LG gram SuperSlim, review: the most powerful slim laptop throne is within your reach
LG gram SuperSlim, review: the most powerful slim laptop throne is within your reach
LG and Lenovo have been fighting an extraordinary battle for a few years in the interesting sector of the thinnest and lightest laptops on the market. LG’s work in this segment, certainly the only one relevant to the brand, is top-notch and only improves it.
The new LG gram SuperSlim launches new names that further highlight its “even more difficult” spirit. Take note if not of its main arguments: 1 cm thick and 0.9 kg weight for a powerful laptop with a 15.6-inch OLED screen. Does anyone give more?
LG gram SuperSlim technical sheet
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LG GRAM SUPERSLIM |
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|---|---|
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SCREEN |
15.6 inches 1080p 16:9 format, OLED, DCI-P3 100% and brightness 400 nits (Anti-reflective) |
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PROCESSOR |
Intel Core i5-1340P at 1.9 GHz |
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MEMORY |
16 GB LPDDR5 (soldered to board) |
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GRAPHICS |
Intel Iris Xe |
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STORAGE |
512 GB (expandable with a second M.2 slot) |
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CONNECTIVITY |
WiFi 6x Bluetooth 5.1 |
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PORTS |
3 x USB 4 Gen3x2 (Type-C) with fast charging, Display Port, integrated Thunderbolt 4 |
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SOUND |
2×2 W speakers with Dolby Atmos |
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BATTERY |
60Wh 65W adapter (fast charging via USB-C) |
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OTHERS |
FullHD Webcam IR Sensor (Windows Hello) |
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DIMENSIONS |
356.0 x 227.45 x 10.99~12.55mm |
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WEIGHT |
0.9kg |
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OPERATING SYSTEM |
Windows 11 |
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PRICE |
1,519 euros |
It couldn’t be lighter
There are many ultrabooks and laptops that boast minimal thickness and outrageous weight (positively). But few can come close to the figures that an LG from the gram family presents to us again.
The new LG gram SuperSlim is a great laptop with a classic 15.6-inch diagonal; We are not talking about a typical ultrabook. Its official weight is 990 grams and the thickness is between 10.9 and 12.5 mm. But those numbers don’t come close to the real feeling of holding something with so little density that it seems really hollow.
The chassis is made of carbon and magnesium alloy , resistant to shock, pressure, humidity and corrosion according to the military durability standard STD-MIL 810G. The tone of the model we have analyzed, Neptune Blue, is very attractive and resists dirt very well.
The equipment is so minimalist in everything that even the webcam notification LEDs or the power LED are so subtle that they are confusing. For example, right next to the power button (not on the button itself) the power LED is placed in such a discreet manner that we repeatedly touched it with the intention of wiping away what appeared to be a speck of dust.
Connectivity is not the strong point of the device given the thin thickness of the laptop, which is why the USB type A ports had to be sacrificed, something that some will miss. We do have, however, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a USB-C distributed on the two sides, where we also find a combined audio port… and that’s it.
In the upper frame of the screen there is enough space to place a FullHD webcam with an infrared sensor and a dual microphone system. The webcam simply complies, don’t be fooled by the resolution, and it also adds face recognition with Windows Hello, necessary since the laptop does not have a fingerprint reader for another biometric identification.
Great screen to work on
The light weight and thickness of the LG gram SuperSlim would not be so important in this laptop if we were not referring to a model with a 15.6-inch screen. This diagonal allows us to work, study and enjoy content in a quite comfortable way.
The LG gram SuperSlim, with contained frames, has an anti-glare low-reflection panel (AGLR) that greatly reduces reflections but does not detract from the brightness or spectacularity of the OLED panel. In fact, it could perfectly pass for a classic panel.
The screen has a typical brightness of 400 nits , enough for daily work, and a peak of 500 nits for HDR mode.
Where it falls behind the competition and may be something to take into account for some users, is the resolution of the panel . 1080p on a 15.6-inch diagonal screen may result in insufficient sharpness for certain tasks.
But if you don’t need more resolution or screen space, the 16:9 panel (we would very much like to see this model with a 3:2 format) offers a good experience for both work and leisure, with 99% coverage of the DCI color space. P3, Eye Care Display, DisplayHDR and 2 ms response time.
Regarding sound, this LG gram SuperSlim has only two speakers for a total of 4 W. They sound quite powerful , they are also Dolby Atmos but it is not a highlight of the equipment at all. There is no bass and the entire sound is too flat and with distortions even at low volume.
Power without fanfare
The interior of the LG gram SuperSlim , as with many generalist laptops, is the least exciting part of the product.
The new LG model complies with the update necessary for the arrival of new Intel processors. In the version we have analyzed we find a 1.9 GHz Core i5-1340P processor ( Intel Iris Xe graphics ) accompanied by 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, as well as a 512 GB solid state drive. It is also available with the Core i7-1360P.
The RAM memory is integrated , so choosing the version with 16 or 32 GB is key when we go to buy the laptop.
This base configuration seems somewhat fair to us when we compare it with the specifications of similarly priced models. But here the differentiation must be assumed to be found in the weight, the screen and the battery, as we will see later.
In raw performance tests, the standard Core i5 performs just enough for basic tasks , as well as at a graphical level. We have results that are close to 2000 and 8900 points in the GeekBnech 6 tests, as well as almost 6000 points in Cinebench R23 and 2800 in CineBench R20, our reference tests for this type of laptop.
In 3DMark Time Spy we did not exceed 1,600 points on any occasion that we passed the test.
The fact that we are not dealing with a particularly powerful device is appreciated when it comes to noise in operation. Only when we choose the most powerful mode, which does not make as much sense on this device, does a slight and continuous noise from the fans occur . It is not annoying and ensures that we can even use the equipment on our knees as there is only a slight heating of the lower part of it.
In the other modes it is rare that we manage to start the fans, so for most hours of use we are guaranteed silence.
Good help for the consumer market
Sometimes, in a laptop or product with a clear focus on the general public, it is appreciated that at the software level, everything is simple. This is the case with the programs that LG installs as standard on the LG gram SuperSlim to control different computer settings related to fan noise, keyboard lighting, laptop charging or screen operation.
It does not do it through a single suite, although the bulk of the control is centralized in the LG Smart Assistant , very visual and very helpful in understanding what we can manage on the laptop.
There are other quite interesting programs such as LG Security Guard so that the laptop locks when we are not in front of it (very useful and convenient in common work areas) or that notifies us if, having left the laptop charging or with the lid open, it disconnect or close the lid.
Outstanding autonomy
The LG gram SuperSlim does not need a large battery to position itself as one of the laptops with the longest autonomy on the market. We have a “only” 60 Wh battery that is capable of averaging between 9-11 hours of autonomy in mixed use of the device. There is enough for more than one day of work.
Charging the device can be done with the ports on both sides of the laptop. In addition, the standard charger (65W adapter) is very small in size and weight, as could not be less to accompany the heart-stopping measurements of the LG gram SuperSlim.
A keyboard adapted to the computer
The very thin chassis of the LG Gram SuperSlim has an expected victim: the keyboard . In day-to-day use with the device we have missed a longer range of keys, as it is more similar, apart from the distances, to the experience with top-level keyboard cases than that of classic laptops. It’s also plenty loud for what I’d look for in a laptop for mobile work and study.
Despite everything, using it is pleasant and, with some adaptation, fast. It is appreciated that it includes a numeric keypad due to its usage profile, as well as many function keys, including direct access to system management applications.
The keyboard is backlit with very good visibility in the dark and two intensities that we can adjust by hand. We can also configure it to turn off automatically when we are not using it, very useful for home theater sessions at night.
As for the touchpad, it covers the entire possible height but could have been wider. In any case, it is precise and fast for travel.