LG Gram for Business 17 (2020): Big Reasons to Like It

HISTORICALLY, 17-inch notebooks are deployed nowhere nearly as often as comparable models in the 14- to 15-inch range, outside of high-power workstations. They’re often just too big, heavy, and bulky for the average employee to tote around. Times and technologies change, however; today’s 17-inch notebook can be roughly the same size as yesterday’s 15.6-inch models. That’s a game changer for the market, and when combined with an increasing number of employees working from home, the 17-inch LG gram for business notebook is well worth a look.

Did I also mention it weighs less than 3 pounds? Seriously.

Speeds and Feeds

On the inside, you’ll find one of Intel’s 10th Generation mobile chips, the Core i7-1065G7, combined with 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM, 1TB (2 x 512GB) NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs, Intel Iris Plus Graphics, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 720p webcam.

Kudos to LG for more robust port assortment than what most notebooks sport these days. On the left, you’ll find a power jack, USB 3.1, HDMI, and USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3. On the right, there are two additional USB 3.1 ports, 3.5 mm headphone/mic, UFS/Micro-SD, and a K-Slot.

Aside from the computer and AC power adapter, it also shipped with a USB-C wired Ethernet adapter, which is perhaps their way of saying, “See! This is for business!” Sadly, it’s limited to 10/100 Ethernet support.

Display

LG is known for displays, so it’s not surprising that the massive, 2560x1600 17-inch WQXGA (Wide Quad Extended Graphics Array) screen is the real selling point here. Its large IPS-LCD panel, 16:10 ratio, and high resolution are well suited to productivity tasks. Everything feels roomy with numerous applications and windows up simultaneously, all without having to play with zoom levels or overlay windows in “just the right way” to make it all fit.

Image quality is all-around excellent, though not without a few flaws. I found the color fidelity superb and the image viewable at nearly any angle. While brighter displays exist, this screen is perfectly eyeball-searing in normal lighting conditions. There is significant glare in bright conditions; however, throughout testing I found the max brightness setting sufficient to overcome it when working outdoors in all but direct sunlight.