I expected battery life to suffer due to the larger, high-resolution display, but the runtime far exceeded my predictions. Thanks to the integrated 80Wh Lithium Polymer battery, I averaged 11 hours doing a heavier-than-normal mix of productivity work, 22 hours idle at medium brightness, and about 13 hours playing back video nonstop. It takes a little more than four hours to charge from zero using the included AC power adapter’s barrel connector (unusual to see these days), longer than most but expected given how much battery there is to juice up. It can also charge via USB-C with the Thunderbolt port.
Trackpad and Keyboard
The trackpad is smooth, responsive, and worked great with multifinger gestures, and I also liked the slightly deeper throw on the left/right corners when clicking. Your right palm rests on the touchpad when typing, however. Maybe shifting the touchpad a little more to the left would help.
The chiclet keyboard (admittedly a matter of personal taste) seems par for the course for most notebooks these days in terms of key feel and responsiveness. LG made it a point to note that certain keys have been elongated since last year’s model and a few keys have been added to the right of the number pad. The keyboard backlighting is excellent and offers two brightness settings. There is also a biometric fingerprint reader built into the power key that works great and is very convenient.
Software
The LG gram ships with Windows 10 Pro and an assortment of bundled applications more useful than not. Yes, there’s the typical crap that Microsoft preinstalls like Candy Crush Friends and Farm Hero Saga that should never appear by default on a version of the OS intended for professional use, but that’s not LG’s fault.
LG’s own inclusions all serve a specific and useful purpose, like a control panel, power manager, update center, and reading mode app for reducing eyestrain. There are also some limited, though occasionally useful, versions of CyberLink programs and the core Office suite (that requires activation after a short trial).
Summary
Vendors like Dell, HP, and Lenovo often dominate mindshare in the SMB notebook market, leaving other PC makers fighting to get solid offerings noticed. LG Electronics is a veritable giant in markets like televisions and appliances, but a relatively small player in laptop computers. Currently, the LG gram for business 17 offers something unique—a versatile, powerful, yet truly ultraportable 17-inch business notebook.
Specifications and Pricing (courtesy of LG)
- Price: Get the latest pricing here >>
- Display: 17" WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS
- Dimensions (wxhxd): 15.0" x 10.3" x 0.7"
- Weight: 2.98 lbs. (1,350 g)
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
- Processor: 10th Gen. Intel Core i7
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB, 512MB
- Graphics: Intel Iris Plus (i7)
- Battery life: Up to 17 hours
- Features: HD webcam, fingerprint ID, MIL-STD 810G, Bluetooth 5.0
Images: Courtesy of LG
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LG Gram