Exploring the LG Gram Style: A Modern Laptop with Flair

LG Gram Style : LG has introduced a fresh addition to its Gram laptop lineup – the Gram Style. This laptop aims to embrace the latest in design and components. It comes with a glass palm rest that cleverly conceals a haptic touchpad, a bit like what you’d find in the Dell XPS 13 Plus. LG has added a nifty touch by surrounding the touchpad with LED lights, making it easier to spot. Moreover, the palm rest and lid boast a special material that changes colors under different lighting conditions, adding a truly remarkable visual effect.

However, it’s important to note that this laptop isn’t flawless. While the haptic touchpad is there, it’s not the best in my experience. The Intel 13th-gen CPU, while being up-to-date, doesn’t perform as well as its competitors. Also, its battery life falls below the average mark. In essence, it’s a laptop that carries a stylish design but has its imperfections. And with a starting price of $1,800, it’s not exactly an inexpensive option.

Currently, there are two configurations available for the Gram Style. The review unit I have comes at a price of $2,000. It’s equipped with a Core i7-1360P, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16.0-inch 3.5K OLED display that runs at 120Hz.

If you’re willing to compromise on the RAM, you can save $200 by opting for the 16GB version. However, it’s worth noting that these configurations come with premium price tags, putting the Gram Style in direct competition with some tough rivals in the market.

Unveiling the LG Gram Style

The Gram Style truly lives up to its name, boasting a modern look that catches the eye. Its lid and palm rest feature an iridescent coating that changes colors under different lighting conditions. This effect is captivating, causing the surfaces to appear pink from one angle and blue from another. As you glance at the laptop, the colors keep shifting, creating a unique visual experience that sets it apart from any other color scheme I’ve come across. While capturing this effect in pictures is challenging, it’s something that stands out clearly when you see it in person.

The laptop’s angles are sleek and simple, aligning with today’s minimalist design trends. What adds to its futuristic appeal is the glass palm rest, which houses a concealed haptic touchpad. This touchpad is accompanied by LEDs that light up, framing it in an eye-catching way. This combination contributes to an overall modern and forward-looking appearance. While the Dell XPS 13 Plus comes close in comparison, the Gram Style takes the lead in terms of attractiveness and overall appeal.

One of the standout features of the LG Gram Style is its modern aesthetic, characterized by an iridescent coating on the lid and palm rest. This coating, which shifts colors under different lighting conditions, adds a captivating visual element to the laptop. The colors shift gracefully, giving the laptop a distinct appearance that sets it apart from its competitors.

Built for Portability: Lightweight and Thin

Weighing in at just 2.76 pounds and measuring a mere 0.63 inches in thickness, the LG Gram Style boasts impressive portability. The use of magnesium alloy contributes to its lightweight build. Although the chassis has flexibility, it’s important to note that the laptop has undergone MIL-STD 810H military certification testing, ensuring its durability and sturdiness.

Keyboard and Touchpad Experience

The keyboard of the Gram Style is designed with thoughtful spacing between keys and appropriately sized keycaps. The switches provide a satisfying click and respond swiftly. While they may not be as lightweight as certain other laptop keyboards, such as those found in HP’s Spectre series or the renowned Apple Magic Keyboard, they still offer comfort for extended typing sessions.

However, the haptic touchpad is a letdown in comparison. Although LED lights on the sides assist in keeping your fingers oriented on the smooth glass surface, it demands more force than expected to register a click. Furthermore, there’s an abundance of noise without a corresponding physical feedback sensation. Even with haptics set to the maximum level of 100%, the touchpad feels somewhat artificial. This contrasts with the more genuine feel offered by other haptic touchpads, like Apple’s Force Touch version.

Connectivity and Webcam Features

When it comes to connectivity, the Gram Style, despite its 16-inch size, keeps things modest. It offers a pair of USB-C ports equipped with Thunderbolt 4 capabilities, along with a USB-A port. While the inclusion of legacy support is appreciated, there’s a slight limitation: one of the USB-C ports doubles as a charging port, leaving only one available for connecting other USB-C devices. The presence of a microSD card reader is a welcome addition, although a full-size version could have been more practical for various needs.

For wireless connectivity, the Gram Style adopts Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 technologies, ensuring solid wireless communication capabilities.

Moving on to the webcam, the laptop boasts a 1080p model that aligns with the new industry standard. Additionally, an infrared camera is on board, providing support for Windows 11 Hello feature. Notably, LG includes Glance by Mirametrix software, enhancing the laptop’s user presence-sensing features. This software is designed to detect when the user leaves the laptop and accordingly puts it to sleep. Likewise, when the user returns, the laptop awakens and facilitates logging back in, creating a seamless and convenient user experience.

Performance Check: Intel Core i7-1360P

The Gram Style employs Intel’s 28-watt Core i7-1360P processor, a 12-core CPU with four high-performance cores running at 5GHz and eight energy-efficient cores at 3.7GHz. This CPU configuration boasts 16 threads and has showcased commendable productivity performance in our evaluations of other laptops. It represents a meaningful improvement over its 12th-generation counterpart, although not an overly significant one.

However, within the context of the Gram Style, the CPU’s performance is somewhat less impressive. In fact, it ranks as the slowest laptop we’ve examined featuring this processor. It falls behind notably in our most demanding CPU-intensive tests. During our Handbrake benchmark, which encodes a 420MB video in H.265 format, the Gram Style exhibited notably slower performance. Additionally, its single-core scores in the Cinebench R23 test were notably lower. In a rather surprising turn, the Gram Style even trailed behind the LG UltraPC 17, which is equipped with a Core i7-1260U processor operating in performance mode. Remarkably, this alternative laptop uses a 15-watt CPU with merely 10 cores and 12 threads, and yet it operates at slower Max Turbo frequencies.

These findings indicate that while the Gram Style is adequately swift for handling demanding productivity tasks, its performance lags compared to many of its competitors. If your requirements include swift execution of CPU-intensive tasks, the Gram Style may leave you feeling somewhat disappointed. Furthermore, its performance in the 3DMark Time Spy test was underwhelming, falling notably short of the average achieved by the 13th-generation Intel Iris Xe graphics. This suggests that the Gram Style isn’t particularly suited for gaming pursuits.

In essence, while the Gram Style proves itself capable for everyday productivity, its performance in more resource-intensive scenarios falls short of some competing laptops. If top-tier CPU performance is a critical factor for your needs, it’s advisable to consider other options. Similarly, if you’re looking for a laptop with gaming prowess, the Gram Style may not align with your expectations.

Geekbench (single/multi)	Handbrake (seconds)	Cinebench R23 (single/multi)	PCMark 10 Complete
LG Gram Style (Core i7-1360P)	Bal: 1,819 / 8,242 Perf: 1,782 / 8,720	Bal: 160 Perf: 130	Bal: 1,569 / 6,411 Perf: 1,670 / 8,447	5,432
LG Gram 17 Pro (2023) (Core i7-1360P)	Bal: N/A Perf: N/A	Bal: 108 Perf: 103	Bal: 1,860 / 9586 Perf: 1,874 / 10,063	6,839
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 (Core i7-1360P)	Bal: 1,843 / 8,814 Perf: 1,835 / 10,008	Bal: 122 Perf: 101	Bal: 1,846 / 8,779 Perf: 1,906 / 9,849	6,102
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 (Core i7-1360P)	Bal: 1,800 / 8,960 Perf: 1,781 / 9,071	Bal: 109 Perf: 99	Bal: 1,711 / 8,389 Perf: 1,750 / 9,182	5,857
LG UltraPC 17 (Core i7-1260U)	Bal: 1,598 / 7,444 Perf: 1,595 / 8,915	Bal: 146 Perf: 107	Bal: 1,619 / 6,454 Perf: 1,697 / 9,316	6,194
Lenovo Slim 7 14 (AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS)	Bal: 1,493 / 9021 Perf: 1,498 / 9210	Bal: 95 Perf: 84	Bal: 1,551 / 12,536 Perf: 1,553 / 13,107	6,828

Battery Life: A Mixed Bag

LG’s Gram laptops have a reputation for impressive battery life, but unfortunately, the Gram Style falls short in this aspect. During our web browsing test, it managed to last only 8.5 hours, which is the lowest result among the laptops we compared. Similarly, in our video looping test, it held out for just under 9.5 hours. When subjected to the PCMark 10 Applications test, which simulates a range of productivity and creative tasks, it achieved a runtime of nine hours. Regrettably, all these figures fall below average and, in certain cases, even trail behind competing machines by several hours.

Taken as a whole, the Gram Style might not be your ideal companion for a full day’s work, even if your workload is relatively light. It’s worth noting, though, that the charger is a small and convenient accessory. Its compact size means it won’t add much weight or occupy significant space in your backpack, which is certainly a positive point to consider.

Web browsing	Video	PCMark 10 Applications
LG Gram Style (Core i7-1360P)	8 hours, 37 minutes	9 hours, 23 minutes	9 hours, 7 minutes
Dell XPS 15 9530 (Core i7-13700H)	9 hours, 43 minutes	11 hours, 46 minutes	10 hours, 49 minutes
LG Gram 17 Pro (Core i7-1360P)	13 hours, 43 minutes	19 hours, 53 minutes	N/A
LG UltraPC 17 (Core i7-1260P)	9 hours, 49 minutes	11 hours, 54 minutes	13 hours, 26 minutes
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 (Ryzen 7 Pro 6850H)	12 hours, 4 minutes	23 hours, 2 minutes	N/A
LG Gram 16 2-in-1 (Core i7-1260P)	11 hours, 31 minutes	17 hours, 58 minutes	17 hours, 49 minutes

Display Delight: OLED Excellence

In today’s tech landscape, exceptional OLED displays have become more common and are even found on more budget-friendly machines than the Gram Style. As a result, this feature is no longer the distinctive factor it once was. Still, the Gram Style’s display remains truly impressive, offering a delightful experience. The display stands out with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and a rapid 120Hz refresh rate that enhances the smoothness of Windows 11.

According to my colorimeter analysis, the Gram Style’s display is on par with other OLED competitors. It shines brightly at 423 nits, boasting wide and accurate colors (100% sRGB and 97% AdobeRGB) with a DeltaE measurement of 0.70. Although my colorimeter wasn’t able to measure contrast accurately, it’s highly likely that the display falls within the usual range of around 25,000:1, typical of OLED panels.

The Gram Style’s display is truly excellent, catering to the needs of producers, content creators, and media enthusiasts alike. Its combination of rich visuals, color accuracy, and smooth performance makes it a standout feature for a variety of tasks.

The Final Verdict: Style versus Substance

The LG Gram Style aims to dazzle with its modern design and unique features, but it’s not without its shortcomings. The haptic touchpad, while innovative, lacks the expected tactile response. Additionally, the laptop’s performance lags behind its competitors, and its battery life falls short. These drawbacks, combined with a premium price point, make it a laptop that prioritizes style over substance.

LG had a clear aim: to craft one of today’s most contemporary laptops. And in certain aspects, they succeeded with the Gram Style. Undoubtedly, you’d be hard-pressed to find a laptop with a more modern look. Notably, it integrates a concealed haptic touchpad, a pioneering feature.

However, the unfortunate reality is that this haptic touchpad isn’t quite up to par. Additionally, the Gram Style’s performance falls beneath the average mark, and its battery life leaves something to be desired. When you factor in its elevated price point, the laptop ends up prioritizing style over substance. It’s a challenging task to recommend this laptop, despite its impressive aesthetics. The laptop’s alluring appearance doesn’t quite make up for its shortcomings in functionality and performance.