ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The LG Gram 17 (2025) is accessible 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 yr’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 screen, 17-inch laptop computer, however you wish to carry it round with out breaking your again? I received you. LG’s Gram 17 lives as much as its title because the lightest, thinnest 17-inch laptop computer you have probably laid your eyes on.
We have gone hands-on with a number of fashions from LG’s Gram collection over the previous few years, similar 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 yr’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 would 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 consistent 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 straightforward to hold round, particularly in case you are a hybrid employee who commutes to the workplace. I took this laptop computer with me in every single place for over every week and barely observed it in my bag.
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Additional, the 17-inch touchscreen show is all the pieces you’d count on from a WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS: it is brilliant, crisp, and mitigates glare very properly. I am not an enormous touchscreen individual (I virtually all the time desire a mouse), however the sheer dimension of the display screen on this laptop computer invitations the person to work together with it in a manner that is barely completely different than different laptops, and I discovered myself utilizing it extra typically than anticipated.
That mentioned, the very skinny display screen is reasonably wobbly and flexes backwards and forwards with every press, which can peeve some customers.
The opposite bodily parts of the laptop computer are smooth and well-designed. The complete-size keyboard is reasonably normal, with comparatively flat keys that are not fairly as premium as a few of the different laptops I’ve examined lately, like HP’s Elitebook X G1a, nevertheless it’s purposeful.
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Equally, the touchpad is giant and responsive, though I’ve to say that I want there have been a haptic choice. Additionally, the laptop computer’s total dimension leads to a wrist relaxation space that’s fairly expansive. Typing on the Gram 17 means your total hand, and — relying on the dimensions of your arms — mid forearms shall 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 supply 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 the event you care about that kind of factor, it may 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 help for Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort), two USB-As, a headphone jack, and a Kensington lock slot. The audio system aren’t significantly good, sounding on the shallow aspect (influenced by the gadget’s ultrathin type, little question) however about what you’d count on from a mid-tier laptop computer.
The true energy behind this laptop computer is inside, nevertheless. The addition of the Intel Core Extremely 7 (Sequence 2) “Lunar Lake” processor upgrades it to a really aggressive gadget reasonably 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 concerning the charger.
Targeted, sustained use, nevertheless, leads to the form of battery drain you’d count on, with a couple of full eight-hour day’s value of labor on one cost, skewing on the longer finish — as much as 10 hours, relying on how arduous 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 may keep unplugged longer.
Regardless of the ability, the Gram Professional 17 can be barely thinner and lighter, as you are paying for a extra premium design. However aspect by aspect, the 2 laptops look practically equivalent.
Neither 17-inch model comes with an OLED show (you may must go right down to the Gram Professional 16 for that), however the Professional does have a 144Hz refresh price, in contrast to 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 delicate, regardless of a $380 worth soar 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 may go when it comes to 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 properly, however the battery life does take successful. I additionally received a couple of graphical glitches (tearing, polygons) over the course of testing it, however the Intel Arc GPU holds its personal, particularly for titles that are not significantly 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 sizzling I bear in mind last year’s Gram Pro 16 getting.
Lastly, I will 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 widespread points like finding recordsdata or troubleshooting. I’ll say that for very primary requests, it really works, nevertheless it would not perceive conversational prompts, a lot much less extra obscure ones.
On-device AI is one thing that completely different producers are attempting, however as most customers will admit, outcomes are blended, no 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 lightweight 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, nevertheless it affords a extra highly effective processor, a much bigger battery, and a extra premium construct. Only for readability, meaning it’s over the $2,000 mark. For many customers, nevertheless, the bottom mannequin Gram 17 is a stable selection for customers who love a giant show and spectacular type issue.
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