybe the pro version comming out.
thought 125H should able to run everything in low?
Can it?
Pro model is already out, has 3050 dGPU but is ~200g heavier & $2K more expensive.
The LG Gram with the Lunar Lake Core Ultra Series 2 refresh has already been announced, which is probably why the current models are on clearance. Lunar Lake is even more power-efficient than AMD while offering better performance, including an improved GPU.
Are there any LG Grams (now or in the new Series 2 refresh) that have higher refresh rate screens? I keep wanting a Gram for the lightweight factor, but kind of love higher refresh displays. Wouldn't be connecting it to external monitors pretty much ever either. I have desktops for that!
There’s a 17” ultra i7 1TB version also $1000 off for $2200 at scorptec shop ,
dont know if thats legit Aussie stock from that store or not , or whether the i7 155H processor makes much of a difference when gaming.
The pro version sounds better for any kind of gaming performance with twin fans and an oled screen but rrp is outta this world in apple territory.
How's this? Recommended?
Expandable storage/ ram?