The Gram 15 marks LG's return to the local notebook scene.
A return to Singapore
In early July, LG marked its return to the local notebook scene with a very special and light notebook called the LG Gram 15. This ultrathin and light 15-inch notebook first made its first appearance at CES 2016 in January earlier this year, and it stunned show-goers with its amazing weight, or lack thereof.
Weighing less than a kilogram, the LG Gram 15 will put most 13-inch and even smaller 12 and 11-inch notebooks to shame. But more importantly, it means that users no longer need to compromise between display size and portability. For a long time, some users had to shun 15-inch notebooks just because they were too heavy. The LG Gram 15 changes that perception forever.
To prove our point, watch the video below where we briefly spoke to colleagues in our office about notebooks and also showed them just how light the LG Gram 15 is:-
Say hi to magnesium
The LG Gram 15 achieves its incredibly light weight thanks to a blend of magnesium alloys.
Here are the numbers that matter: The LG Gram 15 sports a full-size 15-inch display, but weighs just a scant 980g. How light is 980g?
Consider for a moment that most 15-inch notebooks struggle to even come close to 2kg. Also, most 13-inch Ultrabooks today are only around 1.2kg to 1.3kg. In fact, at 980g, the Gram 15 is even lighter than a 11-inch MacBook Air! That's how light 980g is. Here's a commercial from LG that further emphasizes this fact in an amazing comparison:-
The Gram 15 achieves its incredible weight thanks to its extensive use of magnesium alloys. Magnesium is significantly lighter than aluminum, but still strong enough to be used in notebook construction. And in the case of the Gram 15, LG uses three different types of magnesium alloy: carbon magnesium, rare-earth magnesium alloy, and easily formable magnesium. These are the same types of alloy used in high-end sports cars.
That said, the Gram 15 does feel insubstantial, and almost a little plasticky even (we had this same feel when Sony first started using carbon fiber in its notebook body). There’s also a significant amount of flex in the panels, most notably behind the display, but LG assures us that they have tested the Gram rigorously and the flex is nothing to be overly concerned about. Flex aside, the display also wobbled as we typed on it. It seems that all that lightness has come at cost of rigidity and sturdiness.
At its thickest point, the LG Gram 15 is just 16.8mm thick.
As for thickness, the Gram 15 measures in at 16.8mm thick at its chunkiest point, which is very respectable considering it has a 15-inch display. Speaking of the display, the 15-inch display uses IPS technology and supports Full-HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). With a pixel density count of roughly 147 pixels per inch, it’s not quite as sharp as some of today’s notebooks that have fancy Retina or QHD displays. Nevertheless, colors are sufficient pleasant and images are pretty crisp. However, I found the glossy display to be too dim, even at the brightest setting. It’s not going to be a big problem if you are using it indoors, but it might suffer from glare when used outdoors, especially under bright sunlight.
The Gram 15's display is sharp and crisp, but it's dim even at the highest brightness setting. Notice also the very thin bezel and the positioning of the webcam at the hinge.
In keeping with the times, the Gram 15 is offered in gold - a trendy choice for today’s notebooks. Admittedly, gold might not be to everyone’s taste, but at least it’s more exciting than plain old black. Furthermore, the shade of gold that LG has chosen is quite neutral and doesn't overly shout for attention.
Another way in which LG was able to keep the Gram 15 so compact is the use of extra slim bezels. It’s not quite as slim as the ones found on Dell’s XPS notebooks with InfinityEdge displays, but it comes really close. And as a result of the thin bezels, LG has got no choice but to place the webcam on the notebook hinge. Webcam users should take note as this makes for very unflattering view angles, but it's a design choice that had to be made.
Hardware & Other Features
Despite the Gram 15’s petite dimensions, LG hasn’t skimped on its internals. For a start, users will be able to choose between a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, and up to 512GB of speedy SSD storage.
Our review unit is the top-of-the-line model that comes with a dual-core Intel Core i7-6500U processor (2.5GHz, 4MB cache), 8GB of DDR3L RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. Unlike some of the newer notebooks, which have faster PCIe-based SSDs that support NVMe protocol, the Gram 15 has to make do with a slower SATA-based SSD. That’s not a big deal since only the fussiest users will be able to tell the difference in day to day usage scenarios like web browsing and reading emails.
Graphics are handled by the Intel HD Graphics 520 integrated GPU. With 24 execution units, it’s one of Intel’s mid-range integrated graphics solution. Intel’s newest generation Core processors have much improved graphics performance, but don’t mistake the Intel HD Graphics 520 for a gaming GPU. It’s capable of running some of the latest titles, like Overwatch, but don’t expect fireworks. Be prepared to turn the resolution and graphics settings down to a minimum if you want to get any kind of playable frame rates.
On the right, there's a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a microSD card reader, a headphone/microphone combo jack, and finally a Kensington lock slot.
On the left is a USB 3.0 port, a full-size HDMI port, and a USB Type-C port. The two smaller ones on the right are for the internal microphone.
One of the most amazing things about the Gram 15 is that despite being so thin, LG has somehow managed to cram in most of the ports that most users would need. It has two USB 3.0 ports, a single USB 2.0 port, a full-sze HDMI port, a micro-SD card slot, and finally a USB Type-C port that supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 speeds (up to 5Gbps) and power charging. There is, however, no SD card reader (only a microSD one) and that will surely frustrate photography enthusiasts. Wireless connectivity is good too, the Gram 15 has the Intel Wireless-AC7265 adapter, which supports Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi up to 867Mbps.
An interesting feature of the Gram 15 is that it has an integrated DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) from Cirrus Logic, which is supposed to help improve audio performance by providing your output a cleaner signal. In my experience, I found that it gives the headphones that I normally use a rounder and fuller sound. The built-in speakers are unimpressive and, like most other notebook speakers, sounds tinny and uninspired.
The keyboard feels a little flat, but its certainly usable. The bigger problem, however, is the size of certain keys. The "Enter" and "Backspace" keys, for instance, are far too small.
One thing that might annoy some users is that the keyboard is not backlit. I do not find backlit keyboards to be absolutely necessary, but backlit keyboards generally look nicer and they can be handy especially if you need to work in dimly lit environments like on a plane. Besides, not everyone can type proficiently without looking at the keyboard.
The keyboard feels a little flat to type on, but I suppose most users will get used to it quickly enough. And considering how thin the Gram 15 is, it’s actually quite commendable for its tactile feel. It even has a proper number pad for number crunchers. What I do have issues with is the size of certain keys. The “Enter” key is especially small, and so is the “Backspace” key. Most users will definitely need time to get used to the size of these two keys. Fortunately, the trackpad is wide and spacious, and is responsive to inputs. It also has a very reassuring and solid feel.
Performance Benchmarking
Since the LG Gram 15 is as light as most Ultrabooks, we'll be comparing its performance against some of the 13-inch Ultrabooks that we have recently tested such as the gorgeous HP Spectre and the very excellent Dell XPS 13. You can find the list of benchmarks used and notebooks tested below.
Here’s a list of all the benchmarks used:
- PCMark 8
- 3DMark (2013)
- Tomb Raider
- Far Cry 2
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PCMark 8
PCMark 8 tests a system’s performance by putting it through different tasks that reflect the workloads typical of various kinds of users, for instance the casual home user or the working creative professional. The LG Gram 15 has almost identical specifications to the other 13-inch Ultrabooks and so it was no surprise to see that it managed very comparable scores on PCMark 8. The only outlier was the Apple MacBook, and that’s because it is equipped with a less powerful Intel Core m3 processor.
3DMark
The LG Gram 15 has the same Intel HD Graphics 520 integrated GPU as most of the other notebooks here, but its numbers here were a little underwhelming. On Cloud Strike, it managed 4828 points, which was nearly 15% less than the other notebooks with the same integrated GPU. And on the more intensive Fire Strike, it scored 669 points, which was again the lowest of all other comparable notebooks. This could be because of its less efficient cooling system, which wouldn’t be out of the ordinary since it has to use smaller fans to accommodate its smaller dimensions.
Far Cry 2
The LG Gram 15’s underwhelming graphics performance continued on Far Cry 2. Again, despite having the same integrated GPU, the Gram managed frame rates that were about 25% lower than the other notebooks with comparable specifications. It even scored lower than the MacBook Air, which is powered by last year’s Broadwell processor.
Tomb Raider
It wasn’t any better on Tomb Raider, which is a far more intensive game. Even though the frame rates suggest that the performance was pretty close, the LG Gram15 was still consistently slower than its rivals, though the difference in this case was reduced to a much smaller margin of around 10% on average.
Battery Life & Power Consumption
In our battery life test, the LG Gram 15 managed a respectable 183 minutes or just over 3 hours. Though that may not seem much at first, we must remember that the Gram 15 actually has the smallest battery here at just over 34Wh. Its power draw of 11.35W was also one of the lowest - bested only by the Apple MacBook and MacBook Air. That said, our battery test is pretty intensive and consists of intensive graphics workloads and gaming that quickly drains batteries. Users will certainly be able to get more out of the Gram 15 if their intended use is for lighter tasks like web browsing and watching videos.
Portability Index
Our portability index attempts to provide an objective measure of how portable the different ultrabooks are relative to each other by taking into account things like size, weight, and battery life. Though the LG Gram 15 managed a ratio of just 2.276, it is actually very impressive for a 15-inch notebook. Most 15-inch notebooks will struggle to get a ratio of even 1, as can be seen in our review of the ASUS ROG G501 here. The ROG G501 is a thin and light gaming notebook and even it managed a ratio of just 0.889. Hence, the Gram 15’s portability ratio is really an impressive achievement.
A stunningly light notebook, albeit with some compromises
The LG Gram 15 is a stunning achievement in notebook design, mainly because of its weight, or rather lack of it. Very few 15-inch notebooks even come close to hitting the 2kg mark, so for the Gram to manage under a kilogram is just amazing. And as our video shows, everyone we showed the Gram 15 to was amazed by its incredible weight for its screen size.
Unfortunately, in its pursuit of weightlessness, the Gram 15 does suffer from some compromises. Most of all, it is the feel of magnesium alloy, which feels eerily like plastic. Given our past experiences with Sony being one of the earlier notebook vendors to dabble with various material designs, we can safely concur that this plastiky feel is a downside despite the use of an all metal-alloy design. And then there’s the flex in the body, and the wobbling that the top panel suffers from when typing. All in all, the feel of the Gram doesn't inspire much confidence, even if LG insists that the new 15-inch Gram is up to 70% more durable than last year's 14-inch Gram.
There are also some minor gripes with regards to the keyboard and the display. Though the display offers wide viewing angles, and is sharp and vibrant; it is a little too dim for our liking. On the other hand, the keyboard takes time to get used to as it feels a tad cramped and some keys - "Enter" and "Backspace" - are far too small. While incorporating a numpad is definitely a good idea for those who dabble with numbers often, some of the main keys have had to make do with a tighter layout.
The new 15-inch LG Gram is not perfect, but it's remarkably thin and light for a 15-inch notebook, and for many people, that's probably enough.
On the bright side, there’s also plenty to like about the Gram 15 aside from its weight and portability. First of all, we were especially pleased to find that LG hasn’t decided to sacrifice on functionality by cutting down on I/O ports. The Gram 15 features full-sized USB and HDMI ports, which makes connecting peripherals such as external storage devices and external displays a breeze. It even has a USB Type-C port, which means its ready for newer peripherals too. We also liked that LG has gone one step further and equipped with the Gram 15 with an integrated DAC. This shows that they were clearly designing the Gram 15 with entertainment enthusiasts in mind.
Apart from its rich set of features, the Gram 15 also impressed us with its overall performance. It’s certainly more a match for other notebooks with similar specifications, albeit the graphics performance was a little below par, though we sort of expected such an outcome for a notebook that's this thin. In practice however, it runs smoothly and briskly, and is more than capable of handling any amount of videos, emails, and photos, that you can throw at it for general productivity/creativity tasks as our PCMark benchmarks peg it just as good, if not better than some of the compared machines.
The Gram 15 is available in three different configurations and ours is the top-of-the-line model that comes in at S$2,199. The mid-range model is S$1,899 and differs in only having a smaller 256GB SSD. The entry-level model is S$1,699, and it has a less powerful Core i3-6200U (2.3GHz, 3MB cache) processor and also only 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Here’s a table that details the three configurations.
Processor | Intel Core i7-6500U | Intel Core i7-6500U | Intel Core i3-6200U |
Memory | 8GB | 8GB | 4GB |
SSD | 512GB | 256GB | 256GB |
Price | S$2,199 | S$1,899 | S$1,699 |
This makes the Gram 15 good value for money, because comparable notebooks with similar specifications that we have tested with the same portability as the Gram 15, such as the Dell XPS 13 and Lenovo Yoga 900 are slightly pricier at S$2,299. HP’s new Spectre, which weighs just 1.11kg, is even pricier still at S$2,599. And if you find the top-of-the-range model a bit much, there’s two additional, and more affordable, configurations to choose from. Last but not least, there's also 14-inch variant of the LG Gram that is only available with a Core i5-6200U processor with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for priced at S$1,499.
To sum up, the new 15-inch LG Gram is a design and engineering achievement for 15-inch notebooks. It might not be perfect, but to build a 15-inch notebook that’s so light and portable is truly remarkable. If you have been put off from 15-inch notebooks just because they are too bulky and heavy, you’ll definitely want to give the new Gram 15 a try. For such a game-changing effort for the 15-inch notebook industry, we're awarding the LG Gram 15 our Innovation Award.
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