Featuring up to 11th-gen Intel Core i7 processors and Intel Xe Graphics, the LG Gram 16 is a super light 16-inch laptop in an extremely portable design, with a weight of just 1.1 kg. To be Intel Evo certified, laptops should be able to wake from sleep in less than a second, offer at least 9 hours of real-world battery life (with 1080p displays) and support fast charging (four hours of power with just 30 minutes of charge), include Tiger Lake processors, Wi-Fi 6 and Intel’s new Thunderbolt 4 standard.
With a high-capacity 80Wh battery that can deliver up to 22 hours of operation on a single charge. The LG Gram 16 is perfect for today’s work-anywhere lifestyles with its Tiger Lake processor, Thunderbolt 4 support, and the beautiful 16-inch display.
Specifications
The model we received for this review is the LG Gram 16 16Z90P.
| CPU | 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 (2.8GHz, Turbo up to 4.7GHz, L3 Cache 12MB) |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR4X 4266MHz |
| GPU | Intel Xe Graphics |
| Storage | Up to 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD |
| Display | 16″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS LCD sRGB 99% (Typical, min. 96%) |
| Ports | 2x USB 4.0 Gen 3 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x Standard HDMI 1.4 1 x Micro-SD |
| Connectivity | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Camera | HD Webcam |
| Audio | Stereo Speaker 2.0W x 2, Max 5W (Smart Amp) |
| Battery | 80Wh lithium-polymer battery 65W power adaptor |
| Dimensions | 14.01 x 9.58 x 0.66 inches (WxDxH) Approx. 1.1 kg |
Packaging, Design & Build Quality
The LG Gram 16 arrives in a black cardboard box. Inside are the laptop, charging adapter and manuals.
The LG Gram 16 comes in a single color – Obsidian Black. The laptop has a magnesium-alloy body chassis with a smooth matte finish and texture that hides fingerprints. The chassis is quite rigid and feels solid, the LG Gram 16 also undergoes MIL-STD-810G tests, a military-grade durability certification, that guarantees it reliable and durable against drops, vibrations, low pressure and extreme weather.
The LG Gram 16 also features a fingerprint sensor, The built-in reader scans your finger, so you don’t have to go through multiple steps or worry about forgetting your password.
The device is surprisingly light and portable with dimensions of 14.01 x 9.58 x 0.66 inches and with a weight of 1.1 Kg, it can be easily carried around in laptop bags and backpacks.
Ports
There are no connections at the back, all ports are on the right and left sides of the notebook. LG Gram 16 comes with quite a good set of ports.
On the left side are the ports for 1x HDMI 2.0b, 2x USB 4.0 Gen 3 with support for Thunderbolt 4 (Power Delivery, DisplayPort) which lets you enjoy dual 4K and single 8K display connection using one Thunderbolt port. The USB4 ports also promise a transfer speeds of up to 40 Gbps and next-gen interface support. Located is here also the headphone/mic combo jack.
On the right are 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, Micro SD port and cable-lock slot.
Display
LG’s newest lineup features a glossy 16-inch display for an immersive experience. The large IPS display delivers 16:10 WQXGA (2560×1600) resolution for clear, vivid color production. It features a refresh rate of 60Hz and 100% sRGB color coverage. Colors are rich, vibrant and really pack a punch with no signs of stuttering or ghosting, and the viewing angles are good.
Keyboard & Trackpad
The backlit chiclet keyboard has a short key-travel and offers good resistance. The first row of function keys are smaller in size which allows adjusting simple things like screen brightness, multimedia controls etc. Typing experience is good and has solid feedback.
The LG Gram 16 also features a fingerprint login on the power button, making waking up the laptop as simple as unlocking your phone. Coming to the touchpad, it’s easy to navigate, multi-touch gestures are recognized and handled properly.
Performance
Powered by the latest 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, The LG Gram 16 offers with up to 16GB of LPDDRX4 4266MHz RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics and 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD storage.
CPU
The i7-1165G7 has four cores at a clock frequency of 2.80 GHz each reaching up to 4.70 GHz with eight threads, offering good multitasking performance.
GPU
The LG Gram 16 is powered by the new Intel Xe graphics which is powerful enough for daily tasks, work and photo editing. However, gaming performance is really poor and most games fail to achieve playable frame rates in full resolution/quality.
RAM
In terms of RAM, The LG Gram 16 is equipped with 16 GB of LPDDR4X RAM at a frequency of 4266MHz.
STORAGE
Our review unit came with a 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD. However, depending on the region, they may be different. The SSD offers good performance with read speeds of up to 3,558MB per second and write of up to 2,604MB.
BENCHMARKS
In Cinebench R20 tests, the i7 1165G7U scored 441 in single core benchmark and 1,206 in multi-core benchmark. In PCMark 10 Benchmark, the LG Gram 16 scored 4,793.
Since this isn’t a laptop built for gaming, we haven’t benchmarked any games with the LG Gram 16. With the said the hardware can run games at low-res with low quality settings.
| BENCHMARK | SCORE |
| Cinebench R20 single core | 441 |
| Cinebench R20 multi core | 1,206 |
| PCMark 10 Benchmark | 4,815 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,803 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | 5,086 |
Temperature & Noise
With typical day-to-day tasks and using the silent profile, the noise and heat remained at very low levels. Even with resource-intensive tasks, the noise is minimal and the laptop does not get too excessively warm.
Upgradability
In terms of upgradability, the RAM is soldered on board and isn’t upgradeable. However, the laptop has a slot for a second NVMe SSD.
Software
The LG Gram 16 comes with the LG Control Center which helps with adjusting the performance mode, helps switching between profiles, power management, and adjusting the color temperature
Battery & Audio
The LG Gram 16 comes with a beefy 80Wh lithium-polymer battery and with USB-C power delivery it can work with chargers as powerful as 65W for a rapid charging. On paper, it’s rated for about 22 hours of battery life. On a full charge, based on the usage and screen brightness, the laptop lasts between 12 to 18 hours. When browsing the internet, you can expect around 13 hours of battery time.
| Idle (one third brightness, no WiFI) | 20h 45 min |
| Web Browsing (one third brightness) | 13h 50 min |
| Video Playback (one third brightness) | 18h 45 min |
| Load (50% brightness) | 4h 25min |
The LG Gram 16 has sound setup comprising of two 2.0W stereo speakers and a max 5W Smart Amp. The sound quality is good and loud enough much distortion at high volume. But as with most laptops, we recommend using a headset.
Verdict
The LG Gram 16 is primarily for on-the-go mobile users. It is slim, compact and features good hardware. In addition to the excellent battery life, the ultralight laptop features a Tiger Lake processor, Thunderbolt 4/USB 4, two NVMe SSDs slots, and a 16-inch display.
In terms of performance, the Core i7-1165G7 is great for everyday tasks and work. The only downside here is the price as there are really some good 10th-gen Intel and Ryzen 4000 alternatives currently available for much cheaper, although not as stylish or slim.
