A month with the 16 inch LG gram (and observations compared to the 16 inch macbook pro)

[applesed]

I'll start by saying I don't have any major computational needs, although it can't be a chromebook style computer. The use case is an evening couch driver with a 16 inch screen, and some light gaming, some compute capability.

1) The Screen: The Gram provides a glossy screen. I don't have any glare issues in the rooms I use it in, and it looks pretty good for watching Netflix, but it seems subpar when reading text in any application. Clearly the resolution is nowhere close to the retina display, but if someone never used the retina could pretty easily get used to it. The WXGA (2560x1600) resolution is good enough for a lot of side-by-side stuff I do, although I wish I could set it higher like the 4k retina.

2) The Weight: This computer is 2.6 pounds. The last sub-three pound laptop I used was an x-series 13 inch thinkpad many years ago. I have zero problem with the Gram's weight on my lap and I can easily pick it up with one hand when I get off the couch. The macbook pro pushes into my gut and is a two hander for moving around. Not surprising since it weighs more than twice.

3) Usability: For someone that likes to do some things on a bash prompt, the Ubuntu linux windows subsystem is really compelling. You can easily install aptitude and then any linux software from the subsystem OS terminal, and also launch GUI apps from it. It's like having a lightweight linux VM tucked away inside the Windows computer. The inter-filesystem interoperability has its pros and cons, but that's a longer discussion. I have not used a Windows computer in over 10 years so that took some getting used to, but after a while was fine. I still prefer MacOS.

4) Gaming: League plays great and Windows only in-game apps used or strategy work great too.
5) Trackpad: It's very good and supports tap to click well. At first I thought it would be a challenge to use in League, but i adapted fine.

6) Concluding: This Gram costs 1300 and this macbook pro costs 3100. For a 16 inch laptop with light computing needs and someone who can deal with the screen and Windows, its pretty spot on. I'm still holding out hope the rumored mid-2023 15 inch macbook air creates some competition, because in this 15-16 inch lightweight laptop space, there isn't much of one. Although i hear the comparable Galaxy laptop is good : )

 

[jav6454]

I don't get your thread. Did you buy a LG machine? If so, it seems it filled your needs. Kudos, but people here buy a MBP due to either wanting to have OS X v Windows, needing some Mac application, build quality or any other combination.

 

[applesed]

By "a month with" I'm implying I bought an LG machine a month ago, and this is what I think of it. I actually still enjoy the mbp for all the reasons you list. This was my first time in a long while trying a non-mac laptop, and it was doable, especially since the desire to have a lightweight 16 inch mbp option. I thought that might be useful to some.

 

[IJBrekke]

Appreciate the feedback on day-to-day usage - I have been curious about the Gram series because it seems closest to the fabled 15” MBA that so many desire. Sounds like the biggest bummer is the display. How has the battery life held up?

 

[Six0Four]

I checked out the 16" or 17" LG Gram. One thing that really bothered me (and many Windows laptops do this) is the screen has a lot of wobble when typing.

 

[applesed]

Appreciate the feedback on day-to-day usage - I have been curious about the Gram series because it seems closest to the fabled 15” MBA that so many desire. Sounds like the biggest bummer is the display. How has the battery life held up?

Sure; I hear that it’s good but I wouldn’t know a lot, it’s only unplugged 15-30 minutes before and after transitioning bw rooms in the house. It certainly doesn’t drain in this case as I’m not in a hurry to plug it in. (Did I mention it’s super convenient to move around?

 

[glhiii]

The 2017 MacBook weighs 2.03 pounds and has a retina screen. It's not 16", but it works very well if you need a light computer for simple things.

 

[applesed]

I checked out the 16" or 17" LG Gram. One thing that really bothered me (and many Windows laptops do this) is the screen has a lot of wobble when typing.

yep. got used to it, don't notice too much. i do like the keyboard on the gram but the keys are a tad smaller.

 

[richinaus]

these computers are chalk and cheese. The 16" MBP is a workstation laptop and should be compared to those.

you havent mentioned anything of the flex in the keyboard. or the cheap feel of the laptop.

Suffice to say if I was looking for a larger screen, mid powered PC laptop the LG gram would be on the list.
In fact I did consider it recently but the 16gb ram limit put me off, together with the limited GPU, but it sounds great for you.

 

[kasakka]

Thanks for the review. I think it's good to take a step back from the Apple world sometimes and see what the competition is doing better or worse.

 

[MajorFubar]

Genuine question what draws you to a 1300 laptop when it seems your basic requirements would be met by something costing much less? As a self-confessed skinflint I've never really understood why people buy computers that seem really over-specified for their needs, which by and large for most people is just content consumption. If I could run my studio off a £150 Asus from Curry's, I'd be doing just that.

 

[arcite]

You gets what ya pays for.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

I have the Gram 17 together with 16'' M1 Max. For heavy lifting there is no contest, the Gram is far behind.
But for office stuff and portability the Gram holds its own.
I many times opt to carry the Gram because it is much easier and cheaper (if something happens the loss is much smaller).
The battery is more than serviceable, I can have at least 8-9 hours of office type work on one charge.

PS
I want to disagree with the OP related to the screen quality.
The Gram has a very good screen and more than decent pixel density from a normal viewing distance.

 

[MarkAtl]

these computers are chalk and cheese. The 16" MBP is a workstation laptop and should be compared to those.

you havent mentioned anything of the flex in the keyboard. or the cheap feel of the laptop.

Suffice to say if I was looking for a larger screen, mid powered PC laptop the LG gram would be on the list.
In fact I did consider it recently but the 16gb ram limit put me off, together with the limited GPU, but it sounds great for you.

I bought one of these from Costco, and took it on a trip along with my 16” M1 Pro to use for Windows apps and media. The LG was even more protected but it flexed and broke the screen in my bag. Not very durable to be sure.

 

[applesed]

I have the Gram 17 together with 16'' M1 Max. For heavy lifting there is no contest, the Gram is far behind.
But for office stuff and portability the Gram holds its own.
I many times opt to carry the Gram because it is much easier and cheaper (if something happens the loss is much smaller).
The battery is more than serviceable, I can have at least 8-9 hours of office type work on one charge.

PS
I want to disagree with the OP related to the screen quality.
The Gram has a very good screen and more than decent pixel density from a normal viewing distance.

That is also one of the features for me; the Gram is the one I prefer to use in the same room with my kids, the 16 inch mbp, not so much.

I feel like I can see the pixels more easily on the Gram, whereas on the mbp they don't exist. simply unfair comparison though.

 

[applesed]

Genuine question what draws you to a 1300 laptop when it seems your basic requirements would be met by something costing much less? As a self-confessed skinflint I've never really understood why people buy computers that seem really over-specified for their needs, which by and large for most people is just content consumption. If I could run my studio off a £150 Asus from Curry's, I'd be doing just that.

Most of the cheaper laptops are 1080p, that's too low res for me. This WXGA (2560x1600) resolution is as low as I'm willing to go. But I cannot figure out how to bump the resolution higher, like on Mac I can use switchresx to reach 4k on the laptop lcd. I'm used to 27 inch x 2 4k resolution during the day, and I want to get as close to that as I can without any major gpu/compute requirement.

 

[applesed]

Another month and change later, still impressed with this laptop.
Impressed that it supports two external monitors at 4k.
And I paid 1100 for it. A similarly priced mac book air natively supports one monitor.
Love that it has multiple USB-A ports, but also USB-C for external monitor/charging.
Figured how to set the function row as hot keys, and remapped Ctrl,c/v to Alt,c/v for quick copy/pasting.
The Linux subsystem is still pretty neat, esp. since aptitude is in some ways better than brew.

 

[roach1245]

I had the LG Gram 16 - great laptop for Linux use - but returned it because of the extremely glossy display (which it is notorious for, not even any coating applied) + extremely low 280 nits brightness max - a terrible combination.

I couldn't use it on the train or in the library with the 'bright' lightning there while everyone around me on MacBooks had no problems, it was embarrassing.

Also tried it with a matte screen protector but - like all of these - it makes the screen grainy and unsharp. Settled on the 16" M1 Max now - what an incredible laptop

 

[pshufd]

A better comparison would be a 15 or 16 inch Air. Hopefully it's out next spring.

 

[pshufd]

I checked out the 16" or 17" LG Gram. One thing that really bothered me (and many Windows laptops do this) is the screen has a lot of wobble when typing.

It's extremely thin and light so I would expect a little instability.

 

[DavidChoux]

I don't get your thread. Did you buy a LG machine? If so, it seems it filled your needs. Kudos, but people here buy a MBP due to either wanting to have OS X v Windows, needing some Mac application, build quality or any other combination.

I think 'a month with xxx' strongly implied they purchased it lol.

I don't get the point of your reply. It's nice for people to post their comparisons to other laptops once in a while.

 

[DavidChoux]

A better comparison would be a 15 or 16 inch Air. Hopefully it's out next spring.

Can't wait for this. It will be a game changer. Bigger screen, more efficient cooler chip (and faster too). Holding on to my 2016 machine waiting for the day the M3 15" Air comes out.

 

[pshufd]

Can't wait for this. It will be a game changer. Bigger screen, more efficient cooler chip (and faster too). Holding on to my 2016 machine waiting for the day the M3 15" Air comes out.

It will be something that Apple has never done before and it will be a good option for people and corporations that want a bigger screen without the weight. I have a 16 but it's way more CPU than I need - but no choice if I wanted the big screen.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

A 15 or 16'' Air would be nice. Although I love my LG Gram, it is the last relic which keeps me in windows world (ok, I will keep my gaming rig). When Apple will release something remotely equivalent I'll buy it.

 

[EastHillWill]

Thanks for sharing. A couple years ago I tried out a Gram (don’t recall the exact size, maybe around 15”) and ended up returning it. It was so light that it felt cheap, and in my limited time with it I couldn’t reconcile that dissonance. And to be clear, while it’s not as well made as your average MacBook, it’s not ‘cheap.’ It’s actually a nice machine, but just wasn’t my cup of tea. If you’re in the market for a very light Windows laptop it’s a good choice.