ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The LG Gram 17 (2025) is on sale now for $1,199.
- You will not discover a thinner, lighter 17-inch laptop computer on the market, and Intel’s Lunar Lake CPU is an enormous improve from final yr’s.
- The touchscreen is wobbly, the black matte end attracts fingerprints, and I want it had a haptic trackpad.
extra shopping for selections
Observe ZDNET: Add us as a most popular supply on Google.
So that you like an enormous 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 doubtless laid your eyes on.
We have gone hands-on with a number of fashions from LG’s Gram collection over the previous few years, reminiscent of 2024’s Gram Professional 17 and the Gram Professional 16 2-in-1. Fortunately, the brand new Gram 17 has some enhancements over final yr’s mannequin, and actually, the variations between the bottom mannequin and the Professional aren’t as outstanding as you may anticipate.
Additionally: I examined the world’s smallest 1TB SSD drive, and it is largest draw back should not shock you
The Gram 17 is an exceedingly mild laptop computer for its dimension, 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 would not sacrifice {hardware} to get there.
Finest laptop computer offers of the week
Offers are chosen by the CNET Group commerce staff, and could also be unrelated to this text.
The Gram 17 is provided with an Intel Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” processor, 32GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage, placing it consistent with different aggressive mid-to-upper-tier laptops in the identical value vary.
The place it stands out from the gang, nevertheless, is its type. The record-holding lightness ends in a laptop computer that is straightforward to hold round, particularly if you’re a hybrid employee who commutes to the workplace. I took this laptop computer with me in every single place for over per week and barely observed it in my bag.
Additionally: RAM costs are ridiculous in 2026 – this is how my PC shopping for recommendation is altering this yr
Additional, the 17-inch touchscreen show is the whole lot you’d anticipate from a WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS: it is vivid, crisp, and mitigates glare very nicely. I am not an enormous touchscreen individual (I nearly all the time want a mouse), however the sheer dimension of the display screen on this laptop computer invitations the person to work together with it in a means that is barely totally different than different laptops, and I discovered myself utilizing it extra usually than anticipated.
That mentioned, the very skinny display screen is fairly wobbly and flexes backwards and forwards with every press, which can peeve some customers.
The opposite bodily parts of the laptop computer are smooth and well-designed. The total-size keyboard is fairly customary, with comparatively flat keys that are not fairly as premium as a number of the different laptops I’ve examined just lately, like HP’s Elitebook X G1a, however it’s useful.
Additionally: Tips on how to clear your Home windows 11 PC cache (and why it makes such an enormous distinction)
Equally, the touchpad is giant and responsive, though I’ve to say that I want there have been a haptic choice. Additionally, the laptop computer’s general dimension ends in a wrist relaxation space that’s fairly expansive. Typing on the Gram 17 means your total hand, and — relying on the dimensions of your arms — mid forearms might be resting on the laptop computer. Additionally, you will want correct desk area, with the underside half of the clamshell measuring 15 inches in size and 10 inches deep.
LG continues to provide its Gram collection 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 kind of factor, it may 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 significantly good, sounding on the shallow facet (influenced by the system’s ultrathin type, little doubt) however about what you’d anticipate from a mid-tier laptop computer.
The actual energy behind this laptop computer is inner, nevertheless. The addition of the Intel Core Extremely 7 (Sequence 2) “Lunar Lake” processor upgrades it to a very aggressive system fairly than simply an engineering showboat.
As with different laptops with Intel’s “Lunar Lake” collection 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.
Centered, sustained use, nevertheless, ends in the sort of battery drain you’d anticipate, with a couple of full eight-hour day’s value of labor on one cost, skewing on the longer finish — as much as 10 hours, relying on how onerous you push it. That is to say, the battery life on this is superb, particularly contemplating it is powering a 17-inch show.
Additionally: The most effective-looking Home windows laptops I’ve examined recently is not made by Dell or Lenovo
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 a much bigger 90Wh battery in comparison with the bottom mannequin’s 77Wh, which means it could actually 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 almost similar.
Neither 17-inch model comes with an OLED show (you will should go all the way down to the Gram Professional 16 for that), however the Professional does have a 144Hz refresh charge, not like the bottom mannequin, which caps out at 60Hz.
Aside from that, with the identical I/O choice, colour, and design scheme, the distinction right here is comparatively delicate, regardless of a $380 value bounce to the Professional model with 16GB of RAM. Conversely, the Gram 17 base mannequin with 32GB of RAM is cheaper, beginning at $1,699.
For that purpose, I like to recommend the LG Gram 17 over the Professional model except you are completely intent on pushing the shape issue so far as it could actually 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 successful. I additionally obtained a couple 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 significantly demanding.
Additionally: HP’s EliteBook X G2i may very well be the ultraportable enterprise laptop computer I have been ready for
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 bear in mind final yr’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 recordsdata or troubleshooting. I’ll say that for very fundamental requests, it really works, however it would not perceive conversational prompts, a lot much less extra imprecise ones.
On-device AI is one thing that totally different producers try, however as most customers will admit, outcomes are blended, no less than 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 common value of $1,700 is on the excessive finish, however proper now it is on sale for $1,199 — an entire $500. Not unhealthy for what is actually a press release of engineering.
