ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The LG Gram 17 (2025) is out there now for $1,699.
- You will not discover a thinner, lighter 17-inch laptop computer on the market, and the Intel “Lunar Lake” processor is a giant improve from final 12 months’s mannequin.
- The touchscreen is wobbly, the black matte end attracts fingerprints, and I want it had a haptic trackpad.
extra shopping for decisions
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So that you like a giant display, 17-inch laptop computer, however you wish to carry it round with out breaking your again? I obtained you. LG’s Gram 17 lives as much as its identify because the lightest, thinnest 17-inch laptop computer you have possible laid your eyes on.
We have gone hands-on with a number of fashions from LG’s Gram collection over the previous few years, equivalent to 2024’s Gram Pro 17 and the Gram Pro 16 2-in-1. Fortunately, the brand new Gram 17 has some enhancements over final 12 months’s mannequin, and truthfully, the variations between the bottom mannequin and the Professional aren’t as distinguished as you may count on.
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The Gram 17 is an exceedingly gentle laptop computer for its dimension, measuring simply 0.74 inches skinny and weighing 3.2 kilos. For reference, that is lighter than many 16, 14, and even some 13-inch laptops, and it does not sacrifice {hardware} to get there.
The Gram 17 is supplied with an Intel Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” processor, 32GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage, placing it in step with different aggressive mid-to-upper-tier laptops in the identical worth vary.
The place it stands out from the gang, nevertheless, is its type. The record-holding lightness leads to a laptop computer that is simple to hold round, particularly if you’re a hybrid employee who commutes to the workplace. I took this laptop computer with me in all places for over every week and barely seen it in my bag.
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Additional, the 17-inch touchscreen show is all the things you’d count on from a WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS: it is vivid, crisp, and mitigates glare very effectively. I am not an enormous touchscreen individual (I nearly at all times favor a mouse), however the sheer dimension of the display on this laptop computer invitations the person to work together with it in a method that is barely totally different than different laptops, and I discovered myself utilizing it extra usually than anticipated.
That mentioned, the very skinny display is slightly wobbly and flexes backwards and forwards with every press, which is able to peeve some customers.
The opposite bodily elements of the laptop computer are modern and well-designed. The total-size keyboard is slightly commonplace, with comparatively flat keys that are not fairly as premium as a few of the different laptops I’ve examined just lately, like HP’s Elitebook X G1a, however it’s useful.
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Equally, the touchpad is giant and responsive, though I’ve to say that I want there have been a haptic possibility. Additionally, the laptop computer’s general dimension leads to a wrist relaxation space that’s fairly expansive. Typing on the Gram 17 means your complete hand, and — relying on the dimensions of your arms — mid forearms can be resting on the laptop computer. Additionally, you will want correct desk house, with the underside half of the clamshell measuring 15 inches in size and 10 inches deep.
LG continues to provide its Gram collection with a black matte end that’s, sadly, a little bit of a fingerprint magnet. Relying on what sort of lighting you are in, the laptop computer’s floor can present smudges and prints, and in case you care about that form of factor, it could be a bit distracting.
So far as different {hardware} on board goes, I/O is powerful, with an HDMI port, two USB-Cs (each with energy supply and assist for Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort), two USB-As, a headphone jack, and a Kensington lock slot. The audio system aren’t notably good, sounding on the shallow facet (influenced by the machine’s ultrathin type, little question) however about what you’d count on from a mid-tier laptop computer.
The actual energy behind this laptop computer is inner, nevertheless. The addition of the Intel Core Extremely 7 (Sequence 2) “Lunar Lake” processor upgrades it to a very aggressive machine slightly than simply an engineering showboat.
As with different laptops with Intel’s “Lunar Lake” collection of processors, such because the Asus Zenbook S14, battery drain slows to a trickle when it is idle, permitting for multi-day use with out worrying in regards to the charger.
Centered, sustained use, nevertheless, leads to the type of battery drain you’d count on, with a few full eight-hour day’s value of labor on one cost, skewing on the longer finish — as much as 10 hours, relying on how laborious you push it. That is to say, the battery life on this is excellent, particularly contemplating it is powering a 17-inch show.
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So, how does the Gram 17 differ from the Professional? First, the Professional has extra horsepower, with a 16-core Intel Core Extremely 7, versus the identical chip however with eight cores on the bottom mannequin. The Professional additionally has a much bigger 90Wh battery in comparison with the bottom mannequin’s 77Wh, that means it might keep unplugged longer.
Regardless of the facility, the Gram Professional 17 can be barely thinner and lighter, as you are paying for a extra premium design. However facet by facet, the 2 laptops look practically an identical.
Neither 17-inch model comes with an OLED show (you will should go all the way down to the Gram Professional 16 for that), however the Professional does have a 144Hz refresh price, not like the bottom mannequin, which caps out at 60Hz.
Apart from that, with the identical I/O choice, coloration, and design scheme, the distinction right here is comparatively refined, regardless of a $380 worth leap to the Professional model with 16GB of RAM. Conversely, the Gram 17 base mannequin with 32GB of RAM is cheaper, beginning at $1,699.
For that motive, I like to recommend the LG Gram 17 over the Professional model except you are completely intent on pushing the shape issue so far as it might go by way of battery life and energy.
Talking of battery life, I did a little bit of gaming on this laptop computer, and after a handful of updates, it carried out effectively, however the battery life does take successful. I additionally obtained just a few graphical glitches (tearing, polygons) over the course of testing it, however the Intel Arc GPU holds its personal, particularly for titles that are not notably demanding.
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The “Lunar Lake” Intel chip leads to a cool-running laptop computer. Even with the followers cranking, it by no means actually heats as much as uncomfortable temperatures, particularly contemplating how scorching I keep in mind last year’s Gram Pro 16 getting.
Lastly, I am going to point out the Gram’s on-device AI, “Gram Chat”, which is LG’s proprietary AI-driven assistant that’s supposed to assist the person discover options to frequent points like finding recordsdata or troubleshooting. I’ll say that for very fundamental requests, it really works, however it does not perceive conversational prompts, a lot much less extra imprecise ones.
On-device AI is one thing that totally different producers are attempting, however as most customers will admit, outcomes are combined, not less than for now. LG’s Gram Chat could also be helpful for some, however I did not discover myself going again after my first few makes an attempt yielded uninspiring outcomes.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
LG’s Gram 17 is an extremely skinny and light-weight laptop computer, and the addition of the Intel Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” processor completes the image with a direct enchancment in methods customers will care about.
The $1,700 worth level is on the excessive finish, however this laptop computer is an engineering assertion. You’ll not discover a thinner, lighter, 17-inch laptop computer on the market. The LG Gram Professional 17 will value round $400 extra, however it presents a extra highly effective processor, a much bigger battery, and a extra premium construct. Only for readability, which means it’s over the $2,000 mark. For many customers, nevertheless, the bottom mannequin Gram 17 is a strong selection for customers who love a giant show and spectacular type issue.
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