CES 2025, which wrapped up on Friday, marked the first year I found more laptops than ever that hit this Holy Grail metric — and they did so without making the sacrifices often considered necessary to achieve a light form factor. That’s an exciting prospect, and not just because it can save our collective backs.

I saw many three-pound laptop models in person and saw announcements for others. Why did I zero in on laptops under three pounds? Laptop weight doesn’t matter if you plan to keep your system parked on a desk, as is often the case with a gaming laptop (typical weight: 5.5 pounds and up).

But if you’re like me and take your laptop everywhere, weight matters — a lot. I’m using three pounds as the cut-off here because laptops that are heavier than that can feel their weight fast when in a valise or backpack.

This year's laptop crop stood out for its impressive designs, excellent array of ports, and leading specs (brilliant displays, AI support, tons of storage).

While some models had high price tags, others were under $1,000. That means we, as consumers, have to make fewer usability trade-offs in exchange for a lighter load.

The following list marks my 5 favorite sub-3-pound laptops I saw at CES 2025. Note that this is not an exhaustive list of the sub-3-pound class of 2025; Lenovo alone introduced 6 models under 3 pounds (the lightest being the 2.17-pound ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition), while Asus, Acer, and LG all had multiple models under 3 pounds, too. But these were the ones that stood out and were some of my favorites.

See also: Lenovo ditches its most iconic feature on this new ThinkPad — but that's not even the biggest design change

Acer Swift Go 14 AI

The Acer Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-64/T) sneaks onto the list, weighing in at 2.86 pounds (OLED version). What stands out here is Acer’s attention to detail and value for the price.

This Copilot+ PC uses the new AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors (either a Ryzen 7 350 or a Ryzen 7 340) to deliver up to 50 NPU TOPS, AMD Radeon 800M graphics, and the promise of up to 24.9 hours of battery life. The 14-inch display options include 3K OLED, FHD+ OLED, or FHD+ touchscreen. The OLED versions have 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, which is a great find on a laptop at this price.

Configurations include up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 1TB SSD. The unit has a sturdy, stylish aluminum design, and it feels well-balanced in hand. The Swift Go has an array of ports, with HDMI, 2 USB-A (speeds not specified), 2 USB 4 (Type-C) ports, and a headphone jack.

Available in May, pricing starts at $899.

Asus Zenbook A14

Asus is one of the laptop makers with a long track record of innovating with thin-and-light models. However, I was not prepared for the Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407. This model is genuinely a featherweight at 2.16 pounds, which meant it was easy to hoist overhead, even with my weaker arm. Obviously, I won’t be doing that regularly, but Zenbook A14 would be nothing to carry around all day at a trade show or while dashing through an airport.

The unique chassis uses Asus’ shock- and scratch-resistant Ceraluminum (the company’s trademark for its plasma ceramic aluminum process); by contrast, the Zenbook S14 series only uses Ceraluminum on its cover.

This model uses Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processors with up to 45 NPU TOPS, each with a long-lasting 70-watt-hour battery. It has a built-in Copilot key quickly accessing Copilot features, and it comes with 2 USB 4.0 ports at 40Gbps, a 10Gbps USB-A port, an HDMI port, and an audio jack, which gives this model all the makings of a laptop that unit for its can work well for a host of creator tasks.

The Zenbook A14 comes in two colors, beige and gray. The gray one uses the Snapdragon X with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, and it will cost $1,099. The beige one uses the Snapdragon X Plus with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, and it will cost $899. Both units will be available soon.

I’ll call out a second Asus model here for those who'd prefer an Intel processor. The 14-inch Asus Zenbook S14 weighs just 2.65 pounds, and it is impressive for its light weight, display quality, and ports. This Copilot+ PC has a comfortable keyboard and a bright 3K 120Hz OLED screen, and it uses Intel Core Ultra 9 (series 2) processors.

LG Gram Pro 16Z90TR

The 16-inch LG Gram Pro 16Z90TR exemplifies the trend of packing more into a thin and light space. LG is the only manufacturer offering 16 and 17-inch 2K displays in a lightweight form. Like Lenovo and others, the company has a slew of sub-three-pound laptops in 2025. Even though full specification details and pricing remain unannounced for all models, what we know makes this model stand out above all others from LG – especially for creatives who want a powerful, lightweight system.

This model has the largest display on this list, with a 16-inch 2K WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) IPS display with VRR to 144Hz and an anti-glare coating. It’s also the only laptop with a dedicated graphics card (at minimum, it will come with an Nvidia GeForce RTX4050). It also has an Intel Core Ultra “Arrow Lake” processor (version to be announced). And it measures just 0.56-inch thick and weighs 2.99 pounds, squeaking in under our filter.

The unit I tried physically felt and responded beautifully, and it handled about the same as the LG Gram Pro I bought last year. It has a low-profile keyboard that's comfortable and sturdy to type on and a dedicated number pad – one of the benefits of getting a larger screen. Available later this year, this model’s pricing and full specifications will be announced closer to when it ships.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition

The 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition marks Lenovo’s latest in its long line of top-tier Yoga laptops. This Copilot+ PC weighs 2.91 pounds, and it sports a sleek, all-black design with barely-there screen bezels and its familiar 360-degree hinge that lets the laptop twist into tent and tablet positions. Its screen specs are solid, with up to 2.8K WQHD+ OLED screens with 120Hz VRR refresh rate, 1,100 nits of peak brightness, and 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut.

This iteration delivers 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, in addition to a 10Gbps USB-A port and a USB 4 Type-C port with Power Delivery. That means you have plenty of ports for power and using peripherals like an external SSD and a memory card reader simultaneously.

As an Aura Edition laptop, this unit has nifty features that reflect Lenovo and Intel’s combined efforts to deliver compelling mobile experiences. For example, it has Smart Modes for faster customization (among them an attention mode that helps you maintain focus by blocking distracting websites) and Smart Share, which uses AI to tap and share images between your smartphone and laptop. You can buy this laptop in February, and pricing starts at $1,599.

Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition

The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition maintains Lenovo’s high ThinkPad pedigree, but in a wholly new design that makes this the first ThinkPad in years I’d want to buy. This aluminum model has a cover made from 50% recycled aluminum, and a ridged rear cover plate that makes it easy to hold.

I loved this keyboard and found it to be next-level comfortable to type on, with a massive touchpad area and no TrackPoint in the center of the keyboard. The laptop has a thin, tapered profile with a unique internal design that houses the motherboard and ports in what Lenovo calls the Engine Hub, but looks like a black bump along the rear quarter of the laptop.

With a weight that starts at 2.66 pounds (add another 0.13 pounds for the touchscreen version here), this model ranks as one of the impressive thin and light laptops of CES 2025. It has processor options up to Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 2), and display options of up to a 2.8K OLED touchscreen with 500 nits brightness,120Hz VRR, and 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut, this system is up to the needs of creative pros.

The unit has one HDMI port, 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, and no USB-A port. This model also has the Lenovo AI Now on-device AI assistant (based on Meta’s Llama 3.0), which helps with everyday tasks like document searches. It also supports Aura Edition features such as the Smart Modes and Smart Share described earlier. This model comes with a tiny 65W GaN Nano adapter that looks more like what you’d expect to use with a tablet than a laptop. You can buy this laptop in February, and pricing starts at $1,399.

What's next

The 2025 class of sub-3-pound laptops are clearly setting the stage for new experiences with sacrificing features. They now have plenty of performance power, including enough processing power and battery life to enable productivity and creative tasks and AI activities.

Plus, this category now covers all price points so no one gets left out of this next-gen mobile revolution. Carrying a lightweight laptop can make a huge difference to how your arm and back muscles feel, and with options like these it absolutely pays to think about weight when you're buying your next laptop.

I've reviewed a few LG Gram models for Laptop Mag in recent years, and while LG isn't the most prolific laptop manufacturer, its hit rate is outstanding. The LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 (2024) was among my favorites and earned a spot on several of our buying guides, including the best 2-in-1 laptops. LG consistently delivers thin-and-light laptops with solid performance and displays, and this year's lineup looks to continue that trend while also introducing one brand new model for 2025, the LG Gram Book.

LG is using a blend of Intel Core Ultra H-Series (Arrow Lake) and Intel Core Ultra V-Series (Lunar Lake) chips to power these laptops. As LG points out, the former leans into more traditional productivity performance, while the latter is more optimized for AI with slightly scaled-back productivity performance.

We'll be able to spend some time with these laptops at CES 2025, which runs from January 7-10, 2025, but here's what we know about LG's 2025 Gram laptops so far.

LG Gram Book

Let's lead things off with the one truly new model for this year, the LG Gram Book. While the company has delivered a number of excellent laptops in recent years, they decidedly fall into premium laptop pricing, the LG Gram Book is the company's attempt to bring a more affordable option to the U.S. market.

It features a 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1080) LCD 60Hz display with a claimed 300 nits of brightness. At 3.74 pounds and 14.2 x 9.36 x 0.76 inches, it is also by far the thickest and heaviest member of the Gram series.

You have an Intel Core i5 CPU paired with Intel Xe graphics, and either 8 or 16GB of DDR4 RAM with a 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB NVMe SSD.

The port selection is reasonable with a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 2, one USB 3.2 Gen 1, a single USB 2.0, and finally an HDMI 2.1 port.

For audio you have a pair of 1.5W speakers, and you get an HD (720p) webcam with a privacy shutter for your video meeting needs. The 51Wh battery is a bit disappointing to see, given the size of this laptop, so we'll have to see how that fares in testing.

The massive piece of the puzzle that we're missing here is the price of the LG Gram Book. Given the specs it needs to start well below $1,000 to be competitive in the market, but we'll have to wait and see.

LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1

One of my favorite 2-in-1 laptops from last year gets a few upgrades for 2025, but doesn't reinvent the wheel.

For its 16-inch display you either have the option of a WQXGA+ (2,880 x 1,800) OLED or a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) LCD panel. The former delivers a variable refresh rate of 48-120Hz, while the latter goes from 31-144Hz. Both feature a claimed 400 nits of brightness.

I lavished considerable praise on the OLED panel in last year's Gram Pro 2-in-1, calling it "one of the best displays I've ever seen on a laptop..." so I'd certainly lean that way and hope LG just managed to maintain that high level of quality.

The LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 weighs a mere 3.08 pounds and measures 14.1 x 10 x 0.51 inches. It's remarkably thin-and-light for a 2-in-1 with a 16-inch display.

Inside, you get either an Intel Arrow Lake Core Ultra 5 or 7, Intel Arc Graphics, up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM with a 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of Gen4 NVMe SSD.

Ports include: two USB 4 Gen 3 Type C, two USB 3.2 Gen 2, and HDMI 2.1.

The audio looks impressive on paper, as shown by a pair of 3W stereo speakers and a pair of 5W Smart AMPs. We'll have to see how that holds up in person, as last year's similar setup sounded good but not great due in part to the bottom-firing design. The 77Wh battery is impressive given the size and weight of this laptop, once we get it in our lab we'll see what that yields with the new Arrow Lake CPU.

Finally, the Gram Pro 2-in-1 features an FHD (1080p) webcam with an IR camera for Windows Hello support and a dual mic array.

LG Gram Pro (17-inch)

If you liked what you saw in the Gram Pro 2-in-1 but don't care about the flexible form factor, look no further than the LG Gram Pro (17-inch).

Unfortunately, it does drop the OLED display option of the Pro 2-in-1, but otherwise, it matches its specs almost exactly. I'll spare you running down the full list again and just note a couple of critical differences.

The first is naturally the size with its 17-inch display. It weighs in at 3.26 pounds (0.18 pounds heavier than the 16-inch 2-in-1), and it measures 14.9 x 10.4 x 0.62 inches.

That extra thickness may be partly due to its RTX 4050 GPU with 6GB of GDDR6 RAM. It also allows the Gram Pro (17-inch) to pack in a larger 90Wh battery; again, we'll see what that yields once we can get it in for testing.

Those are the only differences separating these models, again we don't have pricing yet, which may sway your decision as well.

LG Gram Pro (16-inch)

I saved the littlest Gram Pro for last, but the 16-inch Gram isn't to be forgotten. It shares several features with its other Pro siblings, so I'll highlight the differences.

The biggest shift is the Lunar Lake CPU options, making the LG Gram Pro (16-inch) the first Copilot+ PC in the Gram family. While LG's new Gram AI will work across the entire lineup, the Gram Pro (16-inch) should have the advantage given its more powerful NPU. The base model features an Intel Core Ultra 5, but you can upgrade to an Ultra 7 or 9. All configurations come with Intel Arc graphics.

With the exception of dropping to 16 inches, the Gram Pro models feature identical displays with WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) LCDs with a variable refresh rate from 31-144Hz.

Your big reward for the move to a 16-inch panel is a massive drop in size and weight. It is a mere 2.73 pounds and 14.1 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches, while still offering a 77Wh battery. Again, we'll find out what that yields in real-world battery life once we get it in our lab.

What's next?

While the specs tell part of the story of a new laptop, there's no replacement for spending some time with them in person or for getting them into our labs for testing.

We're also missing some crucial information as we don't yet know when the laptops will ship or how much they will cost. Assuming LG sticks to similar pricing, expect the Pro lineup to range from around $1,399 to $2,499. The Gram Book is the wildcard, but competition is stiff in the affordable market, so we'd hope to see $799 or less for the starting price there.

LG is also heavily touting Gram AI as part of this launch, which includes Gram chat on-device if you want the power of AI without reaching out to a cloud service. However, you can also leverage GPT-4o with Gram chat cloud, which is free for the first year.

LG's "Time Travel" feature sounds a bit like its take on Microsoft Recall, with the company indicating that it allows you "to quickly and easily revisit web pages, documents, videos, and audio files." Gram chat cloud is also "integrated with personal calendar and email services" and "leverages vast web-based datasets for detailed and comprehensive responses to user inquiries."

AI is sure to be a central focus once again at CES 2025. While we've spent the last month running down the 24 biggest AI moments of 2024, and there are clearly some intriguing use cases for AI, it's hard to point to a definitive breakthrough feature for the average user. As this second generation of AI-focused laptops, like the new LG Gram models, hits this year, that will be as much of the story as the new hardware.

More from Laptop Mag

• Sign up for the Laptop Mag newsletter
• Best AI PCs in 2024: 6 laptops optimized for the latest AI features
• Best laptops in 2024: Top 10 laptop recommendations

At first glance, you may be unable to tell the difference between the two monitors. Both are 45-inch 21:9 ultra-wide OLED gaming monitors with a 5K resolution (5,120 x 2,160) and support for LG's Dual-Mode that allows you to switch instantly between eight screen-resolution and refresh rate combinations.

The big difference is the literal flexibility of the higher-end model, the LG 45GX990A, which can transform from a curved display to a flat panel.

Here's a closer look at both options, which we expect to get our hands on at CES 2025 in Las Vegas from January 7-10.

Bend but don't break

Typically, bending your monitor is a tragedy; I still lament the loss of my Dell UltraSharp 27 that was bent by a falling cabinet. However, in the case of the LG 45GX990A, bending it is one of the main selling points.

The monitor can go from a 900R curvature to a completely flat panel in moments. If you aren't familiar, 900R is an aggressive curve; the typical range for curved monitors is between 1800R and 4000R, so this isn't just a minor difference when transitioning from flat to curved.

If you're wondering why you might want to switch between flat and curved, there are a couple of potential reasons. One would be if you rely on your monitor to watch content with multiple people; a curved display is geared for a solo user. Some people also find specific games and apps are better suited to a flat monitor, but this can be due to visual glitches caused by software that isn't optimized for a curved panel.

Gamers will be happy with its fantastic 0.03ms response time, and its ports cover DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and USB-C with 90W power delivery. Finally, it is certified for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

A powerful curve

If you're fine sticking with a curved display 100% of the time, the LG 45HX950A gives you everything found in the 990A above, but it's locked at an even more aggressive 800R curvature.

The OLED panel also features a 4-side "Virtually Borderless" design, allowing the monitor to essentially disappear and serve as a window to your content.

Game smarter, not harder

If a 45-inch panel is excessive for your setup, you may want to turn to the LG UltraGear 39GX90SA, which is powered by webOS. That gives you built-in gaming and streaming services without plugging anything into it.

The panel is a 39-inch 21:9 OLED with an 800R curvature, matching the 45HX950A. LG also boasts about its "space-saving L-shaped stand" for this monitor but, regrettably, hasn't offered any photos just yet.

The display also features multiple USB Type-C ports, so you may be able to skip the USB Type-C hub with this monitor on your desk.

What's next?

If you're wondering how much these monitors will cost and when you will be able to buy them, so are we. Unfortunately, those details aren't available at this time.

Laptop Mag staff are descending in force on CES 2025 in Las Vegas next month, so we expect to have photos and hands-on impressions to share with you before CES wraps up on January 10.

LG's gaming monitor lineup is certainly intriguing, but we'll have to see if its enough to claim any Laptop Laurels for Best of CES 2025.

MORE FROM LAPTOP MAG

• Best monitor deals in August 2026: Cheap, 4K, gaming, and more
• Best gaming laptops in 2026: Our 6 top picks
• Best gaming laptop deals in August 2026: From $475

This impressive laptop is among the select few to win Laptop Mag's highly-coveted Editor's Choice award in 2024, offering solid Intel Core Ultra 7 performance alongside the stunning visuals made possible by its vivid 16-inch OLED touchscreen display. The highlighted configuration offers 32GB of RAM and a whopping 2TB of SSD storage. More than enough for years of use and archiving of photos, videos, apps, and documents.

There's also a more modest configuration available that sees the LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 available for just $1,199 at LG. This configuration offers the same 16-inch touchscreen OLED panel and Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, though trims the specs to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage for a saving of $600.

If you're looking for something even lighter on the wallet, then be sure to check out this $900 off deal on the 13th Gen Intel Core i7-powered LG Gram 16 2-in-1 for only $999 at Amazon. This configuration ditches the OLED panel and trims the storage to just 1TB, but it retains the same 32GB of RAM.

However, if you want peak performance in a machine that is built to accommodate you and all your data for years to come, let's dive deeper into our highlighted deal on the LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1.

Today's best LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 extended Cyber Monday deal

LG debuted the most stretchable display made to date at LG Science Park in Seoul on November 8.

This flexible 12-inch display can be stretched up to 50%, turning it into a maximum 18-inch display. Compared to the first stretchable display's elongation rate of 20%, that's a pretty major jump.

LG says stretchable displays are the "ultimate free-form screen technology because they can be freely transformed into any shape, including by stretching, folding, and twisting." In the photo above, you can see just how flexible the display is.

Despite its liquid-like nature, the 12-inch display looks pretty great. It delivers a high 100ppi (pixels per inch) resolution and full RGB color. It's also quite durable, able to "be repeatedly stretched over 10,000 times," thanks to using a micro-LED light source of up to 40 micrometers.

This impressively bendy display likely won't be available to consumers on its own, but we'll likely see it pop up in various industries over the next few years.

Where would a stretchable display even be useful?

While this thin, lightweight display has positive implications for thinner displays on laptops and tablets in the future, its most impressive feature is its ability to stretch, bend, and twist.

LG says this makes stretchable displays very "capable of adhering to irregularly curved surfaces like clothing and skin." One of the concepts LG showed was a wearable display attached to firefighters' uniforms that provides real-time information. Another concept suggested it could be used as an automotive display panel, stretched out into a convex shape.

What if heated blankets in the future have flexible displays with touch controls? What if you could check your messages or answer a call by tapping a small display on your hoodie sleeve? How about a display on your backpack?

While a lot of the applications for a stretchy display are cloth-forward, LG says they're "expected to be widely applied in various industries, from fashion and wearables to mobility."

There's no estimate on when LG's stretchable displays might hit the market and in which products, so for now, all we can do is marvel at this technological wonder.

For that discounted price, you'll get a 17-inch (2560 x 1600) IPS display, Intel's efficient Core i7-1360P processor with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Our LG Gram 17 2023 review unit shared most of these specs, aside from its discrete GPU, and we awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This configuration is perfect for students gearing up for back-to-school or any average user who needs a laptop for answering emails, browsing the web, or streaming media.

If you're looking for a smaller laptop or perhaps one that can handle more graphics-intensive tasks, like video editing or gaming, check out our other best laptop deals to find something that fits your needs.

Today's best LG Gram 17 laptop deal

However, while visionOS 2 gives Apple and the spatial computing landscape plenty to celebrate, according to South Korean outlet ETNews, this week sees even better news arrive for the Vision Pro.

According to the report, an XR (extended or mixed reality) collaboration between LG Electronics and Meta has ended, likely putting the pair's rumored high-performance Vision Pro rival on ice.

visionOS 2: A very spatial upgrade for Vision Pro

While iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence stole much of the show, Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) also saw the reveal of visionOS 2 — a major milestone operating system update for the Vision Pro only four months on from the headset's February release.

The new OS features some quality-of-life improvements such as immersive pop-out media in Safari, Live Captions for real-time transcripts of audio and video content, Sensitive Content Warnings on questionable media, expanded travel options with train support, and new gesture recognition for easier navigation.

However, visionOS 2 also grants the Vision Pro the ability to turn any photos into spatial photos, an ultra-wide panoramic workspace in Mac Virtual Display, mouse support for navigation, and AirPlay support that allows casting directly to the headset from nearby iPhone or iPad devices.

Overall, visionOS 2 is an impressive update that expands the Vision Pro's capabilities. Does it do enough to justify the Vision Pro's formidable price tag? The answer to that will vary from person to person.

However, the Vision Pro with visionOS 2 stands out as the best premium option for both hardware and features — at least until we see a similar premium offering from one of Apple's mainstream rivals in the mixed-reality headset space.

That being said, one of the more likely candidates to challenge the Vision Pro, in the rumored Meta Quest Pro 2, may no longer pose much of a threat to Apple's spatial computing successes.

LG steps back from XR

In February, LG officially announced a partnership with Facebook owners and Quest headset manufacturer Meta with an aim to "combine the strengths of both companies across products, content, services and platforms."

This collaboration would likely have seen the two companies work together on the development of a "next-gen XR device" — reported to be a high-end, mixed-reality headset that would rival Apple's Vision Pro through joint ventures in software and hardware advancement.

However, it didn't take long for the two's honeymoon period to expire. Three months on from announcing their partnership, rumors began to surface that LG had grown cold on the idea of working with Meta and was instead scouting for other potential partners such as Amazon.

Yesterday, ETNews was able to confirm that those rumors were true and that LG Electronics has "agreed to end cooperation in the XR business with Meta." LG is also looking to reassign personnel in charge of its XR business to focus on research and development.

ETNews claims that the reason behind LG's decision was due to the slow rate at which the VR/AR/XR market is expanding, potentially leading the company to re-evaluate investments of its time and resources. Something Meta isn't concerned about after a recent gamesindustry.biz report revealed that Meta's Reality Labs division has been "losing money at a rate of more than $1 billion per month since June of 2022."

What it means for Meta and the Vision Pro

LG's decision to pull back from its partnership with Meta will no doubt cause Apple to breathe a sigh of relief as the most obvious and immediate challenge from another mainstream company to its premium Vision Pro headset will now likely be delayed by some time or put on ice indefinitely.

Before the parting of ways was official, LG and Meta's high-performance headset was already facing delays as its initial 2025 release window was pushed back to 2027. With the collaboration between the two companies now over, Meta may be forced to push back further its plans for a more affordable premium headset, if not seek out an entirely new partner and begin the process all over again.

That being said, all is not lost from this deal as LG will reportedly continue cooperating with Meta on research and development, including "technology development for XR headsets and on-device artificial intelligence." This keeps the channels of development open to Meta, potentially making technologies like LG's OLEDoS displays available for the company's next-gen headset in the future.

More from Laptop Mag

• 'People have to see it to believe it': We asked an expert about AR laptops and the challenges in this booming market
• The PlayStation VR2 PC adapter will cost more for gaming laptop users — here's why
• When Microsoft ruled reality: Spatial computing before the Apple Vision Pro

LG showcased the new OLED tech during Display Week, an annual display industry symposium by the Society for Information Display in San Jose, California. The symposium brings together notable individuals and companies for a three-day conference that’s not entirely about displays — but more about the technology behind them.

OLEDoS ("OLED on silicon") displays have a smoothness that might revitalize the stagnant virtual and augmented reality market, which has seen the Apple Vision Pro become the latest underperformer.

LG’s presentation focused on the range of its latest OLED technology, from large OLED panels and automotive display solutions for SDVs (Software Defined Vehicles) to the micro-sized OLEDoS panels for VR and smartwatches. 

The OLEDoS technology is small but in videos released by LG, the small display panels are a promise of what may come:

What this means for VR

Made up of OLED deposited on a silicon wafer substrate, OLEDoS can deliver VR and AR content in high definition and on a micro-scale. In addition to a higher display scale, the OLEDoS panels will also improve display brightness by up to 40 percent, preventing the loss of detail caused by too-dark pixels. The result is that OLEDoS displays will present smoother, better images than the competition.

While the OLEDoS display panels can work on both VR and AR headsets, the VR market has long needed better-quality display panels. Even going back to the first generation of Oculus Rift headsets, one of the major drawbacks of the headset was the low-quality display. 

While resolution in subsequent VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) headsets far improved on the Rift, only the Apple Vision Pro has come close to a 4K display resolution — at 3,660 × 3,200 pixels. 4K UHD resolutions are defined as 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, which means the Vision Pro is just under 4K in horizontal resolution and much higher in vertical resolution. While that is an impressive resolution scale, it isn't a standard display format. This can create problems if you're viewing content designed for 16:9 display formats — like 1080p or 4K. 

Above: LG's OLEDos technology as seen through a goggle experience, perhaps not unlike what virtual reality with OLEDoS will look like.

Even then, the Vision Pro is not a dedicated VR headset but more of an AR computing device, according to Apple. While the latest Meta Quest 3 is a far cry from the 720p VR ocular panels of the past, the 2,064 x 2,208 display is still far from seamless.

With 4K OLED display panels, VR could be more approachable than ever — especially if you've ever felt motion sickness while wearing a VR headset. One of the primary problems with low-quality VR headsets is the high motion sickness curve. I don't get seasick easily and frequently spend time well off-shore in rough conditions, and yet the original PlayStation VR version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim made me nauseous going through the opening tutorial. 

If we can put higher-resolution, smooth refresh rate display panels in VR headsets, we may lower the barrier to entry for VR. The headset's weight will still pose a problem for long-term use, but being able to provide smooth content consistently through cutting-edge display technology like OLEDoS could very well cause a VR Renaissance.

The 16-inch and 17-inch LG gram Pro laptops (models 16Z90SP and 17Z90SP) pack pro-level performance into a portable package. Each laptop is configured with a hybrid architecture Intel Core Ultra CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, and NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. Featuring Intel's neural processing unit, aptly called Intel AI Boost, the gram Pro series breezes through AI workloads — on and offline. 

LG gram Pro laptops aim to deliver crisp text and life-like images with superior color and contrast. Whether you're engrossed in productivity or enjoying a movie in your leisure, everything looks stunning on a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) display. For an even more immersive viewing experience, the 16-inch LG gram Pro will be available in a WQXGA+ (2,880 x 1,800) resolution OLED display option. 

The convertible LG gram Pro which owns bragging rights as the world's lightest 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop (model 16T90SP) also sports a WQXGA+ resolution OLED display. What's more, the LG gram Pro 2-in-1's 360-degree adjustable hinge design, touch screen functionality with pen support affords users more flexibility. 

Students, work professionals and creators will benefit from the pre-installed LG gram Link app. This software makes it easy to share files, transfer photos, and mirror between the LG gram Pro and Android or iOS-powered mobile devices. AI comes into play once again here with intelligent categorizing of the gram's stored images.

Connectivity-wise, the gram Pro series offer Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-C, USB Type-A, and HDMI ports to add external devices to your set up.

Additionally, the PC maker is refreshing its flagship laptop series with new configurations of the LG gram 14 (14Z90S), LG gram 15 (15Z90S), LG gram 16 (16Z90S), and LG gram 17 (14Z90S). These laptops are also outfitted with Intel Core Ultra processors and NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSDs. The 16 and 17-inch models are especially  well-suited for streaming content as much as productivity given their stunning WQXGA resolution panels. 

Remote workers and students will appreciate the LG gram series' built-in 1080p webcam for their video conferencing needs. As found in the new gram Pro laptops, LG gram Link is one of many nifty pre-installed applications accompanied by LG Glance for enhanced security and privacy. Slim, ultra-light, yet durable and reliable, the latest LG grams laptops are ideal for traveling professionals and the busy student lifestyle. 

LG didn't provide any details on pricing and availability of its new gram laptops as of yet. We expect LG to reveal more at CES 2024 this week. 

Right now, I have two 27-inch 1080p Acer monitors (which are also discounted by $65 right now) mounted on my desk, and they're great, but every time I look at my laptop screen, I'm reminded of how much better they could be. Unfortunately, it's not cost-effective to make smaller 27-inch or 32-inch 4K OLED monitors right now, so I had to settle for one feature or the other.

After searching for a while, I finally landed on LG's UltraFine 27-inch monitor. It's equipped with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels), IPS display technology, and AMD FreeSync. It's VESA-mount compatible, so I can easily mount it next to my 1080p monitor, and it has a 60Hz refresh rate, which is more than enough for work purposes and simpler games. For games that demand a higher refresh rate, I'll swap over to my 100Hz 1080p monitor.

Today's best LG 27-inch 4K UHD monitor deal

Although OLED monitors and TVs truly look stunning, I chose to prioritize the 4K feature for a few reasons. First, the crisp picture 4K provides was more important to me than vivid colors. Second, 4K isn't as new as OLED, which means buying a 4K monitor will generally be much cheaper than buying a non-4K OLED monitor. Lastly, I wanted a 27-inch monitor to match the one I already have mounted at my desk, and I could only find large OLED displays or small 15.6-inch portable monitors.

While I'm sad I can't completely replicate my Yoga 9i's display within my budget and my specific needs, I'm still stoked to upgrade my 1080p monitor to this LG 4K monitor. It's hard not to see 1080p as fuzzy once you've stared at a 4K screen for over a year. 

I still own and use my Yoga 9i, but I mainly use it when I'm tired of sitting at my desk or I want to work from the library or a coffee shop. For the most part, I prefer to work at my desk with my custom keyboard, journals and pens laid out, and 27-inch monitors. Now, I'll get to enjoy crisp 4K detail whether I'm working at my desk or somewhere else with my laptop.

Black Friday is finally here, and with it, comes some of the best deals of the season. It has everything from best laptop deals to best phone deals, there's a lot here to love. But if you're on the lookout for something more specific, like an 85-inch TV to grace your enormous living room, look no further.

Some of the best 85-inch TVs are going to cost you a pretty penny, but we have a good bit of variety in price, starting at $749 for the TCL 4K 85-inch TV to $2,499 for the Sony BRAVIA 4K QLED 85-inch TV.

Best 85-inch TV deals this Black Friday

However, the Vision Pro’s mighty MSRP is nothing short of an RVSP to the competition as they scramble to undercut Apple’s inflated pricing with more affordable mixed reality headsets of their own.

The latest of which could come via a collaboration between Meta and LG on the Metaverse parent company’s next premium hardware offering – the Meta Quest Pro 4.

An answer to the Vision Pro's biggest con?

According to Korean news site Maekyung, Meta and LG have joined forces to deliver a mixed reality experience similar to that of Apple’s Vision Pro. The new headset, rumored to be the Meta Quest Pro 4 – a confusingly named follow up to 2022’s smash-flop the Meta Quest Pro, is expected to arrive in 2025 and tout a premium, but altogether more palatable $2,000 price tag.

According to Maekyung, Meta’s next Quest Pro model will feature parts from LG Display, LG Innotek, and LG Energy Solution. The Quest Pro’s adoption of LG’s family of tech could see the headset feature industry leading Micro LED displays, iPhone-level camera modules and sensors, and an improvement to battery life and power efficiency.

Outlook

On paper, these hardware improvements go some way to countering the Vision Pro’s micro OLED optics and 12 camera/5 sensor tracking array. The potential battery improvements for the Quest Pro 4 would also see Meta’s device leapfrog Apple’s, with the Vision Pro requiring an external battery pack capable of just 2 hours of uptime.

In contrast, the Meta Quest 2’s internal battery is already capable of lasting 2-3 hours, with the upcoming Meta Quest 3 expected to deliver similar results.

However, anybody seeking to dethrone the Vision Pro as one of the most powerful mixed reality headsets on the market when it arrives next year will have a tough fight on its hands. Apple’s upcoming headset is backed by a dual-chip setup that incorporates a powerful M2 and R1 Apple silicon combo.

While Meta and LG’s partnership could provide some potent, premium components, it remains to be seen if Meta are able to stay on par when it comes to overall performance and power.

For news, rumors, and updates on all things VR and tech, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives.

Prime Day 2023 is in full swing and if you're looking for a TV, we bring good news. Amazon's big sale offers a great chance to get the LG C2 42-inch OLED TV for $796. It normally costs $1199, so that's $403 in savings. It's one of the lowest prices we've seen for this best-selling LG TV and on the best Prime Day TV deals you can get. 

While LG recently launched its C3 model, which is the latest version of this critically acclaimed OLED TV line, it is only marginally better. It's also significantly more expensive than the 42-inch LG C3 — on sale for $1,196.99 ($200 off) at Best Buy.  This means you won't want to miss the LG C2 at this unique period where it's still in stock and far cheaper than the newer model. This makes it one of the best Prime Day deals you can get.

The LG C2 isn't just a new TV to splurge on, as it is widely considered to be one of the best high-end TVs in the market. OLED technology ensures that every hue turns into an absorbing, inky pool of color, with black tones in particular reaching mind blowing degrees of depth. And now, the C2 42-inch model, which launched last year, is at a stellar price.

My obsession with OLED began in 2021 when I played Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on my brother's OLED TV. When I returned to my standard LED TV to continue the playthrough, I was shocked by its flat and shallow color depth. I knew from then on that I was spoiled, so I purchased the LG C1 OLED TV and haven't looked back since.

Purchasing an OLED TV has turned every game, movie and show into a deeply immersive event. And at this point I would rather watch a movie on my TV at home than go out to the theatre. Considering the C2 is even newer than my model, it certainly offers some improvements, but it's important to keep in mind it's not the newest model.

The LG OLED C3 launched this year, but its marginal improvement is certainly not worth the massive price difference, meaning the C2 is absolutely the right choice considering its lower cost. It's also worth keeping in mind that this deal is for the 42-inch model, and you might prefer something larger. Thankfully, the 48-inch is $896.99 and the 55-inch is $1,096.99, which means you're getting a great deal regardless of which you pick.

OLED TVs aren't perfect, however. They're often less bright than QLED or LED TVs, and they also experience stuttering issues. This means that during panning shots in films especially, it will stutter, as if the screen is lagging. These issues are worth keeping in mind if you'd like to invest into OLED technology, but it is absolutely worth it.

Looking for more phenomenal Prime Day deals? We've got you covered! Visit our Prime Day deals hub for the best summer discounts.

The LG Gram 17 is a fantastic, lightweight desktop replacement option that pairs portability and performance to great effect. Preorders for the Gram 17 also include a free 27-inch 4K, UHD (3840 x 2160, 16:9, 60Hz) monitor to maximize your screen space and boost your productivity further.

Enjoy the performance of Intel's solid 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a sizable 2TB of NVMe SSD storage. Flesh your workstation out further with USB-A 3.2 support for legacy devices and USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support. Feast your eyes on the Gram 17's gorgeous 17-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS display, and still maintain that all-important portability with a weight of less than 3 pounds.

This deal doesn't simply net you a desktop replacement in the Gram 17, by preordering you can save yourself £399 and gain a complete desktop solution thanks to the included 27-inch monitor.

Style by name, style by nature; the LG Gram Style is a design dream with its pearlescent looks. hidden haptic touchpad, and a mesmerizing OLED display. Enjoy deeper blacks, fuller viewing angles, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast rate on the LG Gram Style's stunning 16-inch, WQXGA+ (3200 x 2000, 16:10) screen.

Pre-ordering before April 11 can augment that visual experience further by bundling a 27-inch 4K UHD monitor at no extra cost. Split your tasks across multiple screens and improve your workflow ten-fold with this package while saving yourself £399.

The Gram Style's premium quality isn't surface-deep either, as it's also equipped with an Intel Core i7-1360P processor, 16 GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage to boot.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” My grandad taught me this old adage when I was a kid, but several companies at CES 2023 clearly didn’t get the memo. From disco refrigerators to a cutting board with a subscription service, plenty of bad decisions were made, which should have stayed in Vegas.

So without further ado, here is the list that nobody wants to be on: the stupidest gadgets of CES 2023.

Paula Abdul’s fashion audio glasses

Audio glasses were certainly one of the trends of CES 2023, but, er, straight up now I need to tell you that Paul Abdul’s IdolEyes were among the worst. Call me cold hearted, but these audio glasses may have taken one step forward on fashion, but they took two steps back on audio and overall quality. 

At first glance they looked crazy cool, but picking them up you immediately felt how flimsy the hinges were, if I were in a rush rush to get them on I can imagine snapping the temples right off. The audio coming out of the built-in speakers was disappointing as well, coming up short on volume and clarity, I wish I could bend time back ‘round to before I tried them. If you are looking for the promise of a new day in audio glasses, check out our hands-on with the AirGo3 smart glasses.

— Sean Riley, Assistant Managing Editor

LG’s color-changing refrigerator

“Sorry for party rocking,” said the unassuming LG fridge in the corner of your kitchen. The new MoodUp fridge brings all the typical features you’d expect, plenty of refrigerator and freezer space, an instaview chiller that you can knock on to look at what’s inside, and tons of compartments.

But all of these features were announced in a far distant second to a built-in bluetooth speaker and color-changing LED backlit panels that all flash when you engage in something called party mode… Yes, I’m serious. Now, with my vast knowledge of house parties, I always know that the kitchen is the place where all the cool kids hang out — slightly quieter so you can talk and closer to the alcohol.

Bringing the Pantone-colored party to the kitchen (yes, LG partnered with Pantone on a ruddy fridge) is not only insanely stupid, it ruins my favorite room of any party. 

— Jason England, Content Editor

Travel mug with FindMy Support

I was conflicted about adding this product, officially called the Ember Travel Mug 2+,  to the list. Why? My colleague, Laptop Mag Assistant Managing Editor Sean Riley, said that he often misplaces his coffee mug while he traipses around the house. As such, a travel mug outfitted with Apple’s FindMy support is a huge benefit for him. And as it turns out, the Ember Travel Mug 2+ has this feature.

However, other than Riley, whenever I brought up that I discovered a travel mug with Apple’s FindMy support at CES 2023, I’m looked at as if I have five heads. “Why does a mug need FindMy support?!” many said. After reminding them that it’s a travel mug, they still found it to be a little excessive for a glorified cup. I personally think it’s pretty cool, but because the critical response has been so mixed, I’m sorry, Ember, but you’re getting whatever the tech equivalent is of a Razzie for this one.

— Kimberly Gedeon, Editor

Blok cutting board

Everything does not need a subscription or to have a display attached to it and one of the worst examples of this at CES 2023 was the Blok cutting board, which was guilty of both crimes. 

I can see how they got there, recipe content and cooking videos are incredibly popular, but there is just no rational reason to build the display into the cutting board and the $39 a month subscription (they have their own chefs creating live and on-demand videos) combined with the $700 price tag is the icing on the cake that I would bake using a recipe on my tablet that I will keep well away from my cutting board or the flour, eggs and every other ingredient needed to bake said cake.

— Sean Riley, Assistant Managing Editor

The Y-Brush

Tooth decay is a serious health issue and preventive dental care is very important. That stated, I found myself curious about the Y-Brush, which was on display at CES 2023 once again — it even won an innovation award. However, its slogan was “For people who are not good at brushing their teeth.” Eww! 

The idea behind this device is to brush your teeth in seconds and go about your day pretending you really put effort into your health. The Y-Brush uses sonic vibration to clean your teeth in ten seconds or less. Now, you know there are folks who already rush through this very important habit, so it’s kind of disturbing to think you know someone who will attempt three seconds, and run out and attack the world with their now sonic-powered breath. 

The Y-Brush comes to us via Europe, and is now available in the US on Amazon for $89.99 and comes in multiple sizes. It’s nice to know you can now order the laziest method of dental health on Amazon and have it rush delivered to a person in your life who already is failing at brushing their teeth regularly. I wonder if this can be sent anonymously? We now live in a world where people spend more time making a TikTok than brushing our teeth. 

— Mark Anthony Ramirez, Staff Writer

The best laptops for programming won’t magically transform you into the next Larry Page, nor will they drape you in the wealth, success, and sweater collection of Bill Gates. Annoyingly, inspiration remains a result of humans and not machines, and usually, it’s some other human, and they post on Stack Overflow.

However, that doesn’t mean your choice of device is irrelevant. A lackluster laptop can place hurdles in the way of even the most competent of programmers. Whether you’re developing software, mobile apps, games, or for the web, the right laptop can do one thing above all — maximize your productivity.

We’ve compiled a selection of machines to help you achieve just that: maximum productivity for the task at hand. Whether you’re looking to cut down the time you spend compiling code or kick-start a new hobby, say “Hello, World!” to our selection of the best laptops for programming. Thanks to Apple releasing the beast that is the M2 chipset, things are about to change around here. I think the M2-powered MacBook Pro just put a skylight in. 

Quick List

Best Overall

In a time where internet speculation is rife, bringing out a product that stacks up to people's expectations is a burdensome task. However, as Steve Jobs once said, "People don't know what they want until you show it to them." And, with the reveal of Apple's new range of MacBook Pro laptops, anybody looking for a portable programming powerhouse can consider themselves very much shown.

The M1 Pro chip housed within might play second fiddle to the M1 Max, but when it comes to performance it's up there with the best laptops available. Our benchmark testing saw the MacBook Pro 14 dominate, with its 10-core processor demolishing the scores of top-tier Intel and AMD-powered laptops. Configurations also allow up to 64GB of RAM, 8TB of lightning-fast SSD storage, a 16-core Neural Engine, and a 32-core GPU. If your programming needs require some serious performance, there are few mountains that the MacBook Pro 14 can't get you to the top of.

As is customary for Apple products, if it sounds out of this world then the price tag is going to be also. Although the MacBook Pro 14 has a $1,999 base price, more powerful configurations can push that number up to an eye-watering $5,899. While the real crown jewel in the MacBook Pro 14 is the M1 Pro chip, several other improvements may help to soften that price for you. The most notable of which is the 14-hour battery life, a dazzling 14-inch display, a fantastic keyboard and improved port selection that includes a full HDMI port and an SDXC card reader.

See our full MacBook Pro 14 review.

Best all-around laptop for programming

Dell’s XPS 13 currently tops our list as one of the best laptops available. The runaway success of the 13-inch powerhouse has been something to behold, but the rest of the XPS family isn’t too far behind. The XPS 15 OLED is one of those family members, and it’s yet another extraordinary machine. Stacked with powerful components, the XPS 15 OLED is all gas and no brakes for tackling just about any computer-related task.

Configurations allow the XPS 15 OLED to be outfitted with an 8-core 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU. Pair this with up to 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD and you have a machine that can cover the entire spectrum of programming needs. Everything from machine learning to games development is workable with a laptop this powerful, but it will set you back a pretty penny.

You can shave down the price for the XPS 15 OLED by opting for an FHD+ panel instead of the OLED or UHD+ options. It may also improve the battery life of the laptop as our review model, fitted with the 3.5K OLED panel, managed just 6 hours and 58 minutes of uptime during testing. If battery life isn’t so important and your budget can stretch to it, the Dell XPS 15 OLED could be your programming platform of choice for years to come.

See our full Dell XPS 15 OLED (2021) review.

The best 2-in-1 laptop for programming

Balancing form and function is hard, but you wouldn’t think so looking at the HP Spectre x360 14. Call me skeptical, but any laptop that looks this good leads me to wonder what it’s trying to distract you from. However, this laptop is far more than a pretty face.

Under the hood, the Spectre x360 14 sports an 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake CPU with integrated Iris Xe graphics. This kind of power, especially when paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, makes the Spectre an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a laptop that packs a punch for programmers. If you enjoy working away from a desk, there’s even more good news, as the Spectre x360 14 impressed us with a battery life of over 12 hours in testing.

The Spectre’s 2-in-1 design is a benefit to anybody looking to develop apps with mobile devices in mind. With a quick fold, the vivid, edge-to-edge 13.5-inch panel becomes an impressive touchscreen tablet. This is great for quickly showing off a prototype or getting a feel for how your project works in real-time. HP’s laptop also impresses with a comfortable keyboard and a generously sized touchpad.

See our full HP Spectre x360 14 review.

The best business laptop for programming

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon has been a favorite of ours for some time -- we awarded it a rare 5-star rating on its original launch in 2018. It was the best business laptop on the market, and Lenovo has done well to maintain that standard with each new iteration. Now in its 9th Generation, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is hitting those 5-star peaks again thanks to some improvements to its processor, display and battery life.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon keeps all the things that made the original ThinkPad so great and tweaks it to near perfection. A best-in-class keyboard, a durable lightweight chassis, a generous supply of ports, and a great aesthetic all make a reappearance. New to this revision is a powerful 11th Gen Intel Core CPU with Iris Xe graphics, a new 16:10 14-inch display, and an improved battery life which blew past the 15-hour mark in our tests.

Configurations also allow for up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, and what results is the best ThinkPad X1 Carbon to date. More still, you get a very competent machine for programmers of all branches to make use of. Its impressive battery can keep you working on the move, and you’ll be able to code in comfort for hours thanks to one of the best laptop keyboards available.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 9) review.

The best Apple M1 laptop for programming

Apple’s ARM-based M1 chips are a game-changer, and the M1 MacBook Pro is a fantastic device for practically any computing task, programming included. A few compatibility issues remain for developers running programs on the ARM-based M1 chips. However, with each month, more and more of these issues are resolved. Emulators, virtual machines, and homebrew support have all seen significant improvements over the last year, making the newer Apple devices more and more compelling.

While you will be constrained to a maximum of 16GB of RAM, this is more than enough to perform most tasks, especially when paired with the awesome eight-core CPU. The M1 Chip catapults Apple’s MacBook ahead of the pack, delivering performance that leaves contemporaries, like the Dell XPS 13, behind. Also, the M1 Chips thermal efficiency and MacBook Pro’s active cooling system ensure you can take advantage of this power for longer, without worrying about wear and tear damage under the hood.

While setting up Windows on an M1 MacBook is a bit more in-depth than simply using Boot Camp, it is still possible to do using Windows on ARM. However, the M1 MacBook remains a fantastic platform with no need for a secondary boot if you’re a web developer, or someone looking to develop for Apple platforms. 

See our full Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) review.

The best sub-$500 laptop for programming

If you’re a student, or interested in learning how to program, you don’t need the most expensive or high-end laptop to get started. The Acer Aspire 5 is an Intel-powered laptop that will have you covered for the basics while leaving you plenty of room to grow. Even better, with the right configuration, you can pick it up for a fraction of the price compared with other laptops on our list.

Our review featured an Acer Aspire 5 outfitted with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, and while it got the job done, this is where the low cost of this laptop makes itself apparent. While you’ll still be able to program, anything CPU-intensive or requiring 3D rendering may become a struggle because of the slower clock speeds and integrated Intel UHD GPU. The laptop is available with up to 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which is more than enough to start off with.

If you need it now, and you need it on a tight budget, the Acer Aspire 5 is worth looking into. It gives you everything you need to get programming — just don’t expect blazing speeds. It’s fine for light work and will suit beginners well enough, though for larger projects it may end up becoming a drag on your productivity. If you can afford it, aim a little higher. However, if your back is against the wall, the Acer Aspire 5 is one of the best laptops for under $500 currently available.

See our full Acer Aspire 5 review.

The best laptop for 3D game development

Alienware makes some of the most impressive (and expensive) gaming laptops on the market, but playing games isn’t all they’re good for. The Alienware m17 R4 is a genuine powerhouse of computing. Thanks to an impressively powerful CPU and GPU combo, Alienware’s laptop can readily take on the demands of modern programming, including game development. While it might be overkill for your 2D rogue-like indie platformer, the sky's the limit with a machine like this.

The Alienware m17 R4 has some impressive configurations available that hit their peak with an overclockable Intel Core i9-10980HK Comet Lake processor. The top-tier configuration also features 32GB of RAM, dual 512GB SSDs, and a mighty NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 8GB of VRAM. This kind of power ensures the only bottleneck you’ll face during development will be the type that champagne flows from during your launch celebrations.

However, raw power isn’t all that Alienware’s portable behemoth offers. There’s also the sizable, 17.3-inch display that provides fantastic 1080p clarity with an ultra-smooth 360-Hz refresh rate. Rounding things off is a full-sized, low-profile mechanical keyboard with Cherry switches, ready to deliver a fantastic typing experience.

See our full Alienware m17 R4 review.

The best budget laptop for programming

The term ‘dark horse’ is the most fitting description you could give to the Acer Swift 3. In our benchmark tests, the sub-$1000 laptop was blowing away competition left right and center, some of which cost nearly three times as much as Acer’s budget buy. The secret? A Ryzen 7 4700U processor.

AMD’s CPU is an eight-core, multi-tasking monster and offers an incredible performance boost over the Swift 3’s Intel counterpart. It’s perfect for programming and exactly the type of CPU you want on hand as your projects grow larger and compiling takes longer. If it’s all sounding a little too good, that’s because we haven’t yet mentioned the RAM issue.

The Acer Swift 3 comes with upwards of 8GB of RAM, which is nothing to sneer at. The problem here is that while that’s sufficient, it isn’t very future-proof. If you’re already thinking that an after-purchase upgrade would do the job, think again. The Acer Swift 3’s RAM is soldered in, and not upgradeable. Luckily, not all programming tasks require huge amounts of RAM, and you could feasibly get by with what’s on hand. As budget-buys go, the Acer Swift 3 is the best deal you’ll find if you want premium performance without the premium price tag.

See our full Acer Swift 3 (2020, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U) review.

The best Windows laptop for programming

We will remember the Surface Laptop 4 as the moment Microsoft’s AMD gamble paid off. The launch of the Surface Laptop 3 with a Ryzen 5 3000 series processor at its core left most people wondering why Microsoft didn’t just stick with the more powerful Intel chips. Then, as the Surface Laptop 4 began rolling out with an AMD processor in tow once again, people got their answer.

The AMD Ryzen 7 4980U CPU housed within the Surface Laptop 4 isn’t one to drag its heels. It doesn’t just contend with Intel’s similarly priced chips; it routinely outperforms them. AMD’s Integrated Radeon graphics join the octa-core processor along with up to 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Microsoft’s notebook makes mincemeat of multi-tasking and is great for some of the more CPU-intensive tasks that programming can entail.

One of the few drawbacks of this laptop is its integrated GPU, which won’t be of much use for graphics-heavy projects. However, the Surface Laptop 4 makes up for this with its impressive 12-hour battery life, a comfy backlit keyboard, and a sizable, 15-inch display. It’s a great buy if you’re a Windows-familiar looking for a sleek, well-rounded laptop to program with.

See our full Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) review.

The best laptop for multi-platform programming

Although Apple has just released a new M1 Pro/Max-powered 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 2019 revision of Apple’s impressive laptop still holds strong as one of the most versatile devices currently available for programming. Thanks to its 9th Gen Intel Core i7/Core i9 processor, 2019’s MacBook Pro doesn’t suffer any native compatibility issues that developers may face from the newer ARM-based M1 chip.

With Apple’s IDE, Xcode, being exclusive to Mac devices, owning a Mac remains the only option to those seeking to develop for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS without having to rely on cloud services or virtual machines. Apple’s Intel-based MacBook Pro can also run both Windows and Linux, making this laptop a fantastic do-it-all device for programmers to target multiple platforms.

You can outfit your MacBook Pro with up to 64GB of RAM, far more than the 16GB maximum that M1 Macs currently offer. There are also configurations available that offer SSD storage ranging from 512GB up to a whopping 8TB. Adding to an already stacked lineup, a bright and colorful 16-inch retina display offers ample screen real estate thanks to its 3072 x 1920 resolution. It’s powerful, it’s pretty, and it shouldn’t be overlooked for its enduring programming potential.

See our full MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) review.

Best mobile workstation for programming

The HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 is expensive, noisy under stress, has a relatively short battery life and isn't likely to win any beauty contests. It also produces a lot of heat. Think rocket exhaust in your lap levels of heat. So why on Earth did it score so highly in our review? In a word, power. In a few more words, my god, so much power.

Who cares what your laptop looks like, or how easy it is to lug around when it has enough computing power to one day potentially rise up and enslave all humanity. The HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 is the ultimate mobile workstation solution for programmers looking for a desktop alternative. HP's powerhouse is available in several configurations, but it tops out with some incredible future-proof components including an overclockable 11th gen Intel Xeon CPU, discrete Nvidia RTX A5000 graphics with 16GB of VRAM, 128GB of RAM and upwards of 8TB of SSD storage.

However, that particular configuration isn't likely to find its way into the digital shopping cart of the average Joe anytime soon — primarily because of its $6,000+ price tag. (As reviewed.) That being said, there is a wide range of configurations available for a much smaller price that will still allow you to walk away with a pretty beastly machine. It isn't one for the hobbyist, but if you're in serious need of a mobile workstation to handle the most demanding of programming tasks, this is it.

See our full HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 review.

Best premium 2-in-1 laptop for programming

For most programming tasks, a 2-in-1 laptop can be fairly redundant. However, if you are programming with touch, gestures, or mobile devices in mind then owning a decent convertible allows you to quickly test your project with very little fuss. The Surface Laptop Studio is Microsoft's premium 2-in-1 experience, offering a great balance of form, function and portability. More importantly, its ability to handle demanding workloads, paired with the option of discrete Nvidia RTX graphics, makes it a fantastic programming device.

Picking up the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio can cost anywhere between $1,599 and $3,099 depending on which configuration you go with. The base model is already well equipped for programming thanks to an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU with integrated Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. However, if your project requires a little more 'oomf', configurations top out with an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, discrete GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage.

There's plenty of computing power on hand, and thanks to the Surface Laptop Studio's unique hinge design there's some real versatility in how to use the device. And, while the keyboard on the Surface Laptop Studio isn't full size, it still delivers an impressive and tactile typing experience that is great to use for long stretches of use.

See our full Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio review.

Best mid-sized 2-in-1 laptop for programming

Samsung fixed two of our complaints from last year with a brighter 15.6-inch display and stronger hinges while keeping the rest of the experience at the same high level. The new 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P processor is more than enough power for this paper-thin 2-in-1, and with nearly 12 hours of battery life, it should easily get you through a full day of programming productivity, no sweat.

Samsung is using the same Super AMOLED technology you'll find on their smartphones, like the Galaxy S22, and it brings out the best in whatever content you put on screen. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is powered by the Intel Core i7-1260P processor with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, which gives this 2-in-1 more than enough power for coding, game development, and group collaboration; Intel’s new P-series CPU seems to strike a solid balance for most tasks.

The Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 managed a Geekbench 5.4 overall performance score of 9,043. The MacBook Pro 16 (12,683, Apple M1 Max) naturally took the top spot among our group, but Samsung crushed the Surface Laptop 4 (6,748, AMD Ryzen 7 4980U) and the category average (5,267). It also lasted for 11 hours and 59 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. 

See our full Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 review.

How to choose the best laptops for programming

Choosing a laptop can be a confusing experience, and choosing a laptop for a specific purpose can complicate things further. If you are picking a laptop with programming in mind, you’re going to need a powerful CPU, a decent amount of RAM, and a fast solid-state drive (SSD). However, to get the best experience, a decent screen and keyboard are also important.

We’ve rounded up some of the most common questions people have asked when looking to invest in a laptop for programming. Our goal is to give you the best answers possible, helping to explain what to look for and why. Even though our answers focus on the general standard, there’s no harm in aiming beyond these specifications. After all, a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a larger SSD can never hurt. However, there’s no use blasting a spider with a shotgun when a rolled-up newspaper works just fine.

How much RAM do I need for programming?

The amount of RAM in your device is massively important for programming, especially if you’re dealing with larger projects or running multiple programs at once. 8GB of RAM is the base requirement for most programming needs, though 16GB is typically a more ideal configuration (especially so for Mac users who have to deal with the RAM-hungry Xcode). More intensive programming tasks like game development and machine/AI learning can further require between 16GB and 32GB at a minimum.

Running your device on just 4GB of RAM isn’t out of the question, especially for light coding, web development, or hobbyists. But if you have to deal with memory-intensive IDEs, emulators, or virtual machines, be aware there will be a noticeable effect on performance and compilation speeds.

What is the best CPU for programming?

The CPU of your laptop is vitally important for quickly compiling your projects and ensuring multiple applications run smoothly and efficiently. If there was any component to skimp out on when deciding on your next machine, it’s not the CPU. For most programming needs, at a minimum, you’ll want to pick a laptop with a quad-core CPU and with as high clock speeds as possible within your budget. 

There’s room for debate about which laptop CPU is the best, and each one does have its own strengths. However, outside of machine learning and AI programming, the Intel Core i5/Core i7, AMD Ryzen 7, and Apple M1 range of chips are all capable of handling most programming tasks.

SSD or HDD? What size hard drive do I need?

Choosing the right hard drive for your laptop is a much simpler affair. A decent SSD can dramatically improve your workflow. Everything from booting up your device to compiling your code is substantially faster when using an SSD, meaning you wait less and work more.

The amount of storage you require depends entirely on the size and scope of your projects. A reasonable starting point is 256GB, giving you plenty of space for assets, operating systems, and personal files. If you ever require more storage, most laptops with an SSD are easy enough to upgrade. There are also plenty of great external HDD and SSD options available if that’s not the case.

Full HD or 4K? What display you should use

A laptop’s display might not seem like an important thing to keep in mind when looking for a new device to program on, but don’t underestimate its impact. Screen real estate is massively important when juggling multiple windows or overseeing larger chunks of code. Most 13-inch and up screens will be enough to program on, but there’s no harm in seeking a larger screen if you don’t mind the hit you’ll take in portability.

With choosing between 4K and Full HD panels, an FHD 1080p panel will give you a decent amount of screen real estate and crisp, easy-to-read text. A 4K panel will offer larger resolutions and potentially more on-screen space. However, 4K panels also cost more and will drain your laptop’s battery at a much faster rate.

Does the type and size of the keyboard matter?

Programming is primarily going to involve a lot of typing, so it’s important to find a laptop with a quality keyboard. Things like key travel, layout, and spacing are all important in determining how comfortable a keyboard will be to use, and from a programming viewpoint, having a full-sized keyboard on hand is always a boon.

Additional features such as back-lit or mechanical keys can help improve your typing experience further. However, what’s most important is that the keyboard remains comfortable over time, and is durable enough to handle a lot of use. Much of what makes a great keyboard can come down to preference, so knowing what you want from a keyboard in advance can certainly make this decision much easier.

What else should I look for in a laptop for programming?

Programming isn’t often a one-person job, and it may be worth checking if your desired laptop includes a built-in webcam for communicating with team members, clients, or collaborators. There’s also no harm in using an external webcam. In fact, with more people engaging in virtual conferences and meetings, manufacturers have been releasing some of the best webcams to date. However, having a built-in webcam is great for increased portability, or if your desired device has a limited selection of ports available.

Another thing to pay attention to is whether the laptop supports external displays by offering HDMI or Mini DisplayPort connections. If you’ve seen any Hollywood movie that attempts to depict coding, you’ll understand that the more screens you have that rain down a cycle of lime green letters and numbers, the more impressive your programming potential. 

In the real world, having an additional monitor or two available maximizes your screen real estate and allows you to write your code on one screen while executing it on another. It’s incredibly handy, and it’s great for productivity, allowing you to create a real workstation environment around your laptop. If the laptop you want doesn’t include these ports, fear not. Some of the best USB Type-C hubs and the best laptop docking stations do a great job of supplying the power and ports needed to support additional monitors.

Finally, if you’re a coffee shop coder or a drifting developer, pay attention to the battery life of any laptop that catches your eye. Try not to base your decision on the manufacturer’s claims, as real-world uptime can often vary wildly from their estimates. Instead, pay attention to hands-on accounts from reputable reviewers for a more real-world assessment of a device’s battery life. 

How We Test the best laptops for programming

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. 

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise. 

These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad.

See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming. 

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on. 

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it. 

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech. 

• Shop: entire Best Buy sale

If you're on a smaller budget, you can get the LG 65 inch 4K Smart TV for $599 ($300 off). And to sweeten this deal even more, Best Buy is tossing in a free LG 2.1-Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer (valued at $279).

Many looking for a big-screen TV to fill their living rooms are often put off by outrageous prices, especially when it comes to visual tech such as 8K Ultra HD picture quality with rich colors, three-dimensional sounds from Dolby Atmos, support for HDR 10, and now 4K gaming at 120Hz on the latest generation of consoles.

If you don't want to spend just under $3,000 on all that, now's your chance to get it all for under $1,000.

The LG Nano99 65-inch 8K NanoCell TV offers all this in a slim, cinema screen with a NanoCell LED panel, 8K (4320p) resolution, HDR support, and then some. It's a smart TV with LG's own smart platform, LG webOS, and features HBO Max, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, YouTube, and more. It even has Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built in.

The deal lasts until the end of Memorial Day (May 30). If you're after a TV but want to save big, this may be the deal for you. 

• Check out our LG Gram 16 and LG Gram 17 reviews
• Best 2-in-1 laptops in 2022
• Best laptop deals in 2022

LG Gram 14 (2022)

The new LG Gram 14 is expected to be available from May 1, and you can pre-order it on Amazon for £1,199. There are a number of configurations available, and it comes in either Snow White, Charcoal Gray, or Obsidian Black.

Under the hood, you'll find if comes with up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics or an optional Nvidia RTX 2050 with 4GB video memory, up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 2TB of M.2 NVMe storage. Not bad for a laptop you'll barely notice carrying around.

The Gram 14 also sports a 14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 350 nits of brightness, DCI-P3 99% coverage, and anti-glare protection. Previous LG Grams have had fairly dim displays, so we're hoping this new generation cranks up the brightness.

With dimensions of 12.28 x 8.42 x 0.66 inches and coming in at 2.2 pounds, the Gram 14 continues LG's trend of ultra-portable offerings. We're hoping the same can be said for the Gram's long battery life, with this laptop being equipped with a 72Wh Li-Ion and a 65W adapter.

In terms of ports, expect two USB4 Gen 3 ports with Power Delivery, DisplayPort, and Thunderbolt 4 support, two USB-A 3.2 ports, a HDMI input, 3.5mm audio jack, and an SD card slot for good measure.

We're excited to put the LG Gram 14 to the test, along with attention-sensing LG Glance by Mirametrix. The built-in HD IR webcam will sense when you're away from the laptop and automatically lock, and the display will even blur when you look away. Plus, you can use your face to control the screen, as it tracks your gaze and moves the mouse pointer accordingly. It's a neat trick, but we won't know how well it work on the LG Gram until we get our hands on it. 

LG gram +view portable monitor

The LG Gram +view portable monitor is a new addition to support dual display setups, and will be available soon or £299.98. It comes in Silver, along with a black or silver folio cover. 

Connecting to laptops via a USB-C port with Display Port alt mode, the 16-inch portable monitor deliver a WQXGA (2560x1600) panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 350 nits of brightness, and DCI-P3 99% coverage. The included cover supports 105-degree and 120-degree angled views.

It's fairly lightweight, too, weighing just 1.47 pounds with dimensions of 14.17 x 9.66 x 0.32 inches. Plus, there are USB-C ports on either side of the portable monitor, making it easy for users to get the best position of plug it in. The monitor can be used landscape or portrait, thanks to its auto rotate mode.

Will LG's new Gram laptops and portable monitor be a competitor in the scene? We'll let you know once we get our hands on the devices. In the meantime, check out the best Ultrabooks you can grab right now if you're after lightweight laptops. 

• More: Best Cyber Monday deals
• Best Cyber Monday RTX 30 gaming laptop deals still available

LG B1 Series OLED TV Cyber Monday deals 

The best Cyber Monday TV deals are in full swing, and the LG B1 Series OLED TV is a prime example of an excellent Cyber Monday deal. More than just a 4K Smart TV, it boasts over 8 million pixels with each turning on and off independently so you'll see your content with perfect black, along with billions of rich colors.

With the A7 Gen 4 AI processor 4K that automatically adjusts picture and audio quality to match what you're watching, along with the TV's Nvidia G-Sync and FreeSync Premium compatibility, this is ideal for PS5 and Xbox Series X gaming consoles, too.

For the real home cinema experience, it has Cinema HDR, Dolby Vision IQ, and Dolby Atmos to get you fully immersed in any show. All that with a $753 discount.

The Cyber Monday deals keep on coming, and for more of the best Cyber Monday deals available while they're hot, we've got you covered. 

• More: Cyber Monday laptop deals 2021
• Shop: entire Amazon sale 

LG UltraGear 27GN750-B Cyber Monday deal

If you're in need of a gaming monitor, there are a lot of decisions you need to make. By spending tons of money, you can score incredible color depth, high brightness, fast response time, crisp resolution, and excellent refresh rate. However, all of these elements won't be necessary for every gamer, but with the LG UltraGear 27GN750-B, you're getting a lot of monitor perks at a cheaper price.

If you're someone who plays intense competitive games or needs a fast monitor to respond to your movements, this LG UltraGear 27GN750-B 240Hz is a great pick. It boasts a 1ms response time and a 240Hz refresh rate display. It's also Nvidia G-Sync compatible, which should make the experience while gaming far more smooth.

Oh, and it's also $133 off on Amazon right now. Now priced at $266.99, this is well worth the discounted price tag. 

Black Friday weekend may be coming to a close, but there are plenty more deals coming our way thanks to Cyber Monday. If you're looking for the best Cyber Monday laptop deals, we have you covered. 

• Our expert picks for the best wireless earbuds, per budget and style
• Check out our Apple AirPods Pro review
• …and our Sony WF-1000XM4 review

On paper, this is some serious firepower that should allow the Tone Free FP8 to share the same space as category leaders such as the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM4. Had it not been for a few missteps with ANC and call quality, that would certainly be the case. Nonetheless, the Tone Free FP8 will appease your entertainment and germophobic needs like no other buds out there.

• LG Tone Free FP8 at LG for $149
• LG Tone Free FP8 at Amazon for $149

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Availability and price

The LG Tone Free FP8 launched at $179 and is currently on sale for $149. You can purchase it in black at Amazon or directly from LG. Bundled with the purchase are a wireless charging case, USB-C charging cable, three sets of different sized ear tips, and an owner’s manual.

These buds come in at a higher price point than popular models such as the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ($149) and Beats Studio Buds ($149), but are also less expensive compared to the AirPods Pro ($249) and Sony WF-1000XM4 ($279). If your budget is limited and want something similar on the performance end, consider the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, which is as low as $84.99 at Best Buy, at the time of publishing.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Design and comfort

This version of the Tone Free wireless earbuds looks nearly identical to its predecessor, the FN7. The only visible differences between the two are the slightly shorter stems and UVnano technology (check for the neon lighting when charging) on the FP8. These give the FP8 a more discrete and flashier appearance than the AirPods. I also love the detailing, from the smooth and shiny finish to the tiny bump at the top that acts as a touch panel.

Build quality is on point with sturdy plastic and aluminum protecting the exterior, along with IPX4 water & sweat resistance.

The hockey puck-inspired charging case remains as chic, compact, and travel-friendly as ever. It feels solid, and the magnets are strong to keep the lid shut when charging on the go. Two tiny LEDs are placed on the front to inform you of battery levels and UVnano activation, while a USB-C charging port hides in the back.

Comfort and fit are the same as the previous version. The angled sound port allows for seamless insertion. Wearing the buds for several hours throughout the day was pleasant, especially in the afternoon where I would zone out for 3 hours straight playing music. Fatigue set in a little after that time frame, though my ears only required 30 minutes of rest before proceeding with testing.

LG’s silicone tips create a tight seal around the canal to optimize fit. I moved around the house at different paces over the course of five days and never had the buds fall out. It would have been great if LG developed an ear fit tip test like Apple and several other companies have done, but something tells me they’re saving it for the next version.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Controls and digital assistant

A full suite of media controls is provided that can be enabled through single/multi-tap and hold gestures. Playback, call management, volume, digital assistance, and listening mode activation are all accounted for. LG did a standout job of assigning each function to a select input method, plus you can personalize the control scheme in the Tone Free app, which is recommended to place full functionality at your fingertips. 

The touch sensors are responsive and pick up on gestures immediately. Users can also employ swipes instead of taps, a technique I found more accommodating to enable functions.

It turns out that the FP8 supports Google Assistant, Siri, Bixby, and Alexa, the latter requiring you to download the Alexa app. My experiences were fine when using three out of the four; the mics picked up vocals well and the AI bots returned results as fast as they recognized voice commands. So, which was the troublemaker? Siri. Either the feature would exhibit serious lag (5 to 10 seconds) when responding to inquiries or time out and send an error message every time I activated it on my MacBook Pro.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Audio quality

Audio on the Tone Free series hasn’t changed, and that’s a good thing. Once again, LG partnered with Meridian, utilizing the audio pioneer’s Headphone Spatial Processing technology on the FP8 to deliver a full soundstage with “pristine clarity.”

Rock classics like Van Halen’s “Jump” had me hyped from the start. The isolated drums, bass, and screams blended well over the high-energy synths on the intro. Performance was elevated to an 11 once the thundering snares and David Lee Roth’s commanding vocal pitch came into play, both of which were reproduced superbly. But it was Eddie Van Halen’s explosive riff play on the bridge that sold me on the buds’ definition and depth. This track sounds even more enamoring when swapping out the EQ.

The Tone Free app greets you with several Equalizer settings on the home screen, consisting of two custom profiles to tweak frequencies for personalized hearing and five great presets: Bass Boost, Immersive, Natural, Treble Boost, and 3D Sound Stage. Listening to “Jump” with Immersive enabled gave the synths and drums a more pronounced and livelier presence.

Pop and hip-hop tracks packed a mean punch when turning on Bass Boost. The low-key bassline on Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E” had some mean reverberation to it, while the drums on the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody” came pounding right out of the gate. Natural came in handy for ballads like Mariah Carey’s “Hero” and Treble Boost was essential for emphasizing the saxophone and trumpet play on Jazz records like Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me a Bedtime Story.”

3D Sound Stage was engineered for Hollywood blockbusters and live performances. I pulled up a few Avengers: Endgame clips to get a feel for action and dialogue-heavy scenes and wasn’t disappointed. The dramatic score was more intense and made the final battle sound like I was watching the film in a Dolby Atoms theater. While not as intuitive as the AirPods Pro’s spatial audio mode, which uses headtracking to produce 3D-like effects, this mode is arguably the best alternative.

There is a Game Mode available that lowers latency when playing video games. I notice very little difference when turning it on and playing a handful of mobile titles.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Active noise cancellation

My noise-cancelling experiences with some of LG’s past releases were mostly gratifying, but the FP8 feels like a step down for the brand. ANC performance is far from terrible, but it isn’t anything to brag about.

LG developed two different ANC modes: High and Low. The former is described as “providing comfortable noise canceling” and the latter lets you “feel immersive noise canceling.” Unless you have detailed hearing, it’s unlikely that you will hear the differences between the two. High is the way to go if you want the very best noise neutralization on these buds. During a grocery run to Publix, most ambient noises were muted. This consisted of droning refrigerators, speaker announcements, and talkative shoppers. High-frequency sounds were the problem. To hear a child crying from the opposite end of a supermarket speaks for itself.

Wearing the buds outside, it was nice to block out planes that flew over the house, chatty pedestrians, and even some landscaping tools. Then a caravan of 2020 election protesters (yep, they’re still at it) rode by honking their horns incessantly, which was audible at a high level from the front porch. Switching over to Low only made these noises more unbearable. 

Ambient Sound also has two modes that come in handy for certain situations. Listening is geared towards increasing awareness of your surroundings and does a fantastic job of piping in incidental sounds to keep your guard up. Conversation is self-explanatory, opening the mics to let in voices clearly, which was the case every time I spoke with my wife during work hours. There were times where I could even hear her whispering to me as our baby napped, something that really surprised me.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: App and special features

Before diving into LG’s feature-laden app, let’s discuss the FP8’s biggest selling point: UVnano technology. This specialized lighting is integrated into the charging case and can kill 99.9% of bacteria found on speaker mesh. The feature activates when the buds are charging. There is no way for the average consumer to determine how effective this technology is, so we’re left taking LG at their word.

The company does claim that the Tone Free series comes UL-verified, and is certified by two laboratories, and has undergone independent testing, if that counts for anything.

Now, onto the Tone Free app. Control customization, Game Mode, and the Equalizer were already discussed in detail, but there is plenty more functionality to uncover. There is a battery level indicator for the buds, along with numerous toggle controls for the listening modes, auto pause/play, touchpad lock, and notification settings. Another one of these toggles is called Intelligent Sorting, which automatically sorts items in the app by analyzing your usage patterns.

Like Samsung, LG has its own Labs section that hosts in-development features for users to play with, should they choose to. Here is where you’ll find the aforementioned Game Mode, along with Whispering Mode, which will come up again when discussing the FP8’s call quality.

Rounding out the Tone Free app is a Find My Earbuds function and firmware updates.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Battery life and charging case

Playtimes range from 6 hours (ANC on) to 10 hours (ANC off). Take high volume, special features, and streaming into account and battery life drops by 30 minutes to 1 hour. I’m not complaining, since these are longer listening times than the AirPods Pro (4.5 to 5 hours), but I would be remiss not to share other models that offer more: the Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport (10 to 12 hours) and Sony WF-1000XM4 (8 to 12 hours) come to mind. 

Fast charging is some of the most powerful out there, matching the AirPods Pro and WF-1000XM4 with a 5-minute charge generating 1 hour of use.

The charging case holds between 15 to 24 hours, depending on how you use the buds. By comparison, the AirPods Pro case holds 24 hours, which is considered the industry standard. At the same time, we’re seeing other ANC rivals with charging cases that carry more portable power. Once again, reference the Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport (42 hours) or Sony WF-1000XM4 (24 to 35 hours). Wireless charging is available, so you can power up the buds by placing the case atop a qi-enabled charging pad.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Call quality and connectivity

The Tone Free FP8 does little to impress as a calling headset. In fact, I found these buds worse for calls than the FN6 and FN7. All the feedback I received from clients and friends was bad; one person joked that it sounded liked I was caught in a hurricane due to all the wind interference. My wife added to the long list of criticisms, stating my voice was heavily muffled outside, and while slightly better inside, it was still unclear at times.

The Free FP8 was useful for video chats, but when I wasn’t testing it, my go-to pair was the AirPods Pro or whatever set of wireless earbuds was up next for review.

LG introduced a new mode called Whispering Mode, and, honestly, I failed to understand its serviceability. According to LG, using the mode requires holding the right earbud near the mouth to speak softly on the phone and that speaking loudly may “experience poor audio quality during a call.” The missus couldn’t tell any real difference between Normal and Whispering. I also felt dumb whispering into one bud that was placed near my mouth, especially since the left bud or both buds should already be engineered to pick up vocals clearly.

You can expect steady connectivity through Bluetooth 5.0. The pairing processing is instantaneous, primarily with Android devices, thanks to one-touch Google Fast Pair. Pairing to iOS/macOS devices won’t require much effort either. Range might be the FP8’s unsung feature. I was fortunate to enjoy close to 50 feet of wireless listening before dropout occurred.

Multipoint technology may not be part of the package, but the Free FP8 has some noteworthy auto-switch capabilities, automatically transferring connectivity to another device when selected.

LG Tone Free FP8 review: Verdict

The FP8 is LG’s best pair of wireless earbuds to date. I don’t know why it took them so long to offer up the complete package in one bundle, but you now have a Tone Free model that grants you most, if not all, of the series hallmarks (e.g., ANC, specific Lab modes, UVnano). Sound is loud, spacious, and detailed, complementing all media formats. The Tone Free app is loaded with features to play around with and enhance the user experience. Being able to eliminate bacteria on the buds by leaving them in the case is also relieving and reassuring, considering the times we’re living in. 

Ambient listening is another strong trait of the FP8, but noise cancellation, while useful in certain scenarios, doesn’t feel as powerful as it does on older Tone Free versions. The dip in call quality and bugginess of Siri bring down the FP8’s score as well.

All that being said, the FP8 is still a relatively affordable option for those who want buds that deliver excellent sound, and can even clean themselves.

The LG Gram 17 (2021) is a big deal. Although it packs a large 17-inch display, it does so in a body that weighs as much as a 13-inch or 14-inch laptop. The LG Gram 17, for better or worse, is just as capable as those smaller devices, but gives you the added benefits of more screen real estate and a roomy keyboard and touchpad.

Unfortunately, the Gram 17 doesn't make it to the top of our best laptop page because of its weak speakers, midling performance and long-term durability concerns given the flex we noticed in the keyboard and lid. However, its strengths, like the vivid 17-inch high-res display, wide assortment of modern ports, and impressive battery life could be enough to sway certain consumers. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) price and configuration options 

The LG Gram 17 comes in one configuration that retails for $1,799. This config sports an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB NVMe SSD and integrated Intel Xe graphics. The 17-inch display has a 2560 x 1600-pixel WQXGA resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio. For connectivity, the Gram 17 has 802.11ax WiFi and Bluetooth 5.1. It also comes in two colors: black and gray. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) design

At first glance, the LG Gram 17 doesn’t seem very interesting. It's a large rectangular slab with simple lines and minimal flourishes. The lid is simple with only the Gram logo in the center. To make matters worse, the black magnesium alloy finish is prone to picking up fingerprint smudges. However, things get more compelling when you lift the slab and realize that it's much lighter than anticipated. For a brief moment, you feel like Thor lifting Mjölnir.

The Gram 17 measures 14.9 x 10.2 x 0.7 inches and weighs 3 pounds. To put things in perspective, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 inches also weighs 3 pounds. More directly compatible devices are the Dell XPS 17 (14.7 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches, 5.5 pounds) and the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 15-inch (14 x 9 x 0.5 inches, 3.2 pounds).

This lightness is achieved thanks to the magnesium alloy, which doesn’t feel as metallic as aluminum laptops. Sadly, the featherweight material flexed when I applied pressure on the lid and keyboard deck. If you can overlook those faults, you'll appreciate some of the Gram 17’s other design elements, like the thin display bezels surrounding the massive screen.

Moving over to the keyboard deck, you have a full-size keyboard with a number pad to its right. The power button, located just above is home to an integrated fingerprint reader. The keyboard deck is completed by a huge touchpad and palm rest. 

Finally, at the bottom are rubber feet, vents and the itty-bitty speaker grills. The feet are there to lift the bottom off the tabletop and assist with cooling while angling the keyboard deck slightly for a more ergonomic typing angle.

Overall, the design doesn’t take any risks — what you see is what you get. There’s no gimmick or superfluous design elements — just a thin and ultra-lightweight laptop with a huge display; everything else takes a backseat in the quest to achieve that portability.

LG Gram 17 (2021) security and durability

The LG Gram 17 only has one security feature: a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button. The Windows Hello-compatible reader works quickly and accurately, making logging into your account or entering (without typing!) passwords in the Edge browser a snap. 

LG missed the opportunity to add a Windows Hello-compliant IR webcam, a security feature many consumers appreciate when it comes to safeguarding precious data. A physical shutter or an electronic kill switch is another thing on the wishlist. Thankfully, the Gram at least has a Kensington lock slot on the right.

Despite the flexing we noticed in the chassis, the Gram 17 has gone through MIL-STD-810G testing. The MIL-STD-810G certification involves testing in a variety of environments that replicate transport shock, vibration, low pressure, high-temperature, low-temperature, dust, and salt fog. This means you can carry the laptop on a long trip (remember those?) without having to worry about the usual beating your bag will take. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) ports

The LG Gram 17 has quite a few ports for such a lightweight system. On the left side, you’ve got two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Along the right are a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot and a security lock slot. 

In case you need more ports, check out our best USB-C hubs and best laptop docking station pages. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) display

The main draw of the LG Gram 17 is its expansive 17-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel WQXGA display. with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The screen has several things going for it. First, the display is in a sweet spot between 1080p, which may look low- res on such a large display, and 4K, which may be more taxing on the integrated graphics and battery. According to our sister site Tom’s Hardware, the 16:10 aspect ratio is a favorite among productivity users, allowing for more vertical space compared to a typical 16:9 screen. 

The screen looks great, and not just while rummaging through spreadsheets. I watched several episodes of Loki and everything looked great, in particular, the scenes on Lamentis at night in the canyons and in the city with all of the neon signage. In the dark night scenes in the canyon, it was easy to make out the craggy edges of the rocks and the varying degrees of lighting provided by the beautiful purple sky, which were punctuated by the occasional bright flash of a falling meteor. In the city scenes, the display did a great job of highlighting the glow of the neon signs, in particular, the hot pinks, teals and yellows felt like they could burst out of the screen.

One small nitpick is that some skin tones tended to have an orange tinge to them. Watching a 4K video of Peru, one of the artisans’ skin looked noticeably more orange than on other devices I watched the same scene on.

During our testing, the Gram 17’s display covered a respectable 109.3% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. While not as high as the XPS 17 (121.6%), it was significantly more colorful than the Galaxy Book Pro 360 (85%) and the premium laptop category average of 82.9%. 

With regard to screen brightness, the LG Gram came short, measuring 382 nits compared to the premium laptop average of 388 nits. This was better than the Galaxy Book Pro at 264 nits but paled in comparison to the XPS 17’s 505 nits.

LG Gram 17 (2021) keyboard and touchpad

The Gram 17 has a comfortable island-style keyboard with a number pad for dedicated number crunchers. Each key gives good feedback when typing, so there is no mistaking a missed keystroke. During the 10fastfingers typing test, I hit my usual 65 words per minute after taking some time to get used to the layout. 

I do have a few gripes, however. The first of which is the number pad, which I found uncomfortable to use for prolonged use. Another complaint is the position of the touchpad relative to the keyboard, with the touchpad being centered to the palm rest and the keyboard being aligned to the left (due to the presence of the number pad). This makes it easy to accidentally activate the touchpad while typing.

The 5.1 x 3.3-inch touchpad is large and, much like the keyboard, is nice to use. It’s responsive when navigating the cursor and when scrolling or using Windows 10 gestures. Clicking the touchpad also feels good; it has the right amount of give and isn't too loud.  The accidental touches I mentioned above are exacerbated by the touchpad’s large size, and they caused me to place my wrists in an uncomfortable position to avoid accidentally interfacing with the surface. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) audio

One of the Gram 17’s major weaknesses are its speakers. The Gram has two five-watt speakers, but because the speakers are bottom-firing, your desk or table gets the best seat at the concern. The speakers don't get very loud even at max volume, making it difficult to hear dialogue on a TV show. Since many of the characters in Loki (especially Mobius) speak in a whisper, much of the dialogue was lost at all but the highest volume levels. 

The speakers are also disappointing for listening to music. Again, because of the bottom-firing orientation, volume is lacking to the point where the Gram couldn't fill our testing room. Volume levels aside, the quality of the sound is a mixed bag. I listened to “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys and the vocals, drums and record scratches were clear and crisp even with the volume set to about 50%. The bass portions of the song were harder to hear, however. I then listened to the Beastie Boys’ “The Sounds of Science,” which has a sample of the clarinets from the Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty Four,” which involved lower-pitched notes. Sadly, the sample can’t be heard at all except at the height of the clarinet notes.

LG Gram 17 (2021) performance

The LG Gram 17 and its 2.8-GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU and 16GB RAM pack enough punch to handle most tasks students or mobile professionals could throw at it. It can power dozens of tabs in Google Chrome alongside your Microsoft Office apps like Excel, Word and PowerPoint. 

When we ran Geekbench 5.4, an overall productivity test, the Gram 17 scored 4,458, whereas the average for premium notebooks is 4,607. The Galaxy Book Pro 360 and its Intel Corei7-1165G7 scored a much more impressive 5,575.

On the Handbrake video editing test, the Gram 17 was the slowest of the bunch, transcoding a 4K video to 1080p in 23 minutes 28 seconds. The XPS 17 (2.3GHz Intel Core i7-10875H) completed the task in 8:41 while the Galaxy Book Pro finished in 16:24. 

In our File Transfer speed test, in which the laptop transfers 25GB of multimedia data, the Gram 17, with its 1TB M.2 2280 SSD, was the slowest of the bunch, completing the transfer in 39 minutes. The XPS 17 (1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD) completed the transfer in 34 minutes and the Galaxy Book Pro (1TB M.2 PCIe SSD) finished the transfer in 31 minutes.

LG Gram 17 (2021) graphics

With integrated Iris Xe graphics, demanding graphical tasks, like playing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm were less stellar. The Gram could only maintain 24 frames per second, which is below our 30-fps threshold. A gaming machine, this is not. Running the same game, the Galaxy Book Pro managed a better 27 fps using the same Intel Iris Xe graphics.

In the 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark, the Gram 17 managed a score of 4,733, which is slightly better than the premium laptop average of 4,728. The Galaxy Book Pro obtained a noticeably higher score of 5,575 using a similar processor and integrated graphics. The XPS 17, with its discrete Nvidia RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, received a much higher 11,801. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) battery life

We’re in a golden era of laptop battery life, and even so, the Gram 17  stands out. 

I use a 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro as my work laptop, and while it can last me a whole workday, I can’t forget to charge it overnight for the next day. The LG Gram 17 lasted me a full nine hours of work, and when I forgot to charge it overnight, it still got through most of the next day.

The Laptop Mag battery test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness) reinforced my experience, with the Gram 17 achieving a whopping 14 hours on a charge. The average laptop in this category only lasts 10:58. The XPS 17 and Galaxy Book Pro 360 only achieved 9:05 and 13:34, respectively. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) heat

The Gram 17 stayed well within range of our 95-degree Fahrenheit comfort threshold. After running a fullscreen HD video for 15 minutes, we measured key spots on the laptop starting with the touchpad, which measured a cool 82 degrees. Meanwhile, the keyboard and bottom reached temperatures of 93 and 94 degrees, respectively. 

LG Gram 17 (2021) webcam

The LG Gram 17’s webcam is nothing to write home about. It provides decent performance in well-lit areas and worse performance in low-light environments. In low light environments, the image looked grainy and my skin tone was red. Fortunately, I didn’t see these issues when using the laptop outdoors under natural light or indoors under fluorescent lighting.

LG Gram 17 (2021) software and warranty

On the software front, the LG Gram 17 comes with a lot of preinstalled applications, each with varying degrees of usefulness. As far as homegrown apps go, LG packed the Update Center to update device drivers and firmware; LG Control Center to allow for some additional power management, audio and display settings; and LG Virtoo for sync your phone notifications, call and texts with the LG Gram.

There are several trials for third-party apps included such as CyberLink’s PowerDVD, PowerDirector and PhotoDirector. The packaging and sticker on the palm rest also remind you that it comes with the Amazon Alexa app preinstalled. 

The LG Gram comes with a standard 1-year warranty covering parts and labor.

Bottom line

The LG Gram 17, like its 16-inch sibling, tries to act as a catch-all for a wide range of users, from the mobile professional to home or student consumers who may need a do-it-all device with a large display. In most aspects, the Gram 17 (2021) fits the bill, handling everyday tasks with ease. It has a wonderful selection of ports, a good display, and it can do most of the tasks 90% of customers require with aplomb. Best of all, it lasted 14 hours on our battery test.  

However, as a 17-inch laptop selling for $1,799, the Gram lacks power. If you need more oomph, the Samsung Galaxy Book 360 is a great choice. At $1,499, the laptop gives better performance for hundreds less. If you want to play games, you’ll want to invest in the $3,049 Dell XPS 17, which has a discrete GPU, powerful performance and a better display, among other benefits. But for those looking for a thin-and-light laptop with the largest possible display., the LG Gram 17 is the laptop for you. 

The LG Gram 16 tries to answer the question, “What if you made a big-screen MacBook Air?” Such a device would have to be lightweight and powerful enough to meet the needs of a large variety of consumers. That includes everyone from students in need of a portable jack-of-all-trades notebook to productivity users handling documents, spreadsheets and Zoom meetings.

The LG Gram 16 makes a compelling case for a big screen on a thin and lightweight form factor. It brings understated looks with a solid display and a good array of ports to minimize the dongle-life while packing a great battery to get you through a busy day. This all comes in a package that is lightweight, but big enough to not feel constrained.  The featherweight chassis could, at times, feel like a bit of a drawback due to the flexibility of the magnesium alloy lid, and I have some gripes with the display and audio quality. But overall, the Gram 16 is a great choice.

LG Gram 16 (2021) pricing and configurations

Our review unit came with an Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor with 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB NVMe M.2 2280 SSD. The display is a 16-inch IPS LCD with a 16:10 aspect ratio at WQXGA (2560x1600) resolution. Our review unit retails on LG’s site for $1,699 and is available in silver or black. There is also a configuration with an Intel 11th Gen Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage at $1299, which only comes in white. 

LG Gram 16 (2021) Design

The LG Gram is a walking conundrum. At first blush, it looks pretty big and you expect a certain heaviness due to its large dimensions. But when I lifted the laptop, it was surprisingly lightweight. The material is a magnesium alloy that somehow does not manage to feel like metal. 

In terms of the overall design, the Gram 16 is nothing to write home about. It takes a very no-frills approach as a thin, gray laptop with a black keyboard. You know, the usual. It looks pretty much like any other Ultrabook that has come out in the post-MacBook Air era. This is both a gift and a curse in that the Gram would fit in comfortably in a dorm or boardroom, but could also easily lead to the device being overlooked in favor of other sparklier devices such as the HP Spectre x360 15. 

The LG Gram 16 measures at 14 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches and weighs in at only 2.6 pounds TIt It’s much lighter than the Dell XPS 17 (14.7 x 9.8 x 0.6 inches, 5.5 pounds), but just a tad heavier than the Acer Swift 5 (12.6 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches,  2.3 pounds).

LG Gram 16 (2021) Security and Durability

On the security front, the Gram 16 has a built-in fingerprint reader on the power button. It is pretty nifty that lets you use your fingerprint to login and bypass the Windows login screen. While not a killer feature in and of itself, it does save you a few seconds. 

The LG Gram 16 has also gone through MIL-STD-810G testing according to LG, which means it's more rugged than the average laptop. It passed seven MIL-STD-810G tests including transport shock, vibration, low pressure, high-temperature, low-temperature, dust, and salt fog. In other words, it could more than handle the bumps and dings of the average commute if that ever makes a comeback.

LG Gram 16 Ports  

Port selection is where the Gram 16 truly shines. LG made good use of the relatively large, but thin frame, fitting an HDMI port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a headphone-mic combo jack on the left side of the machine. On the right are two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot and Kensington Lock slot.

LG Gram 16 (2021) Display

The display is one of the main highlights of the Gram 16. If you’ve spent most of your time on a 13- or 14-inch display, you’ll immediately fall in love with the sheer roominess of this 16-inch screen. The minimal bezels also contribute to the feeling of expansiveness when you’re watching movies or browsing the web. 

Its 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution is just right for productivity work. Want to have two documents side-by-side? Want to watch HD or 4K content with a minimal hit to battery life? This is the way. You get a comfortable display with battery life to get you through your workday (but more on endurance later). 

The display is vivid and detailed. Watching the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick, the details were so crisp that I saw the age lines along actor  Tom Cruise’s forehead as he grimaced in the cockpit.

But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows on the display front. While viewing BTS’s “DNA” music video, the colors of the video, which are normally saturated, pushed the envelope on the Gram 16. The hues seemed to bleed a little, particularly the bright blue in the background.  It cast a bluish tint over the singers’ skin tones, making them look washed out.

In testing, the LG Gram 16’s display reached a brightness of 279 nits compared to the Acer Swift 5’s 350 nits and Dell XPS 17’s 605 nits, making it significantly less bright than its competitors. In fact, the Gram 16 came in well below the premium laptop average of 392 nits.

In terms of colors, the Gram 16’s display hits 121.9% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is in line with the category average of 122%. For comparison, the Acer Swift 5 manages to cover 75% and the Dell XPS 17 reaches 121.6%. 

LG Gram 16 (2021) keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard and touchpad take some getting used to. The key travel on the full-sized, island-style keyboard is definitely better than that found on the Butterfly keyboard of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, but it doesn’t feel as good as, say, a Lenovo ThinkPad T490S. The keyboard also includes a number pad on the right side, which seems like a good addition for productivity use, but in my opinion, it is slightly too narrow and, therefore, uncomfortable to use. I would have preferred if the keyboard took up the full deck sans number pad. 

The keyboard may take a bit of getting used to. On the 10fastfingers typing test, I achieved an average of 54 words per minute vs. my usual 60-wpm result on my MacBook Air. This number would likely get higher over time; it just requires a bit of getting used to the keyboard alignment. 

The glass touchpad measures 5.1 inches by 3.3 inches and feels very spacious. It is responsive to clicks and gestures, with very few errors. Clicking the bottom corners of the touchpad produces an appropriate tactile response, without feeling mushy. It is, however, subject to accidental input due to its placement on the keyboard deck. 

Because of the number pad, the keyboard is slightly to the left and the touchpad appears to be aligned too close to the center. This is aesthetically pleasing but hinders usability, leading to accidental clicks or swipes from your right hand when typing. If the touchpad were aligned slightly more to the left, it would be significantly more comfortable to use.

LG Gram 16 Audio

Want to watch a movie on this Gram’s gorgeous display? Bring headphones. The speakers are bottom-firing, which leads to low volume and distant audio. On Free National’s “Beauty and Essex,” the bass is reduced to a whimper and there’s little difference between the main vocal and backing vocals and echoes. 

The LG Gram 16 comes with the DTS:X Ultra app which allows additional customization of EQ, with some presets for listening to music, watching movies or playing games. For instance, the Music preset focuses on the lows and makes music sound more bassy, but it does it in a way that disregards the mids and highs. The Movies preset does faux-surround sound audio that n improves things when watching movies with action scenes, but you’ll still have a hard time hearing dialogue. None of the settings made the speakers any louder. 

LG Gram 16 Performance

The LG Gram will take all the Google Chrome tabs your work or school life can throw at it. And it will easily power your documents and spreadsheets on your office suite of choice even when Spotify is playing in the background (with headphones of course). One of those madlads that loves the Outlook desktop app? Sure, go for it. This computer is a productivity beast, even if it falls short against the competition. This is in no small part due to Intel’s 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 CPU and 16GB of RAM.

On the Geekbench 5.3 synthetic benchmark, the LG Gram 16 achieved a score of 5,145, surpassing the category average of 4,250. However, the Acer Swift 5, with the same 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7, achieved significantly better results at 5,916.  

In our Handbrake video test, the Gram 16 transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in  17 minutes and 58 seconds. This is slower than the premium average of 16:55 and significantly slower than its competitors the Swift 5 and XPS 17 at 13:55 and 8:41 seconds, respectively. 

Graphics are one of the device’s weak spots. The LG Gram 16 is running on Intel’s integrated Iris Xe Graphics.  On 3DMark Timespy it scored 1692, below the category average of 1905. On 3DMark Fire Strike, the Gram 16 scored 4,698 versus the premium laptop average of 4,687. 

LG Gram 16 Battery Life

One thing the LG Gram 16 has is longevity. When we ran the Laptop Mag Battery Test, the notebook lasted 13 hours and 41 seconds. That’s significantly longer than the premium laptop average and the MacBook Pro, which each lasted 10:07. It also edged out the Dell XPS 17 and its time of 9:05. In a real-world context, I successfully used the Gram 16 to get through a full workday of emailing, web browsing, Zoom and Google Meet video calls. I still had enough battery life to watch a few episodes of WandaVision. 

LG Gram 16 webcam

The LG Gram has a 720p webcam. Despite not being full HD, it is clear and more than adequate for daily Zoom meetings. Faces look crisp even in sub-optimal lighting conditions, like on my desk which faces away from my window and is poorly lit. That said, the image is a little noisy and details get washed out (I wish my skin was as clear as it appears in the test shots). The webcam also gave my skin tone a pinkish hue. 

LG Gram 16 heat

The LG Gram can get pretty warm when pushed. In our testing, which involves playing a fullscreen HD video for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 86 degrees Fahrenheit and the center of the keyboard hit a whopping 101 degrees, above our 95-degree comfort threshold. The bottom temperature readings fared a bit better, reaching only 89 degrees.  

LG Gram Software and Warranty

The LG Gram comes with quite a few bundled apps. Update Center updates the device drivers and firmware. Control Center allows you to control power management, audio and display settings. Virtoo lets you sync your phone notifications, call and texts with the laptop. LG also currently has a promotion that includes a one-year Microsoft 365 Personal license. This is a pretty nice deal as it is a $69.99 value if it were purchased separately, and could be useful for the Gram’s target demographics. 

There is a lot of pre-installed software of varying degrees of usefulness. The Amazon Alexa app comes pre-installed and there is a trial for CyberLink’s suite of apps (PowerDVD 14, PhotoDirector, PowerDirector, AudioDirector and ColorDirector). There are also Windows Store links in the Start menu to common apps like Adobe Photoshop, Spotify, Hulu and Facebook Messenger, which could be helpful or slightly annoying. Whatever the case, they can be easily removed. 

The LG Gram comes with a standard 1-year warranty covering parts and labor. There does not appear to be an option for purchasing an extended warranty through LG. Make of that what you wish.

Bottom Line

The $1,399 LG Gram 16 is a nice laptop for those who need a large display on a very lightweight notebook. Most similarly sized notebooks can be anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds heavier. And at a time when premium laptops are skimping out on ports and dongles,, it is refreshing to see the LG Gram not lacking any connections. And thanks to its long battery life, you may not even have to pack your charger most days if you were using this as your work or school laptop.

But, that can also be a double-edged sword in that LG Gram is a premium laptop that doesn’t quite feel as premium as its price would suggest. Its display is impressive but at times imperfect. The keyboard is so close to being comfortable to use but comes up just short. If you’re looking for a laptop with comparable battery life, slightly stronger performance, and a brighter display, I’d recommend the Acer Swift 5, which is also $100 cheaper. However, you’re giving up that large, 16-inch, screen.

The LG Gram 16 is truly a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as it can serve a bunch of varying use cases in its incredibly lightweight chassis. It’s not a powerhouse like the Dell XPS 17 or 16-inch MacBook Pro, but for many consumers, it’s more than enough. 

LG's board of directors voted to close the mobile division in order to focus on its many other varied interests including smart home devices, robotics, electric vehicle components, AI and others. The shuttering of the mobile business is expected to be complete by July 31, but that won't be the end of the line for current owners of LG phones (via PhoneArena).

• Best smartphones in 2021
• Pixel 5a: Price, release date, specs and more
• Best mobile phone deals in April 2021

In its official statement, LG said that it "will provide service support and software updates for customers of existing mobile products for a period of time which will vary by region." LG has not offered further clarity on the exact timelines for this support yet,. But considering the lack of solid software support was one of the many complaints regarding LG phones in recent years, I wouldn't count on more than a year or perhaps two at the outside.

Needless to say, this also means that we will never see the LG Rollable prototype that the company showed off briefly at CES this year or a follow-up to the LG Wing that our reviewer found so captivating last year. 

While the company released other mid-tier and lower devices since then, the Wing is a fitting send-off for the company as from a hardware perspective it's unique and interesting. However, it stumbled considerably with the use of a Snapdragon 765G processor as opposed to the then-current Snapdragon 865. That alone would have addressed some of the performance issues encountered by our reviewer. The rest can be laid at the feet of the software, which was often the Achilles heel for LG as its overlays on Android both slowed performance, support and weren't generally well-received.

LG managed to push the mobile market forward, or at least successfully predict where the market was going, with features like ultra-wide cameras, a 1440p display, stainless steel frames and capacitive touchscreens (it beat Apple by a few months) to name a few. All of these would later see wide adoption by others despite seeing limited attention when unveiled by LG. Some of this comes down to marketing, where LG simply doesn't wield the power of Samsung or Apple, but some of it falls squarely at LG's feet.

A number of high-profile LG devices (LG G4, LG G5, LG V10, LG V20 and LG Nexus 5X) suffered from a serious boot loop issue that ultimately led to a significant class-action lawsuit against the company. The mobile business was already on the downturn, but this certainly eroded trust further. This was exacerbated by the company's foray into modular phones with the LG G5 that was quickly abandoned. 

LG will be missed as one of the few meaningful players left among the shrinking number of high-end phone manufacturers, but with nothing but losses over the last six years this was almost certainly the right move for the company. While it only had 2% of the global smartphone market, its 10% share in the U.S. will be a bit more of a shakeup. At the high-end, it's an opportunity for OnePlus. With the recent release of the OnePlus 9 Pro, it is one of the only alternative flagships left in the U.S. However, the best budget phones will see the biggest impact as that's where LG was far more competitive in recent years.

A report from The Korean Times States that " LG Electronics appears to have decided to pull out of its money-losing smartphone business and entered into a transition process to relocate its mobile communications employees to other business units." 

The report also mentions that the LG smartphone division has been operating at a loss since 2015. LG negotiated to sell the division to various buyers, including  Vingroup, a Vietnamese company, but that the deal fell through. 

• Best mobile phone deals in April 2021
• The best laptop deals in April 2021
• Best headphone deals in April 2021

According to The Korean Times, industry sources stated, " G has considered various options such as a sale, split sales or pulling out of the smartphone business, but decided recently to pull out of the business," and that an announcement would be coming from LG April 5th. 

LG, for its part, went with "no comment" but followed it up with, "All we can say is that every possibility is open. Although we cannot confirm that right now, we will announce the specific direction of our mobile communications business."

This past January, LG Electronics CEO Kwon Bong-Seok mentioned that LG was reviewing its mobile business's direction and keeping its options open. Many Industry experts expected LG to make a statement regarding its mobile business at its March 24 shareholder's meeting. However, CFO Bae Doo-young only towed the company line, reiterating that " all possibilities remain open." 

Although LG's smartphone division has been losing money, it's been a huge player in the world of electronics overall and seen its stock value soar as its home appliances, TV's and growing EV business and vehicle components business has been in high demand. 

LG leaving the smartphone market would send serious ripples throughout the industry as they've been one of the top smartphone makers in the North American market and the top five in Latin America. Retailers will be looking to sell off their remaining stock of LG phones and find a replacement product from other makers. 

• Apple’s first foldable iPhone gets a release window 
• iPhone 13: Price, release date, specs and more
• Apple's foldable iPhone could have a strange flip phone form factor

Not to be confused with LG Smartphones, who may or may not be releasing the hyped LG rollable phone seen at CES 2021, LG Display has been rumoured to be working on the foldable iPhone for a while now, although it was initially slated to released back in 2020 (via GSMArena). Well, that didn't happen.

If production of the new foldable iPhone is only just starting, it could be a while until anyone gets their hands on it. However, Chinese investment research firm EqualOcean believes we'll see the new flagship phone around 2023, which certainly gives LG time to design the device.

The question is, will it be a 'flip' or 'fold'? According to a recent patent Apple has been granted, we can expect a clamshell-style iPhone in the same vain as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

Regardless, the foldable iPhone is in its very early stages, so it may turn into an entirely different device altogether by the time its slated to come out in 2023. In the meantime, we have plenty more foldable devices to look forward to this year, most notably the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3.

Unfortunately for LG, it has been buried under the weight of Samsung and Apple in the U.S. and even more so internationally with Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo in the mix as well. All this is to say that it comes as little surprise that, according to a report from the Korea Herald, the company is contemplating shuttering its smartphone business in 2021 (via The Verge). 

• Best smartphones in 2021
• Best phone deals of January 2021
• Asus ROG Phone 2021 leaked — and it comes with a secondary screen

Before LG diehards get too worked up, there are other options on the table; in a response to The Korea Herald, LG stated that "The company is considering all possible measures, including sale, withdrawal and downsizing of the smartphone business." 

That leaves open quite a bit of wiggle room, although downsizing the smartphone business seems like postponing the inevitable, so it's difficult to see that particular option playing out. The biggest question for a sale is who might be in the market for a smartphone division that has lost roughly $4.5 billion over the last five years. 

The name certainly carries some value, so we could see something similar to Lenovo purchasing Motorola back in 2014 to give it a foothold in the smartphone market that it lacked on its own. Speaking of Motorola, Google would be another potential buyer, although it may have learned its lesson.

For now, things will continue on as usual for LG smartphones with products like the LG Rollable that the company very briefly showed off at CES still planned for release this year. But with the future of LG's smartphone division in doubt, recommending any of them, let alone an untested premium smartphone, is going to be a tough sell.

Consider bookmarking this page if you want to be sure to catch all of the news from CES 2021 as we'll keep you updated with all of our coverage throughout the show.

• CES 2021 preview: 5 things to expect at the event
• Best laptops 2021
• Best cheap laptop deals of January 2021

Lenovo at CES 2021

Lenovo is typically one of the most prolific brands at CES and 2021 is no exception with a number of new laptops, tablets and monitors already announced and more expected.

Lenovo did have one unexpected offering up its sleeve with its new smart glasses, which are an enterprise-focused take on Google Glass.

Lenovo CES 2021 news:

• Lenovo's ThinkBook 14p raises the bar for business premium laptops
• Lenovo launches new Legions — including the world's lightest 15.6-inch, RTX gaming laptop
• Lenovo's dual-screen ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 adds polish to the unique e-ink laptop
• New Lenovo ThinkBook 13x unveiled at CES 2021: Here's what we know
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga unveiled: Meet the lightest ThinkPad ever
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon gets huge upgrades at CES 2021 — watch out, MacBook Pro
• Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable hands-on: Meet the new Surface Pro killer
• CES 2021: Lenovo unveils a stunning blue laptop with an 11th Gen Intel CPU
• CES 2021: Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro flaunts 16-inch display and next-gen AMD Ryzen CPU
• Move over, Apple Glass! Lenovo unveils new smart spectacles at CES 2021
• CES 2021: Lenovo unveils two ultra-thin monitors that cost less than $200
• Forget the iPad Air! Lenovo unveils Tab P11 at CES 2021 — a tablet with 15 hours of battery life

HP at CES 2021

HP is having a busy CES 2021 as well with a handful of new laptops announced already. We went hands-on with the new HP Envy 14 and our reviewer came away thoroughly impressed with his first look at this sub-$1,000 laptop. 

Along with the expected multitude of work and home laptops, we did get one genuine surprise from HP in the form of the company's first truly wireless earbuds. While the overall design looks like so many other true wireless options, HP stated that they are specifically made for conference calls.

HP CES 2021 news:

• CES 2021: HP unveils new EliteBook 805 G8 with AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 CPUs
• HP ProBook line gets a powerful refresh with new Ryzen 5000 series processors
• HP unveils four new monitors at CES — including the 34-inch curved P34hc G4
• HP Elite Dragonfly goes Max, gets Intel 11th Gen CPUs and 5G
• HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 unveiled at CES 2021: This 14-inch laptop weighs only 2.5 pounds
• HP Elite Folio unveiled at CES 2021 with 5G and a vegan leather design
• HP Envy 14 hands-on at CES 2021: This could be the best sub-$1,000 laptop yet
• CES 2021 Surprise! HP Announces Elite Wireless Earbuds

Asus at CES 2021

Asus hasn't inundated us with new products at CES 2021 so far, but they definitely made them count. The incredibly interesting ROG Flow X13 pairs a thin and light laptop with a minuscule eGPU and the ROG Strix Scar gives us the best of AMD and Nvidia with Ryzen 5000 and an RTX 3080 GPU.

Asus CES 2021 news:

• CES 2021: Asus launches convertible ROG Flow X13 gaming laptop with tiny eGPU
• Asus unveils ROG Strix Scar with Ryzen 5000 chips, RTX 3080 GPU

Intel at CES 2021

While it doesn't have any laptops of its own, Intel made a number of interesting announcements about what will be inside a variety of laptops in 2021. It runs the gamut from ultra-portable gaming laptops to business laptops and Chromebooks, so if you're considering any of those options you'll want to take a look.

Intel CES 2021 news:

• Intel launches 11th Gen Core H35-series CPUs for ultra-portable gaming laptops: What you need to know
• Intel 11th Gen vPro CPUs unveiled — and they're already a big deal
• Chrome OS just got cooler — 11th Gen CPUs are coming to Intel Evo Chromebooks

AMD at CES 2021

AMD's lone contribution to CES 2021 was a big one with the announcement of the Ryzen 5000 series which will of course be found in dozens of laptops this year, including many announced this week.

AMD CES 2021 news:

• AMD unveils Ryzen 5000 series CPUs at CES 2021— why Intel could be in trouble

Nvidia at CES 2021

Similar to AMD, Nvidia's contribution was singular but crucial with the 30-series laptop GPUs coming to high-end gaming laptops in 2021.

Nvidia CES 2021 news:

• CES 2021: Nvidia announces 30-series gaming laptops

Acer at CES 2021

While Acer had a pretty quiet start to CES, as expected the company had more to reveal. With a new Chromebook and laptops utilizing Ryzen processors, including the new Ryzen 5000 series and a number of gaming laptops sporting the Nvidia GeForce 30 series GPUs.

Acer CES 2021 news:

• Acer unveils AMD Ryzen 5000-powered Aspire laptops at CES 2021
• Acer unveils new Nitro 5 gaming laptops with AMD 5000 CPU, GeForce RTX 3080 GPU
• Acer unveils Triton 300 and Helios 300 with GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs
• CES 2021: Acer Chromebook Spin 514 rocking an AMD CPU promises long battery life

Razer at CES 2021

Razer grabbed the most attention with its announcement of a smart N95 mask that naturally gives you some RGB Chroma on your face, but the Blade 15 and Blade 17 also got an update with Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs.

Razer CES 2021 news:

• CES 2021: Razer just unveiled the world's first smart mask — but there's a catch
• CES 2021: Razer Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 gaming laptops unveiled with GeForce RTX 30 GPUs

Gigabyte at CES 2021

Gigabyte took the wraps off updates to its Aero, Aorus and G-series laptops with Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs.

Gigabyte CES 2021 news:

• CES 2021: Gigabyte reveals Aero and Aorus laptops with Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs
• Gigabyte brings GeForce RTX 30 to new mid-range G-series gaming laptops

Samsung at CES 2021

Samsung has a whole host of products from TVs to washing machines to announce at CES 2021, but the Galaxy Chromebook refresh was the only one in our wheelhouse so far. 

However, we know they have plenty in store for us later this week with the Galaxy Unpacked event coming on Thursday.

Samsung CES 2021 news:

• Meet the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 — the world's first QLED Chromebook

MSI at CES 2021

MSI also took full advantage of the new Nvidia RTX 30-series with updates to its Leopard, Stealth and Creator laptops.

MSI CES 2021 news:

• MSI reveals upgraded GF Thin and GP Leopard gaming laptops with Nvidia RTX 3080 GPUs
• CES 2021: MSI Stealth 15M is razor-thin and totes an RTX 3060 GPU
• CES 2021: MSI Creator 15 boasts a huge battery, RTX 3070 GPU to beat the MacBook Pro

LG at CES 2021

LG's full refresh of the Gram lineup, including a massive 16-inch convertible option, was its biggest contribution to CES 2021 until the company offered us a brief tease of its forthcoming rollable phone. If you haven't seen it in action yet, you need to take a look.

LG CES 2021 news:

• LG Gram 2021 laptops unveiled at CES — including a 16-inch convertible
• LG rollable phone teased at CES 2021 — is this the phone of the future?

Alienware at CES 2021

It was a quiet CES 2021 for Alienware, but the m17 R4 did get the Nvidia 30-series update treatment.

Alienware CES 2021 news:

• CES 2021: Alienware m17 R4 gets Nvidia 30-series GPU, 360Hz display

Dell at CES 2021

Dell has been relatively quiet at CES 2021 with the exception of some potentially interesting updates to its Latitude lineup and a pair of new monitors; we'll see if it has anything else up its sleeve this week.

Dell CES 2021 news:

• CES 2021: Dell Latitude 9420 flaunts 5G and a clever auto-closing webcam cover
• CES 2021: Dell debuts world's first 40-inch, 5K curved monitor — time to upgrade your home office

Microsoft at CES 2021

Microsoft unexpectedly snuck in an announcement of its own at CES 2021 with the Surface Pro 7 Plus. It's not the Surface Pro 8 that fans are waiting for, but it looks like a solid refresh for the enterprise and education market.

Microsoft CES 2021 news:

• Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus for business unveiled: Design, specs, price and more

TCL at CES 2021

TCL remains a small player in the U.S. market, but its TCL 10 5G UW was an interesting budget 5G phone option last year and its newly announced TCL 20 series looks to pick up where it left off. 

The NXTPAPER tablet was a notable release from the company with an eye-saving color e-ink style panel. And while the company announced two affordable new smartphones and a tablet, its plans for later in the year really have our interest with a foldable phone and another 5G phone that we expect will be the true successor to the TCL 10 5G UW.

TCL CES 2021 news:

• TCL's NXTPAPER tablet has a fascinating display that will save your vision — Here's how it works
• CES 2021: TCL's new 20 series could include the cheapest 5G smartphone ever
• CES 2021: TCL unveils a super affordable LTE tablet with stylus support

While LG gave us the wild LG Wing this year, it has yet to release a foldable phone, but at its CES 2021 press conference this morning the company gave us a very brief look at the LG Rollable, a phone that could challenge the foldable market (via Engadget).

• Best smartphones in 2021
• Gaming on weird phones: LG Wing and Microsoft Surface Duo
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G vs. Galaxy Z Flip 5G: Foldable face-off

As the name straightforwardly suggests, this is a rolling display that converts from a phone into a tablet form factor. Rather than using a hinge mechanism to reveal additional screen space, it extends itself with an internal motor, reminiscent of some of the pop-up front-facing camera designs we've seen on a much larger scale. Here's a look at the rolling screen in action.

It looks like a more elegant solution than the folding phones we've seen to date, but we'll withhold final judgment on that until we see it in person. And we have no idea when that might happen; LG didn't offer any information regarding when we will be able to actually purchase the Rollable or what it might cost when it is available.

TCL was demoing some similar concept devices at CES 2020 and back in November Oppo revealed one of its own, but to date, none of these rollable smartphones have made it to market. However, it's clear that we are probably nearing the finish line for one of these concepts to make it to consumers, even if they may command an eye-watering price. Samsung laid the groundwork for that strategy with its foldables, so we wouldn't be shocked to see similar pricing in the $1,800 to $2,000 range for early rollables.

While they avoid some of the pitfalls of foldables, rollables are sure to have their own concerns with the lifespan of that motorized screen mechanism perhaps chief among them. For now, it's a tantalizing look at yet another new smartphone form factor after almost a decade of the basic slab phone. Count me in.

LG’s CX 48 OLED ThinQ TV is the entry-level model for the company’s latest CX OLED series released earlier last year. Despite its agreeable price tag and smaller size, it delivers, by far, the most pristine picture we’ve ever seen on a television screen. The 48-inch ThinQ offers a 3,840 x 2,160-pixel 4K Ultra HD resolution, a native refresh rate of 120Hz, and FreeSync/G-Sync capabilities among several other features available in its WebOS settings. 

It's compatible with smart AI like Google Assistant and Alexa, but also includes ThinQ AI that’s able to recommend movies and shows. With four HDCP 2.2 HDMI ports, three 2.0 USB ports, and an Ethernet input, this television could double as the centerpiece for a home entertainment system as well as a gaming monitor for the bedroom, depending on the need. 

LG CX 48-inch OLED ThinQ pricing and configurations

Although the price is nothing to huff at, coming in at $1,299, it is an affordable premium option for an entry-level CX set, especially when compared to the larger screens within the series. The 55-inch OLED CX costs $1,799, followed by the 65-inch at $2,499and the 77-inch at a whopping $4,999. Not only is the price for the 48-inch more affordable, but its size can make due in a living room as well as a bedroom without sacrificing the amazing picture quality. 

The CX provides an array of customization options within the TV’s multiple screen settings. Display settings include Vivid, Standard, Auto Power Save, Cinema, Cinema HDR, Sports, Game, HDR Effect, FILMMAKER MODE, Expert (Bright Room), and Expert (Dark Room). Some settings are essential to viewing content as best as possible, some that make the display worse, and others are bloat, providing essentially the same settings as other modes. There are also some that are only available based on what you’re watching. 

The best settings by far are HDR Effect and Cinema HDR. We felt ourselves gravitating toward HDR Effect for television and Cinema HDR for film. Both showcase the full potential of the screen’s refresh rate while also delivering a bright screen with no sight of tint. Filmmaker Mode makes every movie look terrible and bogs it down with an ugly brown/yellow tint. This is meant to showcase the natural colors captured from the filmmaker’s camera without any flourish. On the other hand, Cinema HDR puts a slightly less brown filter over the picture to recreate watching films over theater projectors.  

Both Expert settings work as expected based on whether you’re viewing in a bright or dark room, but they only work depending on what you’re watching. When watching a film in HDR, there’s no need for options like HDR Effect or the Expert Settings since those functions are already in use. 

It should be noted that all of these picture modes have heavy customization options that allow users to adjust simple contrast, color, and sharpness, to more advanced dynamic contrast, super resolution, white balance, and more at their discretion.

There are also picture options that let users adjust noise reduction, black level, TruMotion, and more. However, in our testing, we found adjusting the picture options ruined the integrity of some content. 

Game mode, as you’d expect, is best when playing video games. The TV will automatically switch to this mode when the OS detects HDMI input from a console or PC. The CX supports Auto Low Latency Mode, which is enabled from the 'Additional Settings' menu. Additional settings showcase features that can be enabled, such as HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color, another setting that helps deliver a cleaner 10-bit color picture, and AMD FreeSync Premium, which ensures games won’t tear if users have PCs with AMD/NVIDIA graphics cards. 

LG CX 48-inch OLED ThinQ display

LG boasts key OLED television features such as capabilities to deliver “Perfect Black, Intense Color” and “Infinite Contrast” in pictures. And as advertised, the display captures the empty void of space and emits the glimmer of each star from the opening section of The Mandalorian season 2 premiere. From the darkness of space to the vivid skies and striking desert of Tatooine, every color pops and blacks contrast to a completely inky tone. 

This is thanks to the display’s self-lighting capabilities as well as its Dolby Vision IQ feature. The feature allows movies and shows filmed in Dolby Vision to produce the most dynamic picture, as the television’s IQ communicates with the display’s brightness sensors to auto-calibrate picture settings according to the level of light in the room. It is especially effective in darker rooms though, as the screen can sometimes show a small glare from inside light.

LG OLED CX 48-inch ThinQ design

The ThinQ sports a very thin profile with a dimension of 9.9 inches when attached to its very hefty stand. The stand has a thoughtful slot for cable management that can snap on and off with little effort. Although we wish the entry-level CX series TV was slightly bigger, the 48-incher is a decent size. It's just small enough to be used in a bedroom as the main monitor and just big enough to be the main television of the house. 

At the same time, if folks are looking to take full advantage of the CX’s sleek and slender profile, the giant stand will eliminate the design’s usefulness. As such, mounting this television in most cases would be preferable, especially if aesthetics are a big factor for the consumer.

LG CX 48-inch OLED ThinQ audio

Thanks to its Smart Sound/Dolby Atmos capabilities and the television’s own beefy internal speakers, it can deliver theater-like sound without the need for surround soundbars or multiple speakers. However, when Dolby Atmos is enabled, we noticed instances when the sound could’ve improved with quality speakers. 

There are also a few sound options like Standard (which allows OLED Surround to be turned on and off), Cinema, Clear Voice IV, and Music that are intended to work in their given situations, and the Additional Settings menu lets you optimize sound when the TV is mounted. But we felt most comfortable using its built-in AI Sound Pro mode. And, of course, since it's also a gaming monitor, there are a ton of Sound Out options like Optical and Wired Headphones alongside Bluetooth Surround Sound choices.

LG CX 48-inch OLED  ThinQ performance

We’re using an RTX 3070 for our testing, and we could immediately tell the difference in picture tearing in Batman Arkham Knight when compared to playing the title on a Samsung Class NU6900 Series LED 4K UHD Smart TV. No matter how much Cyberpunk 2077 stutters due to its bad optimization, the gameplay may slow down or get choppy, but the screen rarely shows tearing or delays thanks to its FreeSync/G-Sync capabilities.

Although the CX’s 120Hz refresh rate is an industry-standard for gaming monitors these days, and doesn’t stack up to the ever-popular Samsung Odyssey G9 and its ability to produce 240 MHZ, its multitude of home picture settings and a bevy of adjustment settings make up for the refresh rate. 

But response time is still nearly instant thanks to low latency and HDR gaming is fantastic courtesy of the screen’s wide color gamut. Although 4K gaming looks amazing here, we prefer to play titles at 1440p to achieve as high a frame rate as possible. In our opinion, 1440p looks stellar enough.

When it comes to the best picture configuration to play games, we recommend going into Picture/Picture Mode Settings/Advanced Controls to tweak a few things. Adjusting to low Dynamic Contract, HGIG Dynamic Tone Mapping, low Super Resolution, and setting the Color Temperature set to Warm2 under White Balance is crucial to getting the best visuals possible. It’s a shame that the game mode doesn’t already take toward similar settings out of the box, but thankfully, enthusiasts like HDTVTest are here to recommend optimized settings.

LG CX 48-inch OLED ThinQ special features

The LG TV supports an array of popular streaming apps, including YouTube, Twitch, and Hulu, but due to the company’s longtime dispute with HBO, the new HBO Max streaming service is not available. We ended up having to rely on the set’s Airplay 2 capabilities to watch Doctor Sleep, and even then, the connection dropped several times. Due to LG’s update track record, we wouldn’t be surprised to see connections stabilize in an upcoming update.

LG updates its operating system on the regular, fixing reported issues in a hurry. One issue we encountered with the television was randomly losing network connection, despite being linked to an Ethernet port. We updated our internet service, but the issue persisted. However, after we downloaded another update, the issue was gone.

LG’s WebOS settings also have several features. The operating system allows users to arrange applications as they wish, set up sports alerts for more than 20 teams when they’re playing live or make a score, and even hosts an Art Gallery mode that displays paintings onscreen. On the television’s home dashboard is where most of these features can be accessed, including its ability to pair with other smart devices in your home and serve as a central hub for all connected devices. Of course, all of these actions can also be controlled by talking into the remote when Google Assistant or Alexa is enabled. 

LG CX 48-inch OLED ThinQ remote control

Another slight annoyance we have with the television is its remote. It’s a bit bulky and two-thirds of its layout is awkward. The top of the controller is slim before widening towards the bottom. The keypad is located on the top and, as a result, the keys are a bit smaller than we’d like. We much prefer to input numbers than to rely on the remote’s motion controls. 

Although it's useful more often than not, the motion sensor is very sensitive to the touch. The volume and channel buttons are underneath the keypad, both are small, but luckily the up and down buttons are shaped like a plus and minus, making it easier to feel them in the dark. We do, however, love the convenience of dedicated Netflix and Prime Video buttons.

Bottom line

As it stands now, the LG CX 48 OLED TV is more than capable of creating a vivid single-playing experience for gaming and could be tweaked at the discretion of pro gamers who worry about refresh rates and input lag for shooters like Call of Duty (as long as you don’t use TruMotion). It’s sleek, slim design doesn’t tarnish the sound, and its HDMI 2.1 capabilities future proof the television for a few years as gaming companies adapt the input, which is reason alone to validate the purchase. Not only do we recommend LG’s OLED CX, we specifically recommend the 48-inch edition of the television due to its ability to serve as a home’s main television or bedroom monitor.

There couldn’t possibly be a full-sized keyboard and 17-inch display inside there, right? But indeed there is, and it’s resplendent. The other immediate thing that comes to mind is, can it perform like a MacBook Pro? So like any good reviewer, I took it for a long test drive, and I may have tried to burn some rubber when no one was looking. I turned on some road music, got the camera fired up, loaded photo and video editing software, downloaded games, and bellowed “road trip!” Let's find out if this clone could possibly be a MacBook challenger or just another Canal Street knock off. 

 LG Ultra PC 17 pricing and configurations

LG Ultra PC 17 specs

Price: $1,699
CPU: 1.8-GHz Intel Core i7-10510U

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU w/ 4GB VRAM

RAM: 16GB

Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD

Display: 2560 x 1600-pixel, WQXGA 

Battery: 12:17

Size:  15.0 x 10.8 x 0.8

Weight: 4.3 pounds

The LG Ultra PC 17 I reviewed ( $1,199 starting, $1,699 reviewed) has a 1.8-GHz Intel Core i7-10510U processor, 16GB RAM (upgradeable to 64GB), a 512GB PCIe SSD, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU with 4GB of VRAM, and a gorgeous 17-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel, WQXGA display. 

The base model costs $1,199 and drops you down to a 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5-10210U processor with the same Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU with 4GB of VRAM, and a 512GB PCIe SSD.

 LG Ultra PC 17 design

The LG Ultra 17 is a thing of minimalist beauty. With its soft rounded curves and subtle distinct grooves, it looks like the dark gray aluminum system was carved by expert hands instead of a machine. However, it will remind you of a MacBook the entire time you’re using it.

Underneath, we find the two small speaker vents towards the bottom front and on the bottom near the rear are the cooling vents. 

Measuring 15 x 10.8 x 0.8 inches and weighing 4.3 pounds, the LG is the heaviest member of its peer group, but also has the largest display at 17 inches. The Acer Swift 3 AMD (2.7 pounds and 12.7 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches) and the MSI Prestige 14 (2.8 pound, 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches) are understandably smaller with their 14-inch displays, as is the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex (3.6 pounds, 14 x 9 x 0.6 inches) 15.6-inch panel.

LG Ultra PC 17 ports

The Ultra PC 17 has a solid amount of ports. On the right side, there are two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port, an Ethernet port and a Kensington lock. 

On the left, we find a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

LG Ultra PC 17  display

The 17-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel display renders images and videos beautifully. The panel is bright and the colors are vivid and wonderfully saturated. When I turned it on, and the display popped up with the stunning LG wallpaper background image of a starry sky over a lake, my Ms. and I were in awe at the sight. 

Gotham City never looked so beautiful. When I played Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY edition, the colors were incredibly vivid. It made the Joker's pale cracked skin and the bright red lips surrounding his evil snarl of a smile so pretty, I almost didn’t want Batman to punch him in the face. 

Watching the upcoming No Time to Die trailer, actor Daniel Craig’s annoying ruggedly handsome face had my significant other peeking over my shoulder. His blue eyes were captivating.

When we measured the screen's color reproduction capabilities, the LG scored a solid 75.5% on our DCI-P3 color gamut test, falling below the premium laptop average of 82.7%. However, it surpassed the Swift 3, which scored only 44.2% and came in second to the Prestige 14, which scored 78.9%. 

The Ultra 17 scored an average brightness of 353 nits, below the premium laptop average of 382 nits. The Acer Swift scored 251 nits, the MSI Prestige scored 269 nits, and the Samsung Galaxy Book led the group with a ridiculous 565 nits in outdoor mode and 381 nits in standard indoor mode.

 LG Ultra PC 17 audio

Whether I was watching a video, listening to music or playing a game, the LG Ultra produced wonderful audio quality. The speakers are balanced and there was no audible distortion even at maximum volume. While enjoying my Wednesday '90s R&B afternoon, they pumped out nice lows, mid-range and high tones as I grooved to SWV’s “Right Here. As my mix turned to Soul For Real’s “Candy Rain,” I was up and dancing to the space-filling sound. 

While playing Batman Arkham Asylum, every one of Batman’s bone-crunching punches was crisp and exuded excellent depth. The Jokers' nerve-wracking laugh was chilling and Harley Quinn’s Mr. J’s made me feel immersed in the game. 

While Watching the latest James Bond trailer, the machine gun fire was realistic and the timbre in Daniel Craig’s voice was perfect as he said “Bond, James Bond. The explosions were as exquisitely destructively sounding as they should be.

LG Ultra PC 17 keyboard and touchpad

When you open the LG Ultra 17, you see a full-size Chiclet-style keyboard on the massive deck. It did take a quick adjustment to get used to the keyboard as I put my hulking key-thumping fingers to work. 

The keyboard is laid out nicely and the keys feel clicky. I scored a quite dextrous 82 words per minute with a 94% accuracy on the 10fastfingers test. My normal average is between 70% and 85% with about 65 wpm. I do admit, having gotten used to smaller keyboards, it took some time to adjust to having the extra space.

The 4.7 x 3.1-inch precision glass touchpad on this LG is excellent. It did a great job executing Windows 10 gestures, like three or four-fingered swipes and simple finger taps. The bottom corners of the touchpad are clicky and super responsive.

LG Ultra PC 17 performance

Sporting a 1.8-GHz Intel Core i7-10510U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB PCIe SSD, our test unit is a solid performer. It held up well when I had 25 to 30 Google Chrome tabs open with several of them running videos while also editing documents. However, the chassis did run a little warm. 

I create a lot of video and photo content, so I downloaded DaVinci Resolve 16, which I use to edit video, and Capture One Pro, which I use when shooting photos in a studio or outdoors. Starting with Capture One Pro, I proceeded to shoot about 50 photos while tethered to the LG, and it did a solid job with no hiccups as I uploaded and did some quick accurate edits. 

The issues began when I booted DaVinci Resolve 16 and imported media I had shot at 1080p. Editing proved difficult as the performance lagged, which made cutting footage nearly impossible. Also, the footage and audio would not sync up while reviewing it during editing. What should have taken me five or ten minutes to edit took a little over a half hour.

I then tried Adobe Premiere Pro with the same 1080p video files. Because Premiere is more CPU driven, it worked much more smoothly than DaVinci, with very few hiccups.

Moving to our benchmark tests, the LG Ultra PC 17 scored 3,498 during our Geekbench 5.0 overall performance test. It performed below the 4,053 premium laptop average. The Acer Swift 3 led our group (4,862, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U CPU) with the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 15  (Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU) right behind at 4,426. The MSI Prestige rounded things up with 3,982 (Core i7-10710U CPU).

The LG Ultra 17 took 19 minutes and 11 seconds to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution using the Handbrake app. It was slower than the premium laptop average (18:43) . The Acer Swift led our group, finishing at 11 minutes flat, followed by the MSI Prestige 14 at 14:01 and the Samsung Galaxy Book bringing up the rear at 22:18. 

During our Photoshop testing, our unit scored 602, coming in slightly above the premium laptop average of 591. It bested the MSI Prestige, which scored 460 and was only slightly behind the Samsung Galaxy which rounded up our group with a score of 612.

During our File Transfer test, the LG averaged 1,532.9 megabytes per second while transferring 5GB of mixed media. The Samsung averaged 1379.2 MBps followed by the MSI's transfer speed of 978.7 MBps. Each of these systems scored above the premium laptop average of 707.72.

LG Ultra PC 17  graphics, gaming and VR

LG's Ultra PC 17 comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU with 4GB of VRAM, which is supposed to allow for smoother gaming and video editing. Playing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Gathering Storm in 1080p, our unit scored an average of 50 frames per second, which is superior to the premium laptop average (27 fps). The Acer Swift scored 27 fps and the Samsung Galaxy Book scored a low 16 fps. 

I played Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY on the unit and, although the display rendered everything beautifully, I did notice some stutter at times especially during the opening scene where Batman had captured the Joker and was taking him to Arkham. It wasn't bad enough to hamper my gameplay session, but it did cause me to raise an eyebrow.

LG Ultra PC 17 battery life

The Ultra PC 17 endured for an excellent 12 hours and 17 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. That time is above the premium laptop average of 10 hours and 1 minute. The Acer Swift came in at 11:09, the MSI Prestige followed with 9:49, and the Samsung Galaxy Book led the pack with a fantastic 15:44.

LG Ultra PC 17 heat 

The LG Ultra PC 17 features a dual cooling system. During the video heat test (15 minutes of playing a fullscreen HD video), the touchpad measured 81 degrees Fahrenheit, while the keyboard registered a warm 104 degrees, which is higher than our 95-degree comfort threshold. The undercarriage also got uncomfortably warm at 105 degrees.

LG Ultra PC 17  webcam

The 720p HD webcam on the LG does a solid job but is par for the course when it comes to webcams. Like most webcams, you should make sure the lighting is optimal to get the best results. Colors were saturated and looked best under the right lighting conditions. In darker conditions, the colors are a little muted and there was some pixelation at times. Overall, the webcam is solid for what it is, but if you’re a serious gamer looking to stream, or a business person who needs a better quality image for Zoom meetings, invest in an external webcam.

LG Ultra PC 17  software and warranty

The Ultra PC 17 comes with Windows 10 Home, which means there's a fair amount of bloatware, including Skype, Netflix, Microsoft Solitaire collection, and some gawd awful Power Director, Power Media for LGE software that’s horrendously buggy.

Because the unit comes with the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1650 GPU, gamer-centric third-party software includes the Nvidia Control Panel, which allows you to tweak the discrete GPU’s settings.

The LG Ultra PC 17 comes with a 1-year parts and labor limited warranty.

Bottom line

The LG Ultra PC 17 is a solid multimedia laptop that should meet the day to day needs of most business professionals While it will provide the user some decent gaming performance, the laptop is not for a serious content creator looking to produce professional content. Although the display is worthy of those aspirations, the middling to poor performance of its GPU will prevent serious creators from achieving their goals. If you want a large display for  handling documents, playing a few games and watching movies when you're not working, the Ultra PC 17 could be a good option for you.

The Gram 14 2-in-1 we reviewed last year was no fluke. After a shaky entry to the laptop market, LG has proven that it can craft a laptop as good as any. The newest Gram 14 2-in-1 is the company's best yet, boasting epic battery life and a lightweight design with military-grade durability — a big change from the flimsy paperweights LG sold just a few years back. 

The only major fault with this laptop is its poor speakers and lofty price. And while the design doesn't stand out and everything else about the laptop is only decent, the Gram 14 2-in-1 is a practical choice for anyone who wants a 2-in-1 laptop with a large display in a featherweight chassis. For these reasons, the Gram 14 2-in-1 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops around.

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 price and configuration options

There are various configurations of the Gram 14 2-in-1 in both clamshell and convertible form factors. Our review unit, a 2-in-1 laptop, costs $1,599 and comes with a 14-inch, 1080p display, a Core i7-10510U CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB m.2 NVMe SSD. 

If you don't want to spend so much, you can buy the $1,199 base model. This traditional clamshell laptop comes with a 1080p display, an Intel Core i5-1035G7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. 

Interestingly, LG sells another $1,599 (now on sale for $1,399) configuration of the Gram 14 with Intel Ice Lake processors and Iris Plus graphics. It's also a clamshell laptop and has an Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 design

You'll understand why LG calls these laptops Gram once you hold one. If we're categorizing laptops by boxing weight class, this laptop barely makes the cut for a bantamweight. 

We don't normally use the metric system but it's only fitting here. The Gram 14 weighs 270 grams, or 2.5 pounds. That would have been class-leading a few years ago, but not anymore now that other laptops vendors have adopted magnesium alloy. Still, the Gram 14 2-in-1 is lighter than the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (11.7 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches, 2.9 pounds) and not much heavier than the Acer Swift 5 (12.5 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches, 2.2 pounds) and Asus ExpertBook B9450 (12.6 x 8 x 0.6 inches, 2.2 pounds). 

It's not stylish, but the Gram 14 2-in-1's simple, understated design will appeal to those who prefer their gadgets to blend in to their surroundings. On the lid is a tiny chrome lowercase "gram" logo etched into the dark gray magnesium alloy surface. 

Open the laptop, and you'll find more of that slate shade on the deck and touchpad. The keyboard caps are black with white font and use orange writing to identify shortcut commands. The front of the laptop has a notch for opening the lid with one finger. Yes, I'm being super specific but those small details stand out against an otherwise pedestrian design. 

As a 2-in-1 laptop, the Gram 14 can fold back into a tablet or be positioned in tent mode for viewing movies or Powerpoint slides without the keyboard in the way. The hinge feels sturdy yet it isn't difficult to push back. 

If you've heard horror stories about the questionable durability of past LG Gram laptops, don't worry, these latest models feel solid; There is still a bit of lid flex but it's not nearly as bad as it was on older models. Moreover, the Gram 14 2-in-1 is MIL-STD-810G tested so it can survive harsh treatment, like shock and exposure to low pressure, high or low temperatures, and dust.

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 ports

Take note laptop makers, this is how it's done. In a segment where ports are endangered, the Gram 14 2-in-1 has everything you need to connect peripherals, project your screen onto a monitor or TV, or upload images from a DSLR.

On the left side of the laptop is a USB 3.1 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port and a Thunderbolt 3 input. But wait, there's more because a USB-C-to-Ethernet dongle comes in the box. Bravo, LG. 

On the right side, you'll find a second USB 3.1 port, a lock slot, a headphone jack and a microSD card slot. 

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 display

The 14-inch, 1080p display on the Gram 14 2-in-1 is great, even though it doesn't break any barriers. Would I have liked a screen as ravishing as my LG 4K OLED TV? Sure, but with a good 1080p panel, the Gram 14 2-in-1 delivers a satisfying viewing experience without compromising battery life or price. 

When I watched a trailer for Free Guy, the colors on the screen were so vivid that I feared what would happen to Ryan Reynolds' sky blue shirt if a single drop of the scarlet blood on his nose dripped down. A hot pink Hummer popped off the screen with the same hue as pink cotton candy that was given an extra squeeze of food coloring. It's no 4K panel, but the 1080p screen is still plenty sharp. I could see small shards of glass floating in midair as Reynolds and Jodie Comer drove a motorcycle out of a window. 

We put a colorimeter to the Gram 14 2-in-1's display and measured an sRGB color gamut rating of 108%. That's a solid result, but the screens on the Swift 5 (120%), the XPS 13 2-in-1 (113%) and the ExpertBook B9450 (117%) were all more vivid. And none of those hit the premium laptop average of 123%.

With a maximum brightness of 306 nits, the Gram's panel outshone the Swift 5 (296 nits) and the ExpertBook B9450 (302 nits) but the XPS 13 2-in-1's display radiates to 512 nits and the category average also beams brighter (368 nits) than the Gram. 

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 keyboard and touchpad

The Gram 14 2-in-1's keyboard is perfectly adequate; The keys are a tad stiff for my liking, but there is a snappiness to them and a satisfying actuation bump. 

I hope LG finds a way to add more travel because, like keys on most ultrathin laptops, these are pretty shallow. I'm also not so keen on the undersized backspace button, especially because there's enough dead space on each side of the keyboard for larger keys and even top-firing speakers. LG does deserve praise for the inverted T-shaped arrow keys, which are easy to find without looking down.

I eyed the power button (which doubles as a fingerprint sensor) with disdain from the moment I opened the Gram 14. My resentment for power buttons built into keyboards is well documented. And although LG fell into this trap, the Gram 14 2-in-1's power button isn't a problem because it's flatter than the keys around it. As such, I had no problems identifying and resisting my urge to tap it as I reached for the delete key. 

I typed at 121 words per minute with an accuracy of 95% on the 10fastfingers.com typing test. That is a tad quicker and just as accurate as my usual 119-wpm at 95% accuracy averages. 

I had no problems using the 4 x 2.5-inch glass touchpad to browse the web and execute several Windows 10 gestures, including pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling. Most importantly, the Precision drivers kept up with my erratic swipes as I moved my cursor from one edge of the screen to the other.

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 Stylus Pen

LG includes its active Stylus Pen with the Gram 14 2-in-1, and it's a good one. The stylus, also called the Wacom AES 2.0, is comfortable to hold and has 4,096 levels of pressure, so you can draw precise lines. It also has tilt detection for line variation and the battery life is rated at 18 months of use. 

I used the Nebo for LG app to write some notes. First, it took me through a useful tutorial that showed me various gestures you can make with the pen, like deleting letters and words by scratching them out or separating letters by drawing a line through them. After proving my expertise to the app, I scribbled a bunch of notes, which looked no less legible than my normal handwriting. 

I also drew a sword cutting a watermelon in Paint 3D. The pen won't make you a better artist, but that you could actually tell what was going on in my picture is a testament to its accuracy and sensitivity. 

There is a clip and two programmable buttons on the Stylus Pen. Unfortunately, I had no luck reprogramming those buttons through Windows 10 stylus settings, nor did I figure out what they do out of the box.

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 audio

The dual speakers on the bottom of the Gram 14 are one of its weakest features. When I listened to Phoebe Bridgers' "Kyoto," the electric guitar sounded distorted and her smooth vocals were muffled and sharp. The drum hits lacked any sort of weight, and while the Gram filled my living room, my ears scolded me for listening at maximum volume.

I gave it another chance at redemption by listening to Glass Animals' "Your Love (Deja Vu)" but the Gram only confirmed the limitations of its speakers; The complex synths sounded like they were coming out of a speakerphone. 

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 performance

The Gram 14 2-in-1 proves that you don't need the six-core Intel Core i7-10710U to get good real-world performance. Our review unit relied on an Intel Core i7-10510U CPU with 16GB of RAM. The laptop didn't lag at all when I streamed Der Klassiker, the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern and Dortmund FC, with 20 other Google Chrome tabs open. I even played a couple of 1080p YouTube videos with the game running in the background and the LG didn't skip a beat.

The Gram 14 2-in-1 did a good job on our benchmark testing, although other ultraportable laptops can eke out a bit more raw performance. The Gram 14 scored a 14,639 on the Geekbench 4.3 overall performance test, which outmuscles the ExpertBook B9450 (13,653, Core i7-10510U) but loses out to the Swift 5 (15,097, Core i7-1065G7) and the XPS 13 2-in-1 (19,225, Core i7-1065G7). 

In real-world testing, the Gram 14 2-in-1 converted a 4K video to 1080p resolution using the Handbrake test in 22 minutes and 19 minutes, which is quicker than the ExpertBook B9450 (28:24) and the XPS 13 2-in-1 (24:49). The Swift 5 (20:05) edged out the Gram 14. 

The Gram 14 2-in-1 has a speedy 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, which duplicated 25GB of multimedia files in 37 seconds for a transfer rate of 745.9 megabytes per second. Only the ExpertBook B9450 (771.1 MBps) outpaced the Gram 14 while the XPS 13 2-in-1 (463 MBps) and the Swift 5 (494.1 MBps) were sluggish in comparison. 

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 graphics

Our review unit came with an Intel Comet Lake processor, so it's stuck with UHD graphics. And by stuck, I mean you won't be able to play games at anything but low graphics settings. Even then, some AAA titles lag to the point of being unplayable.

Take Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm as an example; The Gram 14 2-in-1 played this game at just 10 frames per second, which is nowhere near our 30-fps threshold or the category average (20 fps). And while the Gram 14 has just enough torque to play Dirt 3 (33 fps), it can't keep up with the Swift 3 (51 fps) or the XPS 13 2-in-1 (41fps). 

If graphics matter more to you than performance, LG sells the clamshell Gram 14 with Ice Lake chips and Iris Plus graphics. These chips offer a modest graphics upgrade, but they still don't compare to discrete graphics. 

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 battery life

LG used to tout ridiculous battery life figures for earlier models. The outdated benchmarks the company used were so misleading that our real-world battery test often showed less than half the advertised endurance. 

So forgive me for rolling my eyes at the Gram 14 2-in-1's claimed 20.5 hours of battery life. No, the Gram 14 doesn't last for 20 hours — but it comes much closer than I expected. 

On our Laptop Mag battery test, the Gram 14 2-in-1 lasted for 14 hours flat. In a marathon race against its rivals, the Gram 14 2-in-1 outlasted the Swift 5 (9:07) and the XPS 13 2-in-1 (10:57) but couldn't keep pace with the Energizer Bunny of ultraslim notebooks, the ExpertBook B9450 (16:42). 

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 webcam

We don't typically judge laptop webcams harshly, but with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people to work from home, a good webcam has become important to millions more people. If you're one of those people, you'll be happy to know the Gram 14 2-in-1's 720p webcam is decent enough for video calls. 

A selfie I snapped in my dimly-lit apartment was surprisingly bright and it captured the yellow-tinged emerald color of my eyes. My face wasn't very detailed (my beard was a messy blob) and a cloud of visual noise covered the shot, so if you want your beautiful profile to appear crisp and noise-free as possible, get yourself one of these best webcams. 

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 heat

Who said you need a big cooling system to keep a laptop from overheating? The Gram wiped the sweat off its brow and kept working when we played a 15-minute, 1080p video in full screen. 

The bottom of the laptop, near the hinge, was the warmest spot but even that location reached only 93 degrees Fahrenheit. The touchpad (78 degrees) and the center of the keyboard (88 degrees) also stayed even further below our 95-degree comfort threshold.

LG Gram 14 2-in-1 software and warranty

Along with several third-party apps, LG has its own suite of Windows 10 programs that let you easily update your Gram 14 or find support links. 

The LG Control Center software has some basic power management tools and a useful slider for adjusting the color temperature of your display. You can also configure your security settings within the app. Sadly, the app's UI is outdated and you can't make the window full-screen. The same goes for Power Manager, where you can change the battery settings of your laptop, and the self-explanatory Update Center. 

Third-party apps installed on the Gram 14 2-in-1 include AudioDirector, ColorDirector, Power Media Player, PowerDirector and PhotoDirector by Cyberlink. There is also a DTS X Ultra app for adjusting the sound mode for the internal speakers (music, voice, movies, RPG, etc). As if those options weren't enough for improving the Gram's dismal speakers, there is another janky app called SmartAudio.

Then, of course, there is the standard buffet of Windows 10 Home programs, including Candy Crush Saga, Farm Heroes Saga and LinkedIn. The Gram 14 2-in-1 comes with a one-year warranty. 

Bottom line

The Gram 14 2-in-1 is an ordinary laptop with two killer tricks up its sleeve: a featherweight design and extra-long battery life. 

Other noteworthy areas of the Gram 14 are the included active stylus and a generous selection of ports with the bonus of a USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter. As for everything else, it's perfectly fine. The screen is sharp and fairly vivid, the keyboard, while a tad stiff, is good enough, and the design is bland but unoffensive. 

The only major knock against the Gram 14 is its poor speakers, something easily rectified with a good pair of headphones or a Bluetooth speaker. And if I'm nitpicking, the Gram 14 is a bit pricey and there is no place to store the included stylus. If those issues matter to you, the Lenovo ThinkPad C940 is the perfect alternative to the Gram. If not, then the Gram 14 2-in-1 is an excellent option.

The South Korean company, best known for its TVs and smartphones, appears to be expanding its Gram lineup of super-lightweight laptops with 2-in-1 and 17-inch models. First reported by mobile tech site Liliputing, the mysterious LG Gram 2-in-1 and LG Gram 17 were leaked in Best Buy listings on Monday, ahead of an expected CES 2019 announcement.

The pages for these "Out of Stock" laptops -- likely posted on accident -- were swiftly removed, but not before specs and pricing were recorded online (you can still view cached versions of the listings here and here). 

The latest LG Gram features a 14-inch touchscreen, but it lacks a flexible 2-in-1 design for convenient note-taking and drawing. It appears LG will soon release a laptop for people who need that level of versatility.

The $1,499 LG Gram 2-in-1 is a bendback convertible that transforms into a tablet and supports an included Wacom stylus. Like the clamshell Gram, the Gram 2-in-1 has a 14-inch, 1080p touchscreen display, and is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8565U CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

A fingerprint reader will allow users to log in quickly and securely, while three USB ports (2 USB-A, 1 USB-C) should provide plenty of connectivity options. The magnesium alloy laptop will weigh just 2.5 pounds, and, despite having narrow bezels, its HD webcam is located above the display.

If these ephemeral Best Buy listings hold true, then LG will also sell a 17-inch model of the Gram for $1,699. At 2.95 pounds, the magnesium alloy Gram 17 would be the only laptop with this large of a display to weigh less than 3 pounds. And with dimensions at 15 x 10.5 x 0.7 inches, the bezelless laptop has a footprint that's about the size of a typical 15.6-inch laptop.

Similar to the Gram 2-in-1, the Gram 17 will be powered by a Core i7-8565U CPU, and include 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD. The Gram 17 will also feature a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello login and a backlit keyboard with a numpad. Unfortunately, you'll still have to settle with integrated graphics.

The Gram 17 doesn't appear to support Thunderbolt 3, but the now-removed Best Buy listing did show three USB Type-A ports, a microSD card slot and a USB-C input, among other connections.

LG rates the Gram 17's battery life at an ambitious 19.5 hours, but if recent history is any indication, then the slim laptop will power down long before then.

We suspect LG will officially announce these two new laptops at or shortly before CES 2019 (which kicks off on Jan. 8), so check back in a few weeks from now for more concrete details.

According to a translation of LG's product announcement, the tablet's armed with a 1920x1200-pixel IPS display and stands upright at angles "up to 70 degrees." Judging by a photo seen on GSM Arena, the tablet's "folding Kick Stand," appears to be a flap that folds out from its back.

MORE: Our Favorite Tablets for Work and Play

LG sees the G Pad III as a multi-purpose device, as that kick stand will work with a "Time Square" interface that allows you to set the slate as a desk clock, tabletop calendar or digital frame. The G Pad III should be a welcome addition to the bedroom with its blue-light-filtering Reader Mode, which offers four severity settings.

The LTE connectivity may help this Android tablet stand out from other slates, as always-working connectivity makes it much more functional in the field. LG will launch a version of the G Pad III that includes a stylus pen early next year. There's no word about when a version of this device will be coming to the U.S.

Tablet Guide

• Previous Tip
• Next Tip

• Kids Tablets to Buy (or Avoid)
• 10 Tablets with the Longest Battery Life
• Tablet Buying Guide: 8 Essential Tips
• The Best Tablets for Less Than $200
• Chromebook vs. Tablet: Which Should You Buy?
• Why 4G Tablets Are a Total Rip-Off
• How to Sell, Trade In or Donate Your Old Tablet
• iPad Buying Guide: Which One is Right for You?
• How to Use Your iPad as Your Only PC

LAS VEGAS — There’s a certain kind of magic you get when keeping things simple. Not only does it prevent something from getting bogged down with unnecessary features, it also gets right to the essence of what a product wants to be. On the Gram 15 laptop, LG has done a wonderful job of sticking to that plan. This sturdy, yet lightweight machine measures just 0.7-inches thick and weighs just 2.16 pounds, making it the lightest 15-inch laptop yet.

Due out sometime in early 2016, the core of this 15.6-inch no-frills laptop is a magnesium body stuffed with your choice of an Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, a 1920 x 1080 screen, 8GB of RAM and either a 256 or 512GB SSD. 

MORE: The Best Laptops for Every Need

The screen doesn’t support touch, and there’s no fingerprint reader. Heck, the keyboard doesn’t even feature backlighting, which on a laptop that should cost around $1,100, seems like a pretty big omission.  What you do get is a plethora of connectivity options along the side that include four USB ports (three Type-A and one Type-C), a microSD card reader, HDMI, a headphone/mic jack and built-in Hi-Fi audio.

At CES 2016, I got a chance to go hands-on with the Gram 15, and while it’s really just an upsized version of the LG’s Gram 13, it manages to be feel just a little more special than its smaller sibling.

I think it’s because at 15-inches, many companies start to shoehorn too many features in a one system, something LG has clearly tried not to do with the Gram 15.

The magnesium body has very little flex, which is impressive considering the Gram 15’s lightweight body, and the pale champagne gold metal contrasts the black keys in a way that makes you rethink that shade’s typical octogenarian target buyer.

The system's clean lines further emphasize the Gram 15’s simplicity, even causing the somewhat problematic placement of the webcam in the center of the hinge to feel just right. Too bad you’re still going to end up with awkward selfies or video calls where the only thing people will be able to see is the bottom of your chin.

So if you’re the kind of buyer who’s been annoyed by “features” you don’t want, LG’s Gram 15 may be the laptop you’re looking for.

• Laptops with the Longest Battery Life
• The Best 2-in-1s 
• Our Favorite Laptops for Business and Productivity

IFA, the Berlin tech expo, doesn't open until September 4, but LG could wait to announce what it will be showing off. The new LG G Pad II is a 10.1-inch Android tablet that improves upon the original version by upping specs in nearly every way. No prices have been revealed yet.

The display in the G Pad II gets a major boost: it now features a 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution, up from the original version's 1280 x 800-pixel screen. On a 10.1-inch tablet, the higher resolution makes all the difference when you're streaming movies and watching videos.

MORE: 10 Tablets with the Longest Battery Life

LG bumped up the processor's power as well. The G Pad II is powered by a 2.26-GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is a big improvement from the 1.2-GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A-7 CPU in the original. The new tablet also features 2GB of RAM, up from the original's 1GB, and 16GB of internal storage that is expandable via microSD card.

The rear camera on the G Pad II remains the same 5-megapixel shoot as the first tablet, but the front-facing camera is now 2MP. The one feature we would have preferred to have enlarged is the battery. Instead, LG is adding a 7,300-mAh battery, rather than the 8,000-mAh model in the original. The first G Pad stunned us in our testing with its longer than 13 hours of endurance, so we're interested to test the G Pad II to see how this slightly smaller battery affects its longevity. 

The LG G Pad II will be formally unveiled at IFA in Berlin in September, and then will be available in North America, Europe and Asia. It will be available in both LTE and Wi-Fi only models, but no prices have been released yet. We will have boots on the ground at IFA, so stay tuned to Laptop Mag for all the latest updates come early September. 

• Best 2-in-1s (Laptop/Tablet Hybrids)
• Our Favorite Tablets for Work and Play
• The Best Laptops for Every Need

Since Google unveiled the Nexus 7 way back in 2013, the market has been flooded with affordable 7-inch Android tablets. LG hopes to leave its mark in this oversaturated space with the G Pad 7, which offers a dual-core Qualcomm processor, Android 4.4 KitKat and a host of custom features for just $150. Overall, the G Pad's price tag and unique features make it one of the better tablet values.

Design

The LG G Pad 7.0 sports a similar design to other 7-inch Android slates, with a wraparound black plastic rear panel and glossy black bezel on the front (the tablet is also available in white). The soft-touch finish on the back feels pleasantly supple, but I noticed quite a bit of smudging after just a few minutes of handling the device. Rounded edges give the tablet a sleek look.

The rear panel features a 3-megapixel camera at the top and a pair of speakers at the bottom. The volume rocker and power button are located on the right side of the tablet, while a microUSB port can be found on the bottom edge. A 3.5-mm headphone jack and a microSD card reader (hidden beneath a port cover) are on the top. A 1.3-megapixel camera is located on the front of the tablet, slightly off-center to the left.

MORE: Top iPad Alternatives

At 7.45 x 4.48 x 0.4 inches and 10.48 ounces, the G Pad 7.0 is slightly thicker and heavier than comparable 7-inch Android slates such as the Dell Venue 7 (7.6 x 4.54 x 0.35 inches, 10.24 ounces) and the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (7.5 x 4.5 x 0.38 inches, 10.35 ounces). The Acer Iconia One 7, another 7-inch tablet, weighs slightly more than the G Pad at 7.8 x 4.7 x 0.35 inches and 11.3 ounces.

Display

Click to EnlargeThe G Pad's 7-inch 1280 x 800 IPS display delivers vivid visuals and relatively wide viewing angles. When I streamed Clear and Present Danger on Netflix, the bright oranges of exploding rockets popped, and I could rotate the tablet more than 45 degrees in any direction without causing the colors to wash out. Details such as beads of sweat on Harrison Ford's face were clearly visible.

When I measured the screen's brightness with my light meter, it registered 282 nits. This falls well below the tablet average of 328 nits and the 348-nit Dell Venue 7, but is brighter than the 271-nit ASUS MeMO Pad 7 and 280-nit Acer Iconia One 7.

The G Pad 7 boasts fairly good color accuracy, although its color spectrum is relatively limited compared with the competition. Using a colorimeter, we measured a Delta-E rating of just 2.0 (0 is perfect). This is more accurate than the category average (5.8), MeMO Pad 7 (6.1), Iconia One 7 (7.3) and Venue 7 (11.8).

However, the G Pad 7 managed to display just 66.4 percent of the sRGB spectrum, compared with 81.9 percent on the MeMO Pad 7 and a tablet average of 85 percent. The Venue 7 and Iconia One 7 fell just below the G Pad at 63.9 and 66 percent, respectively.

Audio

The G Pad's speakers pumped out accurate audio. When I listened to Grimes' "Circumambient" at full volume, the electronica beat rang out clearly without noticeable distortion or tininess. "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac sounded equally vibrant. As with most 7-inch tablets, however, bass proved nonexistent.

On the Laptop Audio Test (measuring a tone from 13 inches away at maximum volume), the G Pad 7.0 registered 76 decibels, below the tablet average of 79 dB, the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (78 dB), the Dell Venue 7 (81 dB) and the Acer Iconia One 7 (82 dB).

Software and Interface

Click to EnlargeThe G Pad 7.0 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat with LG's Optimus software on top. In addition to a flatter aesthetic, and custom Internet browser, calendar, camera and email apps - standard fare for a manufacturer's skin - the Optimus skin introduces a number of unique changes to the Android user interface.

Most immediately noticeable is the addition of a fourth virtual menu button at the bottom right corner of the display. Tapping on the Dual Window button allows you to open two apps simultaneously, positioned vertically if the tablet is in portrait mode and horizontally if it's in a landscape orientation. This split-screen mode is quite helpful if you want to browse the Web on Chrome while listening to music on YouTube, for example, or check your mail while searching for a location with Google Maps.

MORE: 12 Worst Android Annoyances and How to Fix Them

Click to EnlargeFunctionally, the windows work in tandem; if you tap on a URL in an email, the link opens in the browser in the second window. However, Dual Window only works with certain apps like the aforementioned applications as well as Google Hangouts, Gallery and File Manager, which somewhat limits its utility.

Another addition is the QSlide bar in the notifications drawer, which allows you to launch select apps - Video, Browser, Calendar, Email, File Manager and Calculator - in resizable windows. You can change the size of the window by pressing and dragging the lower right corner, as well as adjust the opacity using a slider at the top right. A button at the top left corner lets you expand the app to full screen mode (or reduce it to windowed mode, if it's already in full screen). Like Dual Window, however, QSlide allows you to run just two apps at the same time.

There's also Knock On, which allows you to wake up the tablet by tapping twice on the screen. Security-conscious users can take this a step further with Knock Code. Using this feature, you can set up a pattern of three to eight "knocks" - each of which is in a screen quadrant of your choice - which you can use to unlock the tablet. According to LG, there are more than 86,000 possible combinations.

Keyboard

Click to EnlargeInstead of the stock Android keyboard, the G Pad 7.0 features a custom LG keyboard. The keyboard features the standard QWERTY layout, with a number row at the top. You can quickly access special characters by long-pressing on the letters, or toggle special characters by pressing on the bottom left button. You can also adjust the height of the keyboard, split the keyboard by spreading two fingers, enable swipe input, and change auto-correction settings.

The keyboard features predictive text and a user-defined dictionary, but unlike Google Keyboard it doesn't automatically recognize unusual names from your contacts list. Another problem I noticed is that, when using swipe input, the keyboard doesn't display the word it thinks you're trying to type; as a result, I frequently ended up with unexpected typos, such as "word" instead of "weird."

Apps

Click to EnlargeIn addition to the standard Android offerings, the G Pad 7.0 includes several unique apps from LG. Qpair syncs your Android phone with the G Pad via Bluetooth, letting you receive phone calls, texts and social network notifications sent to your smartphone on the tablet. While this sounds helpful, it proved slightly unreliable. I had no problem using the G Pad to answer phone calls on my Samsung Galaxy S4, for instance, but the tablet only seemed to receive every other text message.

You can also use the app to find your phone by making it ring, although the phone must already be paired with the tablet for this feature to function.

Another app, QuickRemote, turns the G Pad into a programmable remote that you can use to control compatible TVs and cable boxes. Syncing the tablet with my Sony TV and Comcast cable box proved a cinch - the app simply asked me if I could turn on the TV by tapping the power button, then open the TV's settings menu by tapping on the settings button, and I was off and running. I noticed about a 1-second delay after tapping a button on the tablet's screen, but this didn't substantially detract from the usefulness of the app.

Finally, there's QuickMemo+, which lets you scrawl quick messages on the tablet's screen using your finger and then save it to the gallery. You can add reminders to your memo, as well as weather and location data. The app also allows you to change the paper style (blank or lined, as well as color), insert images, and share the memo via Gmail, Google Plus or a number of other social network apps.

MORE: 25 Best Android Apps

Storage and Expansion

The G Pad 7.0 comes with 8GB of storage, which can be expanded by as much as 32GB with a microSD card.

Cameras

Click to EnlargeThe G Pad's camera quality proved disappointing. Photos taken with the tablet's 3-MP rear shooter suffered from graininess and muted colors, and it was hard to discern details even in close-up pictures. In a photo I took of a cereal box, for example, I couldn't make out text any smaller than the cereal label. Video taken with the camera played smoothly, but suffered from the same fuzziness and flat colors. Video resolution maxes out at 720p.

The 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera fared little better. When I took a headshot using the camera, my blue fleece sweater appeared faded, and my skin tone looked sallow.

Click to EnlargeThe LG camera app is fairly rudimentary. Tapping on the menu button at the top right corner of the screen causes the camera controls to appear. Along the bottom are the picture and video buttons, as well as the gallery button on the right and a back button on the left.

At the top is the button to switch between the rear-facing and front-facing cameras, and the settings button. Tapping on the latter button opens a submenu with options to turn on a grid overlay, a shutter timer and voice controls (these include phrases such as "cheese" and "smile"). In the settings menu, you can also adjust the resolution of pictures and video captured with the rear-facing camera.

[sc:video id="VvMWJicTpzzI7o2K6tIkn-fLdWG_NnZf" width="575" height="398"]

Performance

The G Pad 7.0 ships with a 1.2-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The tablet generally performed well during everyday use; I didn't experience any slowdowns while playing Angry Birds: Star Wars, for example, although I noticed lag when scrolling through pages in Chrome. Unfortunately, the tablet fared much worse on our objective tests.

On Geekbench 3, which measures multicore performance, the G Pad notched a score of just 1,130. This falls below the 1,161 achieved by the Dell Venue 7 (1.06-GHz Intel Atom Z3460, 1GB of RAM), the 2,431 racked up by the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (1.33-GHz Intel Atom Z3745, 1GB of RAM) and the 2,573 tablet average.

On the Vidtrim test, in which the tablet transcodes a 204MB, 1080p video to 480p, the G Pad took a whopping 12 minutes and 55 seconds. This was much slower than the MeMO Pad 7 (5:35), Iconia One 7 (7:04), Venue 7 (8:38) and category average (10:35).

Graphics performance proved similarly lackluster. When we ran 3DMark Ice Storm, the G Pad managed a score of 5,596. The average tablet, by contrast, scored 10,996 on the same test, while the Venue 7 and MeMO Pad 7 achieved scores of 13,388 and 13,625, respectively. The Iconia One 7 performed nearly as poorly as the G Pad, with a score of 6,042.

Battery Life

On the positive side, the G Pad lasts significantly longer on a charge than the competition. When I ran the Laptop Battery Test (continuous Web surfing via Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness), the tablet turned in a runtime of 11 hours and 18 minutes. This blows away the Iconia One 7 (6:36), MeMO Pad 7 (7:39), Venue 7 (8:14) and tablet average (8:20).

MORE: 10 Tablets with the Longest Battery Life

Bottom Line

Click to EnlargeThe LG G Pad 7.0 makes a few compromises to achieve its low price, but overall it's a pretty good bargain. The tablet boasts a vivid 1280 x 800 screen, outstanding audio quality and epic battery life, all for the very reasonable cost of $150. However, LG did make some trade-offs to hit this budget price: Photos and videos look grainy and washed out, and the tablet delivers middling performance compared with other 7-inch slates.

In this price range we prefer the $150 ASUS MemoPad HD 7, which offers much faster Intel Atom performance. Still, the LG G Pad 7.0 is a fine choice if you're looking for a long-lasting 7-inch Android tablet that won't break the bank.

• Top 10 Tablets Available Now
• Tablet Buying Guide: 7 Essential Tips
• Top 10 Tablets to Buy (or Avoid) Now