LG gram 14 (2017) - Review 2022

The LG gram 14 ($1,499) is the larger complement to this twelvemonth's 13-inch gram, making upwardly part of LG's line of ultraportable laptops. Weighing barely more than 2 pounds, but packing a Cadre i7 processor and more storage than many similar machines, the gram 14 is fast, capable, and posted a 15-60 minutes battery life in our testing. Alas, the chassis materials and keyboard lack a premium feel that we expect at this price, which means the Dell XPS 13 Bear on (Rose Golden) remains our top pick for high-cease ultraportables, only the gram xiv is a solid option, despite a few flaws.

Lightweight Design

As we plant with its xiii-inch sibling, the gram fourteen is more solidly built than the first-generation try, which felt a little flimsy in its quest for the ultimate in lightness. The gram 14 weighs just 2.09 pounds and measures 0.6 by 12.seven past viii.3 inches (HWD), very light and compact for a 14-inch notebook. The nano carbon-and-magnesium-alloy material used for the body is lighter than metal alternatives, simply a bit nicer than plastic. That said, other machines inside $100-$200 utilise much more premium-feeling metallic bodies, so it doesn't feel quite like the luxury product yous're paying for.

Because of the thinner materials, there is a bit of flex to the hat and bottom panel, simply only if y'all consciously button downward. The Dell XPS 13 is very similar in size (0.6 by 12.0 by 8.0 inches) but weighs ii.ix pounds, though the aluminum and carbon cobweb build feels more high stop. One of our favorite ultraportables, the New Razer Blade Stealth, is a smaller 12.5-inch system with a metallic body that weighs 2.9 pounds, demonstrating how much weight LG trimmed out of the larger laptop. Overall, despite the lack of metal structure, the gram xiv is sturdy enough.

The keys, on the other hand, practise experience flimsy compared with the contest in this price range. They're non bad—the keys part and respond well—but the plastic used doesn't feel very high quality, especially compared with the splendid keyboards institute on the XPS xiii and HP Spectre X360 thirteen. It does feature adaptable backlighting. I have no qualms almost the touchpad, which is consistently responsive and tracks smoothly. There's no room for heavy-duty speakers or a subwoofer in this laptop, but the sound is serviceable, becoming fairly loud at full book, and then a gathered crowd can hear whatever is playing from several anxiety away, but voices audio a bit recessed.

As with the gram thirteen, LG's screen pedigree shines through with the gram fourteen. The 1080p touch brandish delivers great picture quality, boasting vibrant colors and strong effulgence. It'southward sleeky, simply doesn't take a bad reflection problem, and the In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel means you can view information technology from far to the side or back and non see image distortion. While it looks good, comparable laptops we reviewed in this cost range have higher resolutions, such every bit the Spectre x360 13 (4K) and XPS 13 (3,200 past 1,800). Fifty-fifty the to the lowest degree expensive $899 New Bract Stealth configuration offers a QHD display (2,560 by ane,440), then the gram 14 lacking the sharper resolution and increased digital screen space is somewhat disappointing.

Fortunately, when it comes to ports, the slim design doesn't lead to a frustrating USB-C-only state of affairs, similar nosotros've seen with the 2022 MacBook and, more than recently, the Huawei MateBook X. The gram fourteen supplies a total assortment of connectors, including a USB iii.0 port, a USB-C port, and an HDMI port on the left, with a micro SD slot, a headphone jack, and another USB 3.0 port on the correct. For storage, there'south a 512GB M.two SSD, which is not only speedy, but likewise about double the 256GB of storage we usually see in laptops like this. The Rose Gold XPS xiii, Blade Stealth, MacBook Pro, and Spectre 13 all include 256GB. You lot also get dual-ring 802.11ac wireless with Bluetooth 4.ii, and the gram 14 is supported by a one-yr warranty.

Long-Lasting Speed

This gram upgrades on its xiii-inch counterpart's Intel Core i5 processor, packing a 2.7GHz i7-7500U CPU and 8GB of memory. As such, the overall speed is bumped up, with moderately faster results across the board on the PCMark viii Work Conventional examination and the multimedia benchmarks. The thirteen-inch model we tested costs $300 less, though, and then information technology'due south up to yous whether the added speed (and other additions, like more than storage) are worth it. Every bit for more similarly priced competitors, the XPS 13 and Bract Stealth performed slightly meliorate, while the Spectre x360 xiii pulled nigh fifty-fifty. It's tough to directly compare PCMark numbers here: Higher resolutions are more demanding and pull down scores and these laptops all have unlike resolution screens. The gram 14 did come out on top, just its 1080p screen is as well pulling the lowest resolution, so take those numbers with a grain of table salt.

3D and gaming operation is by and large a wash, every bit well-nigh every ultraportable uses graphics hardware integrated into the CPU, as opposed to the dedicated cards establish in gaming systems and some workstations. Given that the gram xiv couldn't even average 20 frames per second at 720p (never listen in full Hard disk) on the Sky or Valley benchmark tests, you won't be doing whatsoever real gaming on this laptop. Something less enervating similar Hearthstone, a 2D title, or an old game should run okay, but most modern titles will struggle to play smoothly.

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Battery life is impressive, with the gram 14 lasting 15 hours and 40 minutes on our rundown test. That's a several-hr improvement over the 13-inch gram (12:33) and better than the Rose Gold XPS 13 (10:42), Blade Stealth (9:20), and Spectre x360 thirteen (eight:xviii). Once more, higher screen resolution play a role in draining batteries faster, but that doesn't change the fact that the gram 14 will concluding you well through a full 24-hour interval of work or travel.

Strong and Light, but Not Luxe

Though it may not have the premium metal build of some of its slightly pricier competition, the gram 14 is fast, full featured, and long lasting. Information technology'southward also incredibly lite, justifying its ultraportable condition despite the larger-than-usual 14-inch screen. The screen is sharp and looks great, and it fifty-fifty manages more storage than most of the alternatives. All of that said, the actress cost of the competition comes with advantages. If I'm buying a loftier-end ultraportable, I want information technology to feel like the luxury detail I'thou paying for, and the gram xiv just feels less solid than information technology should and the 1080p display is behind the curve. Information technology'southward a good option, particularly if weight is your top business organization, but the Dell XPS 13 remains our Editors' Choice for its gorgeous build, first-class keyboard, and superior display.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/laptops/15784/lg-gram-14-2017

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