ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The LG Gram 17 (2025) is out there now for $1,699.
- You will not discover a thinner, lighter 17-inch laptop computer on the market, and the Intel “Lunar Lake” processor is a giant improve from final 12 months’s mannequin.
- The touchscreen is wobbly, the black matte end attracts fingerprints, and I want it had a haptic trackpad.
At Greatest Purchase, the 2025 LG Gram 17 is on sale for $1,750 ($250 off).
So that you like a giant display screen, 17-inch laptop computer, however you need to carry it round with out breaking your again? I obtained you. LG’s Gram 17 lives as much as its identify because the lightest, thinnest 17-inch laptop computer you’ve got probably laid your eyes on.
We have gone hands-on with a number of fashions from LG’s Gram sequence over the previous few years, resembling 2024’s Gram Professional 17, and the Gram Professional 16 2-in-1. Fortunately, the brand new Gram 17 has some enhancements over final 12 months’s mannequin, and truthfully, the variations between the bottom mannequin and the Professional aren’t as outstanding as you may anticipate.
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The Gram 17 is an exceedingly mild laptop computer for its measurement, measuring simply 0.74 inches skinny and weighing 3.2 kilos. For reference, that is lighter than many 16, 14, and even some 13-inch laptops, and it does not sacrifice {hardware} to get there.
The Gram 17 is supplied with an Intel Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” processor, 32GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage, placing it according to different aggressive mid-to-upper-tier laptops in the identical value vary.
The place it stands out from the gang, nonetheless, is its type. The record-holding lightness ends in a laptop computer that is straightforward to hold round, particularly in case you are a hybrid employee who commutes to the workplace. I took this laptop computer with me all over the place for over every week and barely observed it in my bag.
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Additional, the 17-inch touchscreen show is all the pieces you’d anticipate from a WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS: it is vibrant, crisp, and mitigates glare very nicely. I am not an enormous touchscreen particular person (I virtually all the time favor a mouse), however the sheer measurement of the display screen on this laptop computer invitations the person to work together with it in a method that is barely completely different than different laptops, and I discovered myself utilizing it extra usually than anticipated.
That being mentioned, the very skinny display screen is slightly wobbly and flexes backwards and forwards with every press, one thing that may peeve some customers.
The opposite bodily parts of the laptop computer are modern and well-designed. The total-sized keyboard is slightly customary, with comparatively flat keys that are not fairly as premium as a number of the different laptops I’ve examined lately, like HP’s Elitebook X G1a, nevertheless it’s purposeful.
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Equally, the touchpad is giant and responsive, though I’ve to say that I want there was a haptic choice. Additionally, the laptop computer’s total measurement ends in a wrist relaxation space that’s fairly expansive. Typing on the Gram 17 means your whole hand, and — relying on the dimensions of your arms — mid forearms can be resting on the laptop computer. Additionally, you will want correct desk house, with the underside half of the clamshell measuring 15 inches in size and 10 inches deep.
LG continues to provide its Gram sequence with a black matte end that’s, sadly, a little bit of a fingerprint magnet. Relying on what sort of lighting you are in, the laptop computer’s floor can present smudges and prints, and when you care about that form of factor, it could be a bit distracting.
So far as different {hardware} on board goes, I/O is strong, with an HDMI port, two USB-Cs (each with energy supply and assist for Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort), two USB-As, a headphone jack, and a Kensington lock slot. The audio system aren’t notably good, sounding on the shallow facet (influenced by the gadget’s ultrathin type, little question) however about what you’d anticipate from a mid-tier laptop computer.
The actual energy behind this laptop computer is inside, nonetheless. The addition of the Intel Core Extremely 7 (Collection 2) “Lunar Lake” processor upgrades it to a very aggressive gadget slightly than simply an engineering showboat.
As with different laptops with Intel’s “Lunar Lake” sequence of processors, such because the Asus Zenbook S14, battery drain slows to a trickle when it is idle, permitting for multi-day use with out worrying concerning the charger.
Targeted, sustained use, nonetheless, ends in the form of battery drain you’d anticipate, with a couple of full eight-hour day’s price of labor on one cost, skewing on the longer finish — as much as 10 hours, relying on how arduous you push it. That is to say, the battery life on this is superb, particularly contemplating it is powering a 17-inch show.
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So, how does the Gram 17 differ from the Professional? First, the Professional has extra horsepower, with a 16-core Intel Core Extremely 7, versus the identical chip however with eight cores on the bottom mannequin. The Professional additionally has an even bigger 90Wh battery in comparison with the bottom mannequin’s 77Wh, that means it may keep unplugged longer.
Regardless of the facility, the Gram Professional 17 can also be barely thinner and lighter, as you are paying for a extra premium design. However facet by facet, the 2 laptops look practically similar.
Neither 17-inch model comes with an OLED show (you may should go all the way down to the Gram Professional 16 for that), however the Professional does have a 144Hz refresh fee, in contrast to the bottom mannequin, which caps out at 60Hz.
Apart from that, with the identical I/O choice and coloration, and design scheme, the distinction right here is comparatively delicate, regardless of a $380 value leap as much as the Professional model with 16GB of RAM. The Gram 17 base mannequin with 32GB of RAM, conversely, is cheaper, beginning at $1,699.
For that purpose, I like to recommend the LG Gram 17 over the Professional model until you are completely intent on pushing the shape issue so far as it may go by way of battery life and energy.
Talking of battery life, I did a little bit of gaming on this laptop computer, and after a handful of updates, it carried out nicely, however the battery life does take a success. I additionally obtained a number of graphical glitches (tearing, polygons) over the course of testing it, however the Intel Arc GPU holds its personal, particularly for titles that are not notably demanding.
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The “Lunar Lake” Intel chip ends in a cool-running laptop computer. Even with the followers cranking, it by no means actually heats as much as uncomfortable temperatures, particularly contemplating how scorching I keep in mind final 12 months’s Gram Professional 16 getting.
Lastly, I will point out the Gram’s on-device AI, “Gram Chat”, which is LG’s proprietary AI-driven assistant that’s supposed to assist the person discover options to frequent points like finding information or troubleshooting. I’ll say that for very fundamental requests, it really works, nevertheless it does not perceive conversational prompts, a lot much less extra obscure ones.
On-device AI is one thing that completely different producers are attempting, however as most customers will admit, outcomes are blended, at the very least for now. LG’s Gram Chat could also be helpful for some, however I did not discover myself going again after my first few makes an attempt yielded uninspiring outcomes.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
LG’s Gram 17 is an extremely skinny and light-weight laptop computer, and the addition of the Intel Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” processor completes the image with a direct enchancment in methods shoppers will care about.
The $1,700 value level is on the excessive finish, however this laptop computer is an engineering assertion. You’ll not discover a thinner, lighter, 17-inch laptop computer on the market.
The LG Gram Professional 17 will price round $400 extra, nevertheless it provides a extra highly effective processor, larger battery, and extra premium construct. Only for readability, meaning it’s over the $2,000 mark. For many customers, nonetheless, the bottom mannequin Gram 17 is a stable selection for shoppers who love a giant show and spectacular type issue.
The current US tariffs on imports from nations like China, Vietnam, and India intention to spice up home manufacturing however are more likely to drive up costs on shopper electronics. Merchandise like smartphones, laptops, and TVs could turn into dearer as firms rethink world provide chains and weigh the price of shifting manufacturing.
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Laptops and PCs are additionally hit arduous by the brand new US tariffs, with import duties doubtlessly rising costs by as much as 35%. Many main manufacturers nonetheless depend on Chinese language and Vietnamese factories for meeting, that means shoppers may quickly pay considerably extra for all the pieces from funds Chromebooks to high-end gaming rigs.
These tariffs could speed up efforts to maneuver manufacturing to areas like Mexico or India, however buyers can anticipate greater prices and fewer reductions within the brief time period.
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