LG Gram 17 Review: Big, yet lighter than (MacBook) Air

Mention a notebook that is light, and there is a fair chance that most folks will think of something that is compact with a display that is not too large (generally 13-14 inches). Mention a notebook with a large 17-inch display on the other hand, and folks will conjure up images of a big, bulky device that weighs a tonne and is basically a desktop in disguise. Which is why we think the LG Gram is special. It does not come cheap, but it packs in a 17-inch display and actually weighs less than a MacBook Air!

LG Gram 17 Design: Big, yet oh-so light

The first thing that will strike you about the LG Gram 17 is the fact that the cardboard covering the notebook can actually be cut out and used to make a rhino photo frame. A wonderful touch. Take the notebook out, and you will be amazed at just how large and yet light it is. With large displays inevitably come weights that are more at home in gymnasiums than in backpacks.

The LG Gram 17, however, changes that. It is a notebook with a colossal 17-inch display. And yet, it is amazingly light and very, very slim. It is actually about 1.45 kg – that is lighter than the MacBook Air 15-inch. We cannot remember the last time we were able to carry a 17-inch notebook so effortlessly in one hand. The notebook is totally made of sturdy, smooth plastic with a matte finish. The design is very minimalistic – the top is matte black with ‘gram’ embossed on it in shiny letters. The base houses the speakers. The hinge connecting the display to the keyboard is not very prominent but is sturdy enough – the display does not shake easily when using the notebook.

The two sides have ports – on the left are two USB Type C (both Thunderbolt, so you can use them to charge the notebook as well as transfer data), an HDMI port, and a 3.5 mm jack. On the right are two USB type A ports and a card reader, which is basically only for microSD cards, not larger SD cards. Open the Gram 17, and you face a magnificent 17-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. In our opinion, that display is the biggest reason for getting this notebook – it is a bright and vibrant display with very narrow bezels (there is a webcam on the top), and it is like literally looking at a desktop on your lap.

Facing this display is a very full-featured backlit keyboard with a number pad on the right and a large trackpad below. There is no fingerprint sensor, but apart from that, this is pretty much a desktop-level setup. And the amazing part is that it can easily rest on your lap without feeling like a burden. The LG Gram 17 seems to be mainly made of plastic (‘lightweight yet durable materials’ as per LG), and its lack of weight might make some think it is fragile, but LG assures that it has passed MIL-STD-810H military durability testing. Left on a table, the LG Gram 17 might attract attention for its size, but its real attraction is its weight. Or lack of it. It is relatively plain in terms of design, but its sheer portability is breathtaking. This is the first 17-inch notebook we have actually carried around with us effortlessly, although we did need to invest in a slightly larger backpack.

LG Gram 17 Tech Specs: No spec lightweight, this!

The frame might be light, but there is some pretty hefty hardware inside it. Running the show is a powerful 13th-generation Intel Evo i7 processor with 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512 GB SSD storage. A slight drawback is the absence of a dedicated graphics card – Intel’s Iris Xe graphics are decent enough for scaled-down gaming but are not exactly multimedia monsters.

The display is not only large but has a 2560 x 1600 px resolution and is colorful and reasonably bright. You also get four speakers with a smart amplifier and support for Dolby Atmos, a plethora of ports (two USB Type-C, two USB Type A, and an HDMI port), as well as a microSD card scanner. We would have preferred an SD card scanner as most cameras use them, and high-end phones (which are the main users of microSD cards) are exiting the expandable memory zone. There’s an FHD Webcam with face recognition right on top of the display, and our unit came with an 80 Wh battery with a 65W three-pin charger with a USB Type-C connector. The notebook we got was running Windows 11 Home Edition.

Some might mutter about the absence of a graphics card, and some others might have expected an ethernet port or Windows 11 Pro Edition, but we think this is a very good spec sheet unless you are a high-end gamer.

LG Gram 17 Performance: Big display + Big keyboard + Big battery = Big productivity (not in gaming, though)

The star performer of the LG Gram 17 is, of course, the big screen. There is enough real estate here to make a presentation in a small meeting room literally. Its lightly wider than usual 16:10 aspect ratio makes the LG Gram 17 a fantastic device for viewing lots of content. It is, in many ways, a spreadsheet user’s dream, as you get a lot of content on one screen itself. Those working on accounts and managing stock portfolios will simply love the surfeit of display real estate at their disposal. That large display also makes the Gram 17 great for viewing videos and TV shows, with the speakers chipping in with very good sound, although not the loudest (with that sort of display, we were expecting significantly higher volumes).

The keys are comfortably sized and have decent travel. You will need some getting used to typing, but the keyboard itself is wonderfully spacious, and there is a completely dedicated number pad as well (we told you the spreadsheet wizards will love this tablet!). The trackpad is smooth, but it takes some time to get used to its clickability – clicking it seems a little hard initially, but you will get the hang of it.

The Intel Evo i7 processor, along with 16 GB of RAM, also makes the Gram 17 a decent option for those wanting to do lots of image and video editing. It ran PhotoShop with ease, and while we are not professional image and video editors, we found that it handled pretty much everything we threw at it in terms of basic editing. The absence of a dedicated graphics card might hold the Gram 17 back from being a gaming beast, but if you are not obsessed with maxed-out graphics settings, you can play most games on it without too much trouble, and we cannot stress this enough – content looks great on that large display. Get into the super high graphics zone, and you will find frame drops and lags in titles like Diablo IV and Call of Duty. The big display makes a big difference for those who edit text as well – we often found ourselves opening documents next to each other for purposes of editing and research and not feeling cramped even once.

The fact that all this comes with a battery life of 10-12 hours of normal use at good brightness levels makes the LG Gram 17 close to the perfect portable notebook for productivity-driven executives. The notebook is big enough to even use as a makeshift display for spur-of-the-moment presentations and demos, and the fact that it is so light makes it very easy to use in this role. It does heat up a little while charging and a fair bit when you push it into heavy-duty gaming (a role we do not think it is meant for), but it never reaches alarming levels. Given its distinct productivity tilt, the absence of additional security through a fingerprint scanner is a little surprising (especially given the price of the device). It is also surprising that the notebook ships with Windows 11 Home Edition rather than its Professional avatar. But neither of these is really a deal-breaker when you consider the bigger picture (pun intended).

LG Gram 17 Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

The LG Gram 17 starts at Rs 1,46,999 at the time of writing. At that price, it is tough to beat if you are looking at a device purely for extremely portable productivity. Yes, you can get the MacBook Air 15 with a more powerful M2 processor and even better battery life for Rs 1,34,900, but that comes with a much smaller display and, rather remarkably, is heavier than the Gram 17.

And that actually is the biggest charm of the LG Gram – that massive display with excellent specs for productivity at an insanely light weight. You are getting a huge 17-inch display, a keyboard complete with a number pad, an Intel Evo i7 chip, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB SSD storage…all at a weight that is less than that of a MacBook Air 15. And at its price and specs, it is pretty much in a zone of its own, especially if you value a large display and a complete keyboard. Some might hem and haw about its plastic build, but the LG Gram 17 is a lightweight notebook that is a productivity heavyweight.

Buy LG Gram 17