Have you been searching for an ultraportable laptop? This LG GRAM 13 review will help you with your search. This review takes a detailed approach in analyzing the LG GRAM 13’s features and performance. I will review the laptop’s CPU, RAM, GPU, storage, and battery life. At the end of this review, you would have enough information about LG GRAM 13 – you will be able to decide if the laptop meets your needs.
My Initial Thoughts
The LG GRAM 13 falls into the slim and light high-end laptop category. It is one of the lightest laptops available today.
Aside from its lightweight, one of the first things you will notice about this laptop is its excellent display. Although, this is not much of a surprise knowing that LG holds the reputation for designing awesome displays. Furthermore, the LG GRAM 13 becomes more interesting when you consider its hardware configuration. It is by far the lightest laptop with the level of configurations it features.
LG GRAM 13 Design, Dimension & Weight Review
The LG GRAM 13 has a magnesium alloy build. LG calls this construction material “nano carbon”. This laptop’s design is very simple. Nonetheless, its build quality is excellent. Moreover, LG claims that the LG GRAM 13 has passed through the MIL-STD 810G certification. Therefore, this laptop can withstand shocks, high temperatures, and drops from over 1.2 m. The laptop’s keyboard is standard for a laptop. Each key has good responses with a decent amount of distance between them. Below the keyboard is a moderate-sized trackpad. The trackpad is sensitive and responsive to touch. The major selling point of this laptop is its lightweight and compact design. The LG GRAM 13 weighs just 965 g and measures 304 x 210 x 15.2 mm. It is so light that it feels like its components are incomplete. This laptop is one of the lightest laptops available. Furthermore, LG GRAM 13 offers a fair amount of port selection. It offers 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 3.0 Type C, 1 USB Type C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. Overall, the LG GRAM 13 has a simple but solid premium design. Therefore, it scores a nine in this review.
LG GRAM 13 Processor (CPU) Performance Review
LG equipped the LG GRAM 13 with a quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U processor. This processor has a base frequency of 1.60 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.40 GHz. The LG GRAM 13’s CPU performance is what you would expect from a Core i5-8250U processor. This laptop carries out daily computing tasks smoothly and efficiently. On a Cinebench R15 test, the LG GRAM 13 scored 143 in the single-core processor test. Moreover, LG GRAM 13 performed slightly better than the HP Envy x360, which scored 142 points on the same test. The LG GRAM 13 also surpassed Dell Inspiron 15 7000 which scored 131. Meanwhile, the LG GRAM 13 scored 547 in the multi-core processor test. In this same test, it surpassed the Dell Inspiron 15 which scored 514, but it couldn’t surpass the HP Envy x360 which scored 618 points. Nonetheless, the LG GRAM 13’s CPU performance is remarkable. Hence, it scores eight in this review.
LG GRAM 13 Memory (RAM) Performance Review
The LG GRAM 13 comes with 8 GB DDR4 RAM. This laptop has two RAM slots that allow you to upgrade its RAM capacity. With its 8 GB RAM, the LG GRAM 13 ran smoothly with 15 Chrome browser tabs while a music album was streaming on Soundcloud. However, this laptop began to slow down when 5 more browser tabs were added. Furthermore, the LG GRAM 13 scored 4,592 points in a PCMark 8 test. With this result, the LG GRAM 13 ranks below other Ultrabooks like the Dell XPS 13. In the same PCMark test, Dell XPS 13 outperformed the LG GRAM 13 by a small margin – Dell XPS 13 scored 4,592. In comparison with its competitors, the LG GRAM 13 offers just a slightly above-average performance. As a result, it scores a seven in this review.
LG GRAM 13 Storage Options & Performance Review
The LG GRAM 13 comes with a 256 GB M.2 SSD. This laptop also offers a microSD card reader for storage expansion. On a CrystalDiskMark test, the LG GRAM 13 recorded a sequential read speed of 554.1 MBps. Unfortunately, it recorded a disappointing sequential write speed of 250 MBps. In comparison, the Lenovo Yoga 720 completely outperformed this laptop. The Lenovo Yoga recorded a sequential read speed of 2281.7 MBps and a sequential write speed of 885.3 MBps Furthermore, the Dell XPS 13 also outperformed the LG GRAM 13 in terms of storage speeds. The Dell XPS 13 recorded a sequential read speed of 1550 MBps and a sequential write speed of 337.4 MBps. Aside from its satisfactory storage type and capacity, the LG GRAM 13 barely matches up with its competitors in terms of storage speed. Hence, it scores a seven in this review.
LG GRAM 13 Graphics Card Performance Review
The LG GRAM 13 features an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU. This GPU doesn’t come with a dedicated VRAM. Furthermore, this GPU has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 110 MHz. The LG GRAM 13 offers a good level of performance with casual games. However, you cannot play most modern games with this laptop. The laptop barely runs modern games at native resolution with low gaming settings. If you intend to run games like PUBG or Dota 2, you should consider other Ultrabooks. On a gaming test, the LG GRAM 13 ran an old game like BioShock Infinite at 63 FPS on low settings. However, the LG GRAM 13 ran a more intensive Rise of the Tomb Raider at a low frame rate of 21.5 FPS on low settings. Therefore, the LG GRAM 13 scores a six in this review because it is only good for light gaming.
LG GRAM 13 Battery Life & Performance Review
The LG GRAM 13 comes with a 4-Cell, 72 Wh Lithium-ion battery. This is one of the aspects where this laptop shines. LG increased this laptop’s battery capacity to 72 Wh from the 60 Wh battery that the previous GRAM 13 model featured. This is very impressive because, despite the increased battery capacity, the laptop’s weight hasn’t changed. What’s even more impressive is how long this battery lasts. With this battery, the LG GRAM 13 can last you throughout an entire workday without the need to be recharged. On a battery test that involved continuous web surfing, the LG GRAM 13 lasted 12 hours. It lasted longer than the Dell XPS 13 which lasted 10 hours, and the Lenovo Yoga 720 which lasted 11 hours. As a result of its long battery life, the LG GRAM 13 scores a nine in this review.
My Final Thoughts
The LG GRAM 13 is a very portable laptop. Despite its extremely lightweight, the laptop’s build is very sturdy. However, I wouldn’t recommend this laptop for heavy gaming. The LG GRAM 13 is an ideal option for students and business people. I hope you found this LG GRAM 13 review helpful. If you found the review helpful, share your thoughts with our community platform at Itechguides Community Forum. You may also ask questions or make comments regarding this review at Itechguides Community Forum. Our team and other community members will respond to your questions or comments as soon as possible. Finally, for more laptop reviews, visit our Laptop Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.
