LG Gram SuperSlim (2023) review: 990 gram laptop with long battery life and OLED display

“Even lighter and slimmer,” announces the slogan of the LG Gram SuperSlim. The newest model of the ultracompact Gram series represents one of the lightest (990 g, 2. 18 lb) and slimmest (≤ 12,55 mm, ~0.

49 in) 15. 6-inch laptops on the market. It even beats its already slim and light siblings in terms of thickness and weight.

The hardware is at the current level: PCIe 4, LPDDR5, OLED, and Thunderbolt 4, with a Raptor Lake processor running the laptop. Our database doesn’t include any direct competitors, since comparable laptops are usually more affordable and/or bring more weight to the scale. The expanded range of competitors include devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 , the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 , the Acer Swift Edge SFE16-42 , and the Apple MacBook Air 15 .

The dark blue (Neptune Blue) case of the Gram is made from a magnesium alloy, with LG using smooth and matte surfaces. The laptop doesn’t have any design features that stand out. While it resembles the usual Gram models, its corners are slightly more rounded.

The battery, which is screwed and not glued, and the rest of the insides are accessible after removing the bottom of the case. The laptop doesn’t show any faults in the workmanship. The gaps are even, and there are no noticeable material protrusions.

The base unit and, even more so, the lid can be warped. The hinges hold the lid tightly in place, with a maximum opening angle of about 130 degrees. The lid can be opened using a single hand.

Within our comparison field, the Gram is the lightest laptop at a weight of 990 grams (~2. 18 lb). In terms of the thickness (between 10.

99 and 12. 55 mm without the feet, ~0. 43 – 0.

49 in), the competitors range within similar levels. We are able to confirm the values specified by LG, measuring a weight of 988 grams (2. 178 lb) on our scale.

The types of connections are very reduced, consisting of an audio-combo port and three USB-C ports (2x Thunderbolt 4/USB 4, 1x USB 3. 2 Gen 2). This means that many external devices such as a monitor cannot be used without a docking solution or corresponding adapter.

A positive point is that all three USB-C ports support Power Delivery and are able to output a DisplayPort signal – we tested this. The connections are placed in the back area on the left and right sides, leaving the areas next to the palm rests free from any potential cables. Under optimal conditions without any other WLAN devices nearby and a close distance between the laptop and server PC, the LG laptop reaches excellent WiFi data rates.

The laptop uses an Intel AX211 WiFi 6E chip but doesn’t offer an Ethernet port. In terms of its quality, the webcam (2. 1 MP, max.

1,920 x 1,080 pixels) is unable to differentiate itself from the competitors. However, at a deviation of 6 (with a target ≤ 3), the color accuracy can be called decent, with the competitors offering worse values. The camera doesn’t offer a mechanical shutter.

Aside from the usual documents (with warranty information and the quick-start instructions), the laptop doesn’t include any additional accessories. To access the hardware, you have to remove the bottom of the case. Some of the screws that have to be removed are covered by glued-on platelets (see picture), and some additional screws are hidden underneath the four rubber feet (stuck on, not glued).

After removing all the screws, you need to carefully (!) loosen the bottom of the case – it is delicate and could otherwise be damaged. To do that, a flat prying tool would be useful. After removing the bottom, you get access to the SSD (PCIe 4, M.

2 2280), the second SSD slot (PCIe 4, M. 2 2280), the fan, the speakers, and the battery. LG offers a two-year warranty for the 15.

6-inch laptop in Germany. To expand the warranty to five years would cost a one-time fee of 159 Euros (~$175; or 4. 29 Euros, ~$4.

73 monthly). The illuminated chiclet keyboard includes a number block that only offers three instead of the usual four columns. The smooth and flat keys offer a short stroke and clear pressure point.

The key resistance is okay. Even though the keyboard has some slight bounce while typing, this didn’t turn out to create any hindrance. Overall, LG delivers a keyboard suitable for everyday typing tasks here.

A ClickPad (~11. 1 x 7 cm, ~4. 37 x 2.

76 in) whose smooth surface facilitates sliding of the fingers serves as the mouse replacement. It offers a short stroke and clear pressure point. The 15.

6-inch display with a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution in the 16:9 format offers an OLED-typical, excellent black value and short response times. The brightness exceeds the target of > 300 cd/m². An anti-glare coating ensures reduced reflections.

In the state of delivery, the display offers a good color reproduction, and with a deviation of around 2. 2, the target value of DeltaE < 3 is met. An additional calibration doesn't offer any further improvements.

All the important color spaces (AdobeRGB, sRGB, and DisplayP3) are reproduced almost completely, so color accuracy is a given. The viewing angles of the IPS panel are stable, allowing it to be read from almost any angle. Outdoors, you can recognize the contents of the panel when the sunlight isn’t too bright.

With the Gram SuperSlim, LG offers a highly mobile office laptop for private and business users. The laptop delivers sufficient computing performance for office and Internet applications, as well as less demanding games. The model of our test unit is available for about 1,600 Euros (~$1,763).

Other models are not available at the time of this test. The Notebook offers four manufacturer specific cooling modes (see table) that affect the cooling, noise level, and power limits. You can switch between the modes using either the “Fn” + “Q” key combination or the LG Smart Assistant, which is the control center of the laptop.

We used the “Normal” cooling mode during our testing. The Raptor Lake Core i7-1360P processor consists of four performance cores (hyperthreading, 2. 2 to 5 GHz) and eight efficiency cores (no hyperthreading, 1.

6 to 3. 7 GHz), resulting in a total of 16 logical CPU cores. The benchmarks deliver results that are below the average of the CPU we’ve seen so far.

Selecting the “High” cooling mode results in a performance increase that is limited at best. The more relevant single-thread performance is reduced in battery operation (164 points), while the multithread performance remains at the same level as in mains operation (1,623 points). The CB15 loop test shows that constant multithread load leads to a Turbo speed reduction in each additional run and to some variations.

Selecting the “High” cooling mode helps a little here: From the first to the seventh run, the speed drops but then levels out at a relatively constant level. The smoothly running system delivers sufficient performance for office and Internet applications, as well as less demanding games (low settings). However, the laptop isn’t designed for constant high load.

The transfer rates of the working memory (LPDDR5-6000) remain below the potential of the modules. The memory cannot be expanded. Our standardized Latency Monitor test (web surfing, 4k video reproduction, Prime95 high load) revealed some conspicuous behavior.

The system doesn’t appear to be suited for real-time video and audio processing. Future software updates might lead to some improvements or may even make things worse. A 1-TB SSD (PCIe 4, M.

2 2280) from SK Hynix serves as the system drive and delivers excellent data rates overall. Thermally related throttling occurs only rarely. The Gram also offers space for a second PCIe 4 SSD.

The Iris-Xe G7 iGPU offers 96 execution units, supports DirectX 12, and reaches a maximum clock speed of 1,400 MHz. According to our The Witcher 3 test, the latter is reached sporadically at best, with the clock speed varying between 1,000 and 1,400 MHz (“High” cooling mode). While the GPU is able to run briefly at higher clock speeds with the “Normal” mode activated, the speed then quickly drops to about 800 MHz.

Dependent on which mode is selected, the 3DMark results range either above (“High,” “Normal”) or below (“Low,” “Silent”) the average of the iGPU used here. The Gram is no gaming laptop. However, it is still able to bring some less demanding games to the screen smoothly at low settings.

The frame rates range above the average of the iGPU used. In order to evaluate whether the frame rates remain constant to a large extent over a longer time period, we run the game ” The Witcher 3 ” for about 60 minutes in Full-HD resolution at maximum quality settings. The gaming character is not moved during this time.

The frame rates are not within a playable range, and after a few minutes, the values drop to an even lower level. The “High” cooling mode results in varying frame rates. Using the “Normal” cooling mode leads to a maximum noise level of 43.

3 dB(A) – a level that is slightly too high for a simple office laptop. The “Low” and “Silent” modes lower the noise levels significantly, but this goes to the detriment of the performance. In everyday operation (Office, e-mail, banking, etc.

), the laptop runs quietly or silently regardless of the selected cooling mode. Under load, the laptop warms up in some spots significantly but only moderately overall. We measure a maximum of 50.

4 °C (~123 °F) in one spot during the stress test. In everyday operation, the temperatures remain within the green range. The stress test (with Prime95 and Furmark running constantly) represents an extreme scenario that we use to evaluate the system stability under full load.

Already in the beginning of the test, the CPU (P: 2 GHz; E: 1. 5 to 1. 6 GHz) and GPU (850 MHz) run at low clock speeds, and the values drop further during the continuation of the test.

The stereo speakers produce a sound that is acceptable overall. Areas that deserve some critique are the bass that is hardly present and significantly overemphasized highs. For a better sound experience, we recommend using headphones or external speakers.

The laptop does not show any conspicuous behavior in terms of the power consumption. It runs through the stress test and The Witcher 3 test with a decreasing and varying power consumption. The included 65-Watt charger offers a sufficient amount of power.

In the WLAN test (loading websites via a script) and video test playing the short film Big Buck Bunny (H. 264 coding, FHD) in a constant loop, the 15. 6-inch laptop reaches a battery life of 12:29 and 14:40 hours respectively.

During both tests, the power saving functions of the laptop are deactivated, and the display brightness is reduced to about 150 cd/m². While running the video test, the communication modules are also turned off. With the Gram SuperSlim, LG introduces a very light (990 g, ~2.

18 lb) and slim (≤ 12. 55 mm, 0. 49 in) laptop.

In combination with an excellent realistic battery life of 12 to 15 hours, this results in an extremely mobile laptop. With the Gram SuperSlim, LG delivers a light and mobile work device but is also asking for a hefty price: for less than a kilogram of laptop, you have to pay 1,600 Euros (~$1,763). The slim build also results in some compromises, and in addition to the 3.

5-mm audio port, the laptop solely offers USB-C ports (2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3. 2 Gen 2). This means that without a docking solution or corresponding adapter, you cannot use many external devices such as a monitor, for example.

The combination of Core i7-1360P and 16 GB of RAM (LPDDR5, onboard) is able to handle office and Internet applications without any trouble. While it can counter short load peaks with a lot of performance, it isn’t designed for a constant high performance. The emissions are okay to a large extent, but the laptop could have been a bit quieter under full load.

The OLED display (1,920 x 1,080 pixels, 15. 6 in) scores with a high brightness, excellent contrast, short response times, and a very good color space coverage. For example, the DCI-P3 color space is covered completely.

An alternative might be the Acer Swift Edge SFE16-42 , which offers a significantly higher computing performance than the Gram but remains clearly behind in terms of the battery life. In addition, the Swift also weighs about 200 grams (~0. 44 lb) more.

The LG Gram SuperSlim in our tested configuration is available for about $1700 from the LG online store . Amazon also offers other configurations for $1,797 or $1,899 . .