Manic miner
With no dedicated
graphics card, it’ll
handle Minecraft, but
anything more full-on
and you’ll be dialling
back every
setting.
TESTED LG GRAM 17Super-slim despite its 17in screen, LG’s
Gram 17 is not like other ultraportables...
but is that enough to make it a winner?
QThe LG Gram 17 does things
differently to most ultraportable
laptops. Here’s a machine that
weighs about as much as a
MacBook Air but comes with
a giant 17in display, so you won’t
be squinting when it’s time to
get some work done. It’s not a
common approach... but maybe
there’s a reason for that.QAt 1.34kg, LG reckons it’s as light
as most 15.6in laptops. True a year
ago, but rivals have slimmed down
since. It’s made from a lightweight
alloy, but doesn’t feel as premium
as Dell XPS and is rarely cool to the
touch. Still, the styling is on point.QThe screen is a stunner. An
IPS LCD panel with 2560x1600
resolution, it’s as detailed as you
could wish for without going 4K.
There’s no HDR support, but it’s
plenty bright and accurate for a
non-pro display. Sound isn’t nearly
as impressive, with the speakers
muffled and lacking detail.QThe keys feel cramped but have
a firm press and a decent amount
of travel. The power button
doubles as a fingerprint reader,
and the touchpad is as good as
they get on Windows machines.QWith an 8th-gen Core i7 CPU
paired with 16GB of RAM, there’s
no trouble multitasking; but push
harder and you’ll quickly discover
this machine’s limits. Rivals have
faster processors and storage.The Gram 17 looks like a generic ultraportable, with great battery life but average
performance. It’s only when you shop around that you see just how unique it really
is – most rivals at this price make do with 13in displays, so you’re getting way more
screen real estate than usual. That goes some way, at least, to make up for its average
keyboard, sub-par speakers and composite build.An ultraportable
that’s mediocre
in everything but
screen space
Tom MorganGrammy nominee
STUFF SAYS A go-anywhere big-screen laptop, but low power limits its appeal ++++,
Screen 17in 2560x1600 IPS LCD
CPU Intel Core i7-8565U RAM 16GB
OS Windows 10 Home Storage
512GB SSD Connectivity 3x USB-3,
1x USB-C, HDMI, microSD, 3.5mm,
Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Battery
life Up to 19.5hrs Dimensions
381x266x17.4mm, 1.34kgQ Enduro pacer
Don’t go thinking a giant screen
means compromising on battery
life: you’ll have no trouble lasting
an entire work day away from the
mains. We got almost 12 hours
of looping video with the display
set to half brightness.Q Hyper ports
LG hasn’t been stingy on
connectivity, including three
USB-3 ports plus a single USB-C,
HDMI, a 3.5mm audio out and
a microSD card reader. But why
not a full-size SD card reader in
a laptop this big?from £1349 / stuff.tv/Gram 17Tech specs