Last fall, we reviewed the 14- and 15.6-inch versions of the LG gram lightweight laptop. The company also has a larger 17-inch version, and one that is targetted more for business use with its larger screen, slightly beefier specs, and Windows 10 Pro.
Our LG gram for business review takes a look at a very light 17-inch laptop with great specs, decent battery life, and a WQXGA display. Read on for our full review.
Specifications
The LG gram for business we reviewed has the following features and specifications:
| Model | 17Z90N-V.AP75A8 |
| Display | 17″ WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS LCD |
| CPU | Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7 QC (1.30GHz, Turbo up to 3.90GHz), L3 Cache 8MB, 15W) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 3200MHz – 8GB x 1 (On Board), 8GB x 1 |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 2280 SSD (Solid State Drive) NVMe |
| Graphics | Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics |
| Camera | HD Webcam |
| Audio | Stereo 1.5W x2 |
| Keyboard | Backlit with numeric keypad |
| Connectivity | Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (Wi-Fi 6 , 2×2, BT Combo); Bluetooth 5.0; 10/100Mbit LAN (USB-C Port with R45 adapter) |
| Ports | HDMI, 3x USB-A 3.1, USB 3.1 Type-C, UFS/Micro-SD, Headphone Out, DC-In |
| Battery | 80Wh 2-cell Lithium Ion with up to 17 hours battery life with 48W power adapter |
| Security | Fingerprint reader |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Colours | Dark Silver |
| Material | Magnesium Alloy |
| Dimensions | 15.0 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches (381 x 261.62 x 17.78 mm) |
| Weight | 2.98lbs (1350g) |
What’s in the box
- LG gram for business 17″
- 45W power adapter
- Installation Guide
- Limited Warrant
- Fingerprint Quick Start Guide
Design
The LG gram 17 shares a pretty similar design to the smaller 14- and 15-inch versions.
When closed, the word gram is centered in silver in the middle of the lid. The laptop’s back is a bit thicker than the front, with the edges sloping downwards toward the front. On the left edge, you’ll find the proprietary power port (no USB Type-C!), a USB Type-A, full-sized HDMI, and USB Type-C. On the right edge, you’ll find a lock slot, two USB Type-A, a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack, and a microSD card slot.
The front edge is pretty standard and features a tiny gap in the center to make it easier to open the lid. I noticed with the larger size that there is quite a bit of flex in the cover. When the laptop is closed, even a light touch on the logo causes the lid to push in quite a bit. Opening up the lid along the single hinge that spans most of the back of the laptop, and you’ll see the keyboards with their chiclet-style keys. Unlike the squished three-column number pad on the right like the 15.6-inch model has, the 17-inch LG gram has a full-size four-column number pad. The laptop also has a fingerprint reader conveniently located in the power button on the upper right. Centered on the palm wrest is a rather large touchpad.
Typing is responsive decent enough, and I was able to hit over 100wpm with 100% accuracy on MonkeyType. The keys were nicely spaced, including the number pad, which is an improvement over the 15-inch number pad.
Finally, flipping the LG gram over and you’ll find four rubber-like nubs in each corner with an extra one centered on the back edge. The two bottom speakers — one on either side — are located near the front.
The biggest thing you’ll notice about the LG gram 17 is how small and light it is for a 17-inch laptop. It is deceiving when you pick it up, expecting a heavier laptop. In fact, it weighs just under three pounds, which is pretty unheard of for a laptop of this size. Besides, it’s only 15-inches wide and is just under 3/4-inch thick. Due to its size and weight, it is definitely suitable for carrying around during your workday.
Display
Unlike its smaller counterparts, the LG gram for business 17-inch model has a 17″ WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS LCD display. The higher resolution makes sense for the larger display size, and it works well, giving users plenty of real estate to have windows open side by side when working.
While there is no mention of colour representation in the LG gram specs, the colours seemed pretty natural and accurate. Brightness was pretty decent, although working outside in full sunlight did present its challenges. Even though this model isn’t a touchscreen, the display is still glossy. Depending on your ambient lighting and setup, the glossy screens do produce a lot of reflection and glare from any lighting you may have around. This obviously isn’t an issue specific to the LG gram but to all glossy and touchscreen displays in general.
Software
The LG gram ships with Windows 10 Pro and also has some additional apps pre-installed. Missing is most of the usual Windows bloatware, and the LG gram does include some software many users may find handy.
There is the LG suite of apps for starters, which include LG Easy Guide 2.0, LG Power Manager, LG Troubleshooting 2.0, LG Control Center, and LG Update Center. While some of these duplicate default Windows settings options, it is easier to access them through the LG apps. The Control Center lets you see your system’s current status and adjust the color temperature and cooling mode of your laptop. The Update Center advises you of any updates required, including BIOS and driver updates. Easy Guide and Troubleshooting gives you tips, system information, and help fix issues you may have. Finally, Power Manager allows you to adjust your laptop’s power settings so you can get better performance or better battery life.
In addition to the LG apps, there are a number of audio, video, and photo apps included as well, mostly from Cyberlink. These include:
- AudioDirector for LGE: Audio editor
- ColorDirector for LGE: Video color adjustment editor
- DTS:X Ultra: Allows you to set speaker and headphone sound settings
- PhotoDirector for LGE: Photo editor
- Power Media Player for LGE: Video, music, and photo player
- PowerDirector for LGE: Video editor
- SmartAudio 2: Simple adjustments for audio balance and VOIP/Voice Recording settings
As expected, Windows 10 Pro, with its extra business-oriented features, runs just fine given the system specifications.
Performance
With similar specifications to the smaller models, the 17-inch LG gram for business has an extra 8GB of RAM (for 16 total). This doubling of RAM makes an already decent system with its Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7 CPU and 512GB NVMe SSD run all that much smoother, especially when it came to Adobe apps like Photoshop and Lightroom. You’ll easily be able to fully utilize almost any work-related application that you can throw at it. Office apps ran as one would expect, and the system worked well for streaming videos during downtime. Due to it only having Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics, don’t expect to be doing heavy gaming with this system. But then again, this is a laptop targeted at business users.
Sound Quality
The LG gram features two down-firing 1.5W speakers. Located underneath the laptop, the speakers are pretty loud and crisp, but they are seriously lacking in bass. Still, it works in a pinch for listening to music while working or watching videos after the workday.
Camera
The front-facing camera is an HD webcam and, while obviously not FHD resolution, was more than suitable for video conferencing. Still, as we’ve mentioned in previous reviews, it would be nice to see companies start to put 1080p HD webcams in their laptops.
Battery Life
LG claims up to 17 hours of battery life based on MobileMark 2014 tests. During testing, using the better performance mode with the screen set at 75% brightness and keyboard backlight turned off, I could squeeze about 10 hours of battery life out of it. For better battery, that climbed up to about 13 hours. While it’s not the 17 claimed by LG, it’s enough to get you through the day while not sacrificing performance. It is likely you could on the best battery setting, but then you’re really sacrificing performance. Of course, it also depends on what you’re using it for, as simple tasks like web browsing use less processor and battery power as more intensive apps like Photoshop.
Price/Value
While the smaller versions of the LG gram start at US$1,299.99/CA$1,599.99, the 17-inch version retails for US$1,399.99/CA$2,199.99. While the bigger screen is nice, that is a bit of a premium, but it also does come with Windows 10 Pro and double the RAM for slightly better performance. That being said, the 17-inch is currently on sale in Canada for $1,699.99, which is a decent price reduction and offering much better value.
Wrap-up
If you’re looking for a business laptop with a larger screen, decent specifications and performance, all while being super-light, the LG gram for business 17-inch is a great option.
In some of our articles and especially in our reviews, you will find Amazon or other affiliate links. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Any other purchases you make through these links often result in a small amount being earned for the site and/or our writers. Techaeris often covers brand press releases. Doing this does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service by Techaeris. We provide the press release information for our audience to be informed and make their own decision on a purchase or not. Only our reviews are an endorsement or lack thereof. For more information, you can read our full disclaimer.
