When it comes to creating lightweight laptops, LG has been at the forefront. The Gram lineup has been remarkable in providing a lightweight yet powerful machine. Providing you with excellent performance in a premium chassis.
This time Gram 16 improves upon its previous model by bringing over minor improvements and fine-tuning some things. Of course, we also see a significant bump in performance thanks to the new lineup of Intel Alderlake processors.
The LG Gram 16 is certainly not without its flaws. To keep the chassis lightweight, LG decided to cut some corners in areas where its rivals excel. And we will discuss that in detail as we move forward with the review.
Specs at a Glance
CPU: Core i7 1260p | GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics | RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 | Display: 16” 2560×1600 | Storage: 256GB NVME | Battery: 80Wh | OS: Windows 11
I/O Ports
Gram 16 is pretty solid in terms of I/O. We have dual USB 3.2 Type-A ports, dual USB C Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, an audio combo jack, and a microSD slot along with the usual Kensington lock.
This is nice considering many manufacturers are cutting down on basic I/O by removing things like a Type A USB port or headphone jack just to make the chassis thinner.
There isn’t much to complain about the I/O on the Gram 16 2022. Though if we were to nitpick, it would have been nice if it had HDMI 2.1 instead of 2.0.
Chassis & Design
The chassis of the LG Gram 16 is one of its biggest strengths and weaknesses. Being made of magnesium alloy instead of aluminum alloy, the laptop feels extremely lightweight weighing around 2.62 lbs (1.19kg.)
Thanks to this, the Gram stays unbeatable, allowing it to smash the likes of Macbook Air and XPS 13 in terms of weight.
This light body, however, comes at the cost of rigidity The magnesium alloy chassis has noticeable flex on both the keyboard deck and the lid. And though it can be considered an improvement over the previous Gram, it’s still quite prominent.
Both the Macbook and the XPS feel extremely solid when it comes to chassis rigidity. Despite this, the Gram 16 still manages to pull of a seven-grade military certification. So you can carry this laptop with you for daily use and commuting with no issues.
The design language is as minimal as it can get. It follows the same design philosophy as from the likes of Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and many others. With a simple logo on the center of the lid while keeping the entire chassis clean and simple.
Being a matte black body, it’s a magnet for fingerprints and smudges. So if you really like your laptop to look clean, you might consider using a skin with it.
Furthermore, the body of Gram 16 is slime and low profile, which likely contributes to the lightweight of the device.
Keyboard & Touchpad
Keyboard
Apart from minor improvements such as an improved font on the keys which is slightly easier to read and a sturdier chassis, not much has changed.
The keys feel satisfying, with not enough depth yet they end every keystroke with satisfying feedback that helps in longer typing sessions.
You would enjoy this keyboard if your workflow includes typing endlessly for hours. Though you would certainly feel the keyboard deck flex if you type with heavy fingers.
The keyboard layout is fine, though some people might not be a fan of the Numpad as it kind of feels a bit cramped, but honestly, I don’t personally mind it. I appreciate how the keys are well spaced out on the main QWERTY keys which allows youtube to hit each key precisely.
You can adjust the backlight settings in the LG Smart Assistance App where you can not only adjust the brightness of the lights but also configure the timeout settings.
Touchpad
The touchpad is roomy and feels nice thanks to its glass-like surface. Though we are unsure if it’s glass or plastic. Besides that, the buttons on the touchpad are clicky and feel fine, though some may find them a bit loud.
As for the tracking, it’s what would you come to expect. It tracks accurately with precision drivers and would get the job done just fine.
Speakers & Webcam
Speakers
The sound of the LG Gram 16 is nothing to write home about. Sure LG manages to tweak them compared to last year but they don’t sound anywhere as good as the Dell XPS or the Macbook Pro.
That being said, they are not awful either. They produce respectable mids and clear highs with noticeably lacking bass. However, for just watching youtube videos or taking zoom calls, these are more than enough.
Just don’t crank over 65% or else they will make the entire laptop chassis vibrate which is not pleasant as you might expect.
Webcam
LG also improved in the webcam department by including a higher resolution sensor this year. It’s not the greatest webcam by any means.
Though it is still plenty sharp and captures enough detail when provided with enough light, so you won’t look like a potato in your zoom meetings.
It also features Windows Hello which is essential considering LG decided to remove the fingerprint sensor this year, so this is the only biometric verification available on the 2022 LG Gram 16.
Display
We noticed minor improvements in this year’s Gram’s display. To start off, LG went with a slightly different finish on the screen this year. The anti-glare coating is successful in cutting out reflections while not messing with the clarity of the display.
This approach is different and far better than what LG has done in the past with Gram. As for the color reproduction, it’s quite similar to the 2021 LG Gram. The colors are detailed and rich making the display great for content consumption.
As you might expect from a premium laptop, it comfortably covers the sRGB color space while also covering 99% of DCI P3 and 87% of Adobe RGB coverage. This means you can comfortably do color-sensitive creative work on the Gram 16 2022.
The panel is not the brightest on the Gram 16 2022, maxing out at around 350 nits. Though this is certainly an improvement compared to the Gram 2021 which got bright around 300 nits. You might be able to use the display outdoors though it won’t be a pleasant experience.
The screen real estate offered by the display is great too. The 16:10 display is amazing for working on longer text documents, as it allows you to work with more text.
Overall, excluding the brightness, the display is pretty much on par with the likes of Asus Zenbooks and Dell XPS lineup.
Performance
Gram 16 performance is good and respectable. It handles sustained loads like a champ without thermal throttling.
The fan noise is noticeable at high loads though certainly not a deal breaker. The CPU TJMax goes up to 90 degrees celsius after which it throttles down to save power and reduce heat.
As for the benchmarks, Cinebench R23 it achieves a score of 1683 in the single-core benchmark which is 10% higher than last year. And in multi-core score is 55% higher than last year, achieving a score of 9585.
In synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench 5, it was 21% higher in single core benchmarks, achieving a score of 1745. Multi core score was more than double this year, reaching 8823.
This is all thanks to the little big core design of the alder lake chips. Which was previously absent from the Gram.
As for the competition, the Lenovo Yoga 7i is faster than the Gram 16 in multi core performance, though the Gram 16 beats the Galaxy Book 2 Pro in both single and multi core benchmarks.
However if multi core performance really matters for you, then the Yoga 7i might be for you.
Battery
One of the strengths of the Gram 16 is certainly its battery life. On slightly intensive use, the 80Wh battery will last around 9 hours with ease. But if you do light tasks like browsing the web and checking email, then the Gram 16 2022 will last over 10 hours with ease.
This is surprising considering that the 12th gen P variant processors are known to consume more power, but here LG seem to have implemented the CPU just right.
Our variant had Xe Graphics, and there’s a variant with an RTX 2050 GPU and a 80Wh battery that may perform differently than what we see here. So if you plan to buy that variant, your mileage may vary.
Expandability and Upgradability
The sad trend of soldered RAM is seen in the 2022 LG Gram. This means that you would have to choose wisely when you buy a config. Our 16GB review unit is what we would recommend for future-proofing.
Though if your workflow demands more RAM, then go with a beefier config. As for the storage, you have the option to add more storage thanks to the dual SSD slots. So you can upgrade to something bigger if 256GB is not enough for you.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, then the Gram 16 2022 is an amazing lightweight laptop with respectable performance and amazing battery life. Though if you prefer a 2 in 1 laptop or if you prefer a sturdier chassis that doesn’t flex when you type on it, you might be better off buying something else such as the Yoga 7i.
