PC World - USA (2020-01)

JANUARY 2020 PCWorld 89

single-thread performance was pretty solid.
As for the aforementioned task of video
encoding in HandBrake, the LG Gram 17 took
much longer than other thin-and-light
laptops, even ones with 8th-generation Intel
processors. Given the laptop’s slim design
and its impressively cool operation, it’s likely
that LG is more willing to throttle performance
in service of keeping things comfortable.
Finally, at the risk of stating the obvious,
the LG Gram 17 is not a gaming laptop.
Graphics performance in 3DMark’s Sky Diver
benchmark lags well behind laptops with
discrete graphics cards such Dell’s Inspiron 15
7000 Black Edition, and it was predictably
beaten by the new XPS 13, whose 10th-gen
Intel Core i7-10710 CPU brings improvements
to integrated graphics performance.

BOTTOM

LINE

Although LG offers

lots of laptops in

which portability is

the primary selling

point, the LG Gram 17

is the ultimate

manifestation. There’s

nothing else like it on

the market, and it’s

mostly a joy to use

despite a middling

keyboard and awful

speakers. We expect

prices on laptops with

8th-generation Intel Core CPUs to drop as

laptops powered by 10th- generation chips hit

the market, so now might be the perfect time

to snag this unique thin-and-light.

Don’t expect great gaming performance out of the LG Gram 17.

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Black Edition (7590) (Core i7-8565U)

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3

(Ryzen 7 3780 U SE)

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3

(Ryzen 5 3580U SE

Dell XPS 13 7390

(Core i7-10710U)

Lenovo Ideapad S340-151W(Core i5-8265U) L

LG Gram(Core i7-8565U) 14T990

LG Gram(Core i7-8565U) 17

3DMark Sky Diver 1.0

(Demo mode off, GPU score)

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

9,408

4,709

8,382

4,269

8,898

4,565

5,015

LG Gram 17

PROS

• 17-inch screen in a shockingly light design.


• Monster battery life.


• Runs cool, quiet, and comfortable, even under
  heavy loads.
  CONS


• Squishy keyboard with some layout issues.


• Awful speaker audio.


• Drab design.
  BOTTOM LINE
  With a huge screen and lightweight design, the LG
  Gram 17 is a joy to use.
  $1,287