Ultrabooks or thin-and-light Windows laptops have been around for a long time, and while we've seen and tested some truly great models over the years, they've been generally costly and have struggled to give comparable battery life to Apple's MacBook notebooks. However, Intel's 12th Generation CPUs promise a significant improvement in battery life and performance, particularly for laptops based on the upgraded Evo architecture. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 (Review) is an example of this, and today we'll examine the LG Gram 14. (14Z90Q).
The premium thin-and-light Gram series from LG is packed with features and has good specifications, but more importantly, it claims a battery life of 20+ hours. It is available in three screen sizes, and today we will review the 14-inch variant, which is the most portable and weighs less than 1 kilogram. The LG Gram 14 appears to be the ideal laptop for traveling, but is it?
India LG Gram 14 (14Z90Q) price
My LG Gram 14 model (14Z90Q-G.AH75A2) has a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB solid-state drive. The manufacturer's suggested retail price in India is Rs. 1,49,000, but the market price is Rs. 1,05,999. (and even slightly less during sales). The Gram 14 is also available with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and the same amount of SSD storage. LG offers pricier models of the Gram 16 and Gram 17 laptops with 16-inch and 17-inch displays, respectively.
The LG Gram 14 is only offered in black and has a minimal appearance. The entire laptop features a matte finish and precise lines, with only a chrome 'Gram' emblem on the lid. LG has rounded out the corners of this gadget to make it more comfortable to hold and use on your lap. As soon as I removed it from the packaging, I was immediately surprised by how very light it is. According to my kitchen scale, it weighs approximately 967g, despite LG's claim that it weighs 999g. When closed, the Gram 14 is also exceptionally thin, measuring only 16.8mm. It is only slightly broader than the latest M2 MacBook Air (Review), but its lighter weight makes it feel considerably more compact and travel-friendly.
The LG Gram 14 features a 14-inch IPS display with full-HD (1920x1200) resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. The 16:10 aspect ratio provides a bit extra vertical space, and it employs the DCI-P3 color standard for rich, brilliant hues. Additionally, the screen features an anti-glare matte coating, so reflections from bright light sources are not a major issue. LG was able to fit a webcam and an infrared camera for Windows Hello atop the Gram 14's display despite the screen's thin bezels on all four sides.
The LG Gram 14's base is composed of plastic, while the keyboard deck is made of a single piece of metal. LG's ability to include so many ports on a 14-inch laptop actually surprises me. A full-sized HDMI output, two USB 4 Type-C (with Thunderbolt 4) ports, and a headphone jack are located on the left side. There are two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, and a Kensington lock slot on the right side. Unless you need a full-sized SD card slot, I don't believe many people will need to carry a USB hub beside this laptop. LG includes in the box a Type-C to Ethernet adapter.
The LG Gram 14 offers a keyboard with well-spaced keys and two levels of white backlighting. The keys could have been somewhat larger, but after a few days I grew accustomed to them. The direction keys are separated from the rest of the keyboard, making them easier to access. A good detail is that the power button is practically flush with the frame, preventing you from mistaking it for another key. It lacks a fingerprint sensor, but that's not a problem because it has facial recognition. There are only two white status LEDs on the Gram 14, one near the power button and the other between the two Type-C ports. The trackpad is of an adequate size and tracking is precise.
LG Gram 14 (14Z90Q) hardware and software specifications
The LG Gram 14 that I am examining is powered by an Intel Core i7-1260P processor with 12 CPU cores and 16 threads. Four performance cores with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.7GHz and eight efficiency cores with a maximum turbo frequency of 3.4GHz make up the CPU. The processor includes Intel Iris Xe graphics, whereas the Gram 14 lacks a dedicated GPU. There are 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD from Samsung. Additionally, the laptop features Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, two 1.5W stereo speakers, and a 2.1-megapixel full-HD webcam.
The LG Gram 14 is MIL-STD-810G-certified for its durability and toughness, so it should be able to endure relatively high and cold temperatures as well as accidental drops. The laptop comes equipped with a 72Wh battery and a 65W USB PD (Type-C) charging adaptor.
My LG Gram 14 came preinstalled with Windows 11 Home. You will receive a great deal of preinstalled third-party software, such as 30-day trials of Microsoft Office 365 and McAfee Live Safe, the DTS X:Ultra app, PCMover Professional, and a number of Cyberlink applications, including ColorDirector and Audio Director.
LG also includes several of its own apps, like Smart Assistant, a well-designed tool for customizing system and battery settings, and Virtoo by LG, which allows you to share files and send and receive text messages via your phone. Even though I was able to view my photo collection through the Windows app, it was unable to synchronize my text messages.
Glance by Mirametrix is another intriguing program that monitors your webcam to automatically halt a video when you look away and resume playback when you return, as well as blur the screen if it detects that you've walked away or another face is nearby, to prevent eavesdropping. When I tested these functions, they all performed admirably and did not appear to have a significant influence on battery life.
LG Gram 14 (14Z90Q) battery life and performance
During the review time, my experience with the LG Gram 14 for business and entertainment was excellent. I found the display's viewing angles and 350 nit brightness to be sufficient for indoor use. In fact, my only complaint is that I wish I could have adjusted the screen's brightness to a setting below the lowest allowed, as it can be a touch too bright in the dark. The colors are rich and little oversaturated, which is not an issue when watching films, but this is not the most accurate color display for work.
The keyboard of the LG Gram 14 was excellent for typing, in my opinion. The keys have adequate travel and are not very loud. The backlighting is uniform and nighttime distraction-free. The Gram 14 showed no evidence of overheating when subjected to light workloads, with the exception of a small area near the vents on the bottom that gets somewhat warm. The laptop ran silently when performing the majority of chores, and even at the maximum fan speed setting, I heard just a faint hum.
The benchmark numbers were also rather solid. The LG Gram 14 scored 468 and 2,250 points in the single-core and multi-core CPU tests of Cinebench R20, respectively. The notebook received a score of 5,120 in PCMark 10 and 12,992 in the Night Raid test scene for integrated graphics in 3DMark. Real-world tests also produced positive outcomes. It just took 2 minutes and 9 seconds for 7zip to compress a 3.76GB folder with various files. Blender rendered the BMW test scene in 9 minutes and 7 seconds, while Handbrake encoded a 1.3GB AVI file to a 720p H.265 MKV file in 58 seconds.
The LG Gram 14 earned 1,034 single-core and 3,151 multi-core points in the Geekbench 5 single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. Apple's M1 SoC in the 2020 MacBook Air (Review) received 1,749 and 7,728 points, respectively, to provide context.
The LG Gram 14 is not built for gaming, but it can play casual Microsoft Store titles such as Asphalt 9: Legends if you need to kill some time. Simple Steam games must also be playable. Fortnite operated at 1080p with the Medium visual preset, although jerks and stutters were present. Reduced resolution made the gameplay more fluid. This game also caused the base of the Gram 14 to become extremely hot, making it uncomfortable to use on my lap.
Media looks great on the LG Gram 14's display, but the dual speakers are not as impressive. Even at maximum volume and with DTS X: Ultra enabled, the sound was murky and muddy. Even in low light, the webcam generated acceptable quality video for calls, with minimal noise and distortion.
The LG Gram 14 has an excellent battery life for a thin and lightweight Windows laptop. I was able to complete a full work day on a single charge with an average of 20 percent charge remaining. I believe most users will be satisfied with 8-10 hours of runtime from a laptop weighing less than 1 kilogram, despite the fact that LG's promised battery life is probably not achievable in real-world use. The Gram 14 lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes on the Battery Eater Pro benchmarking software, which is pretty impressive. Fully charging the laptop takes less than two hours, and the included charger can charge it to 58 percent in one hour.
Verdict
The LG Gram 14 is an excellent work laptop due to its small size, low weight, excellent performance, and long battery life. With the exception of the dual speakers, there is very little to criticize about this product. In addition to a variety of connections, a bright and colorful display, and some essential applications, the laptop features a number of additional features. The Core i7 variant is a bit pricey, but you could always choose for the less expensive variant.
While there are other laptops on the market that are based on the Intel Evo platform, the Gram 14's ultra-lightweight design is what makes it stand out. Apple's M1-based MacBook Air remains a formidable competitor at this price point, but if you require a Windows 11 laptop, the LG Gram 14 is an outstanding choice.
