Amid the buzz about Microsoft Copilot+ and Windows on Arm, let's not forget that Intel's Meteor Lake chips are still powering most modern notebooks. Especially for devices that are not yet equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, the LG Gram 16 2-in-1 stands out for its large screen and lightweight design.
This notebook really lives up to its name - the LG Gram 16 2-in-1 is extremely thin and light, with a 16-inch high-definition OLED screen, designed for people who want a large screen but don't want to carry a heavy notebook. The LG Gram 16 2-in-1 certainly ticks the bill when it comes to offering a lot of screen real estate, but it's also worth considering some of its key issues before buying.
LG offers two configurations for the Gram 16 2-in-1: the base model costs $1,500 and comes with an Intel Core i7 155H Super 7th Gen processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 3K OLED screen; The upgrade adds $600 to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD.
These configurations are high-end, and the extra thin and light cost can be seen. The competing HP Spectre x360 16 is more powerful despite being thicker, starting at $1600 ($1110 at the time of sale) with a similar configuration but only a 512GB SSD and IPS screen. The Spectre x360 would cost $1,815 ($1,315 on sale) for the same configuration, while the MacBook Air 15 is another reasonable reference with a similar price.
On the top-of-the-line spec, the Spectre x360 comes with a faster Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU for $2335 ($1835 at the time of the sale). If you can seize the promotion opportunity, HP will be more cost-effective, and the specific price difference depends on the configuration. Although it is not a 2-in-1 design, the MacBook Air 15 is also a good choice.
The LG Gram series is all about thinness and lightness, and the performance of the Gram 16 2-in-1 lives up to its positioning. Despite having an excellent 16-inch touchscreen OLED screen, it's just 0.51 inches at its thickest point, 0.49 inches at its thinnest point, and weighs only 3.08 pounds, which is even lighter than some 14-inch laptops. In comparison, the Spectre x360 16 is 0.78 inches thick and weighs 4.3 pounds, making it a poor experience in tablet mode. The MacBook Air 15 is thinner and lighter, measuring just 0.45 inches thick and weighing 3.3 pounds, giving it a firmer grip.
In terms of feel, the Gram 16 2-in-1 is made of magnesium alloy, which is lightweight but relatively soft. Compared to the all-aluminum design of the Spectre and MacBook Air, its body, keyboard area, and top cover are more prone to flexing. That's not to say it's of poor quality, it's just not for people who like tough notebooks.
Although it opens and closes smoothly with one hand, it is slightly wobbly when opened due to the lightweight body. This makes it less stable in tent mode, and in folding and flat mode, the top cover moves too quickly.
In terms of appearance, the Gram 16 2-in-1 is simple and atmospheric, with an all-black color scheme with moderate edge arcs to avoid monotony. The MacBook Air 15 has Apple's nuanced design and looks more boxy; The Spectre x360 16, on the other hand, is a little more flamboyant. They don't have a clear advantage in terms of appearance, and aesthetics are not a key factor in deciding on a purchase.
In terms of keyboard, it is similar to the Apple Magic keyboard, with shallow but moderate spacing and large keycaps. The keys are responsive and precise, and unless you're not a fan of shallow keystroke keyboards, you'll love this one. In contrast, the Spectre x360 16 has a deeper keyboard travel and may be more suitable for some users.
The touchpad, on the other hand, is the shortcoming of the Gram 16 2-in-1, which is not only small in size, but also uses mechanical touch, which is not as quiet and feature-rich as high-end products. Both the MacBook Air 15 and the Spectre x360 16 have better trackpads.
Considering its thin and light nature, connectivity is acceptable, including both modern and traditional ports. It's a pity that there is no SD card reader, which is an inconvenience for creators. Considering the excellent display, this can be a good option for evaluating photos and videos, although the processing speed is not the fastest.
The camera resolution is 1080p, which is slightly inferior to the Spectre's 9MP, but the image quality is good and supports running Microsoft Studio Effects software through the Intel Meteor Lake neural processing unit. However, it falls slightly short in terms of AI capabilities compared to PCs built for AI. IR camera for Hello facial recognition for Windows 11.
Most 16-inch notebooks are designed to serve creators and are therefore equipped with more powerful components. Although the 28-watt Intel Core i7 155H processor has 16 cores (6 performance cores, 2 high-efficiency cores, and 2 low-power cores) and 22 threads, which is sufficient for CPU-intensive tasks, the integrated Intel Arc graphics perform mediocre in tasks such as video encoding.
For this type of need, the Spectre x360 16 offers an entry-level RTX 4050 discrete graphics card, while the MacBook Air 15 is powered by Apple's M3 chip, which is close to the performance of the i7 155H, but optimized for creative tasks.
Overall, the Gram 16 2-in-1 is fast enough for media consumers who need a large-screen multitasking productivity tool or appreciate an OLED panel. But for creators, it may not meet the needs of high-performance graphics. Gaming-wise, there are limited options other than running old games. The MacBook Air 13 M3 can be used as a reference for the 15-inch version, and both have similar performance.
Although the battery capacity is only 77Wh, which is not much for a 16-inch laptop, it is surprisingly good in terms of actual battery life. In our tests, we achieved up to 9.5 hours of web browsing and 12.25 hours of video playback, which is enough for a typical day of productivity for a laptop with Intel Meteor Lake. In comparison, the battery performance of other 16-inch laptops is much less impressive, so this is a highlight of the Gram 16 2-in-1.
To sum up, the LG Gram 16 2-in-1 is a product worth recommending thanks to its extremely thin and light size, large 16-inch screen, and excellent OLED display. Despite some compromises, such as bendability and mediocre graphics performance, it is an attractive option for those looking for portability and productivity.
Post by Tom