LG gram 14 2-in-1 review: Uncommonly light convertible computing
I'm a big fan of LG's 2022 15Z980 and still utilize it frequently today, so when I heard that LG planned a 14-inch convertible (chosen a two-in-1 here), I was understandably excited. Convertibles have come a long way, and this year's Lenovo Yoga C930 was probably the best I've yet to test and review. I had high hopes for LG's gram and expected it to blow abroad the competition, and afterward using information technology for a couple of weeks, I can say that information technology's certainly a fine choice, though some flaws continue it from achieving greatness.
LG provided Windows Central with a gram xiv 2-in-1 that has within an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8565U Whiskey Lake processor (CPU), 16 GB of DDR4-2400MHz RAM, and a 512 GB SATA M.2 solid-country bulldoze (SSD). This is the only configuration LG offers, and information technology can be had for almost $1,500.
Thin and light convertible laptop
LG gram 14 2-in-1
$1,500
Bottom line: Information technology'due south 1 of the lightest 2-in-ane laptops out at that place, and though it has its flaws, there are enough premium perks to make information technology worth the price.
Pros
- Low-cal, premium build
- Superb keyboard
- All-mean solar day battery life
- Excellent brandish color reproduction
- Mostly solid functioning
Cons
- Slow SATA3 SSD
- No Thunderbolt iii
- Brandish could be brighter
LG gram 14 2-in-i technical specifications
| Category | Spec |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor | 8th Gen quad-cadre Intel Core i7-8565U Upwards to 4.threescore GHz |
| RAM | xvi GB DDR4-2400MHz Dual-channel |
| Storage | 512 GB SATA3 SSD |
| Display | 14 inches 1,920 x 1,080 (FHD) Impact, IPS, sleeky |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Ports | HDMI USB-C 3.ane Two USB-A 3.1 microSD card reader 3.five mm sound |
| Audio | Dual Stereo ane.5 W |
| Wireless | Intel Wireless-AC 9560 802.11ac (2 x ii) Bluetooth v |
| Camera | Front-facing 720p |
| Keyboard | Backlit |
| Touchpad | Precision |
| Biometrics | Fingerprint reader |
| Battery | 72 Wh |
| Dimensions | 12.8 inches ten 8.three inches x 0.7 inches (325.12 mm x 210.82 mm 10 17.78 mm) |
| Weight | 2.53 pounds (1.15 kg) |
LG gram xiv two-in-1 design
The xiv-inch gram 2-in-1 (which uses product number 14T990) has a chassis congenital from a magnesium alloy that allows for information technology to stay light. It might seem kind of plastic-y, but it's in reality quite durable, having gone through MIL-STD 810G testing. I was sort of concerned with how well final year'south 15Z980 would concord up, having been fabricated from the same material, but I can safely say that it'southward taken its fair share of corruption and shows nil more than a couple of shallow scratches.
LG's gram xiv two-in-1 has a perfect keyboard, vivid display, and seriously lightweight chassis that tin nevertheless put upwardly with daily abuse.
There'south only ane argent color available to friction match the balance of the gram lineup, and it's slap-up when it comes to picking up fingerprints and smudges. A wipedown every few days should be more than plenty. The gram logo is emblazoned in the middle of the chapeau, there'southward a smaller gram logo beneath and to the left of the keyboard, and LG's logo has a spot beneath the display in the relatively narrow chin. Information technology'due south overall a slick looking laptop that flows well from hat to base, and information technology weighs about a half-pound less than a lot of the 14-inch competition, including Lenovo's Yoga C930.
While information technology is lighter, the gram 14 2-in-i is also slightly thicker than a lot of similar laptops, coming in at about 0.seven inches. That makes the lower weight a bit more impressive, only if you need the slimmest possible laptop, this one isn't information technology. As a tradeoff, the body has substantially no bend to it at all, and the lid isn't too far behind. The hinges are likewise perfectly strong, allowing you to open it with one hand while also preventing unwanted motility in its different converted modes.
There's no IR camera for facial recognition, but a fingerprint reader is fix into the power button that lives in the top-correct corner of the keyboard. With Windows Hullo enabled, it allows you to log in almost instantaneously without having to type a password. On the correct side of the laptop, mixed in with some of the ports, in that location'southward too a Wake and Slumber push button that can be used when the laptop is in a converted mode, and yous don't want to flip it effectually to utilize the keyboard power button. If you lot have Windows Howdy enabled, you will have to nevertheless go your finger over the reader, which kind of defeats the purpose.
Overall I do like the design of the gram 14 two-in-one. Information technology's a bit thicker than the competition, but the weight more than makes up for it when it comes to portability. I hardly noticed I had a fourteen-inch laptop on my back when heading out the door, and I didn't really have to worry about it getting scratched or otherwise damaged thank you to the resilient chassis.
LG gram 14 two-in-i brandish and inking
A 14-inch brandish is an ideal size for a lot of people, as often xiii inches seems but a bit also small for productivity and 15 inches seems a scrap too large to carry with you everywhere. It has a 16:nine attribute ratio and i,920 ten one,080 (FHD) resolution for a pretty standard look, but LG nailed information technology once again with superb contrast and virtually-perfect sRGB colour reproduction. In testing, I got back 99 pct sRGB and 77 pct AdobeRGB, which makes this a suitable laptop for some photograph and editing work. I'd dear for it to get brighter, though, every bit the glossy finish makes it very difficult to apply when there'south whatever direct light involved. It's supposed to cap out at about 300 nits brightness, but it'due south likely closer to about 260 nits.
The bezel on either side of the display is uniform and relatively thin, and the upper bezel is a chip thicker, with a 720p camera (with a motion picture that's nothing but average) and dual microphones built in. The chin along the lesser of the display is thinner than a lot of other laptops, for an overall modern look. It'due south enough to accept something to hold onto when yous're using the laptop in tablet fashion, simply information technology'due south not too much that it looks similar an crumbling device when used as a notebook.
The affect function is responsive, and I had no issues ignoring the keyboard and touchpad for long periods, and LG includes an agile pen based on Wacom AES 2.0 tech with every gram 14 ii-in-1. Comparing it physically to the Surface Pen, information technology's about the aforementioned diameter and weight, though information technology'south longer and balanced a bit differently. It feels a lot more than top heavy and takes some getting used to, simply it ultimately delivers a satisfying inking experience. You get 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt support for artistic ambitions, merely it also delivers a shine line when yous need to jot down some notes. It has two programmable buttons on the side, and it comes with a couple of replacement nibs.
LG gram 14 two-in-1 ports, bombardment, and charging
A lot of premium modernistic Ultrabooks include at least one Thunderbolt 3 port these days, but for some reason, LG decided to stick with plain USB-C 3.1. It'south on the left side of the laptop, joined by HDMI, USB-A 3.1, and a butt charging port. You can use the existing USB-C port to charge if you accept the right power adapter, but it would have been dainty to run into a 2nd USB-C port rather than the barrel charger. On the correct side, at that place'south a Kensington lock slot, a second USB-A 3.ane, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a microSD card reader.
Other than the lack of Thunderbolt 3, I similar the mix of ports here. Convertibles seem to exist linked with media, so the HDMI out is ideal if you lot don't have a USB-C brandish, and the dual USB-A ports let you easily connect legacy accessories. The microSD menu reader makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to transfer and shop media, and the USB-C port gives you a lot of flexibility.
The compact charger can evangelize in an hr most 50 percentage bombardment life from dead, and with a total battery, I got well-nigh ix hours of existent-earth life before needing a recharge. With a beefy 72 Wh battery, I experience like that number should be a lot higher, but information technology still gets through a mean solar day.
LG gram fourteen 2-in-i keyboard and touchpad
LG goes with a flat keyboard deck with keys stuck up out of it, with bumpers forth the edges of the palm balance to proceed the screen from sitting flat on the keys. It gives the laptop a clean look when open, especially when the fingerprint reader is part of the ability push, and the typing experience is infrequent. This is one of the most satisfying keyboards I've ever typed on. The laptop is thick enough to permit for adequate key travel, keys take a soft landing and springiness, and everything is spaced appropriately. You get three levels of backlight for working in the dark, and a full set up of functions is coupled with the top row of F keys.
The touchpad uses Precision drivers and delivers a feel much akin to the keyboard. Clicks are satisfying and full, tracking is spot on, and it doesn't show a lot of finger marks. Withal, it doesn't exactly fill all the space available and seems a bit undersized for the rest of laptop (though it has aught on the gram 17's minor touchpad).
LG gram fourteen two-in-1 functioning and benchmarks
The gram 14 2-in-i comes in a single configuration, complete with 8th Gen Whiskey Lake Intel Cadre i7-8565U CPU, 16 GB of dual-aqueduct DDR4 RAM, integrated Intel graphics, and a SATA 3 Hynix 512 GB SSD. One RAM stick can be upgraded in the future, but the other 8 GB stick is soldered to the board. The SSD can also be upgraded, and there are two M.2 slots that yous tin utilize. Unfortunately, the SATA 3 SSD is painfully dull when compared to the PCIe SSDs plant in well-nigh modern premium laptops, dropping read speeds down to about 550 MB/south from most 2,500 MB/southward. That'due south a big difference, and if you're often working with large files, it will exist felt.
Disregarding the tiresome SSD, everything else here performs well. The laptop stays cool for the almost office, the cooling arrangement doesn't get egregiously loud, and I didn't notice any hangups when using it for work, including heavy web browsing, word processing, video watching, and some photo editing.
CPU
Geekbench 4.0 Benchmarks (College is amend)
| Device | CPU | Unmarried core | Multi core |
|---|---|---|---|
| LG gram 14 2-in-1 | Core i7-8565U | 4,829 | 13,889 |
| LG gram 17 | Core i7-8565U | five,161 | 13,370 |
| LG gram 15Z980 | Core i7-8550U | five,033 | 12,906 |
| Lenovo Yoga C930 | Core i7-8550U | 4,787 | 15,028 |
| Lenovo Yoga 730 13 | Cadre i5-8250U | 4,178 | thirteen,354 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 730S | Core i5-8265U | iv,661 | 13,433 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 530S | Cadre i5-8250U | four,001 | 12,724 |
| Dell XPS 13 (9370) | Core i7-8550U | four,681 | 14,816 |
| Lenovo Yoga C630 (ARM) | SD850 | 2,287 | 7,215 |
PCMark
PCMark Home Conventional 3.0
| Device | Score |
|---|---|
| LG gram 14 2-in-1 | 3,452 |
| LG gram 15Z980 | 3,395 |
| Lenovo Yoga C930 | 3,506 |
| Lenovo Yoga 730 13 | three,121 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 730S | 3,312 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 530S | 3,026 |
SSD
CrystalDiskMark (College is better)
| Device | Read | Write |
|---|---|---|
| LG gram 14 ii-in-1 | 558.1 MB/s | 523.one MB/south |
| LG gram 17 | 536 MB/s | 500 MB/south |
| Lenovo Yoga C930 | two,596.eight MB/south | 806.two MB/southward |
| Lenovo Yoga 730 13 | 2,790.half-dozen MB/s | 506.8 MB/s |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 730S | 3,450.9 MB/s | ane,463.5 MB/southward |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 530S | 2,566.7 MB/s | 520.5 MB/s |
| Lenovo Yoga C630 | 791 MB/south | 220 MB/s |
| ASUS ZenBook S | 550 MB/s | 512 MB/s |
| ASUS ZenBook 15 | 1,725 MB/s | 1,447 MB/south |
| Lenovo V330 | 88.48 MB/s | 88.02 MB/south |
Information technology blows me away that LG decided to go with a low-cost Hynix SATA SSD in a laptop that costs $i,500. Compared to what you can get in Lenovo'due south Yoga lineup, at that place's no contest here.
Should you purchase LG's gram xiv 2-in-1?
After using the LG gram 14 2-in-ane regularly for a couple of weeks, I've settled into its perks and drawbacks and take generally left my other devices alone. Information technology's non the thinnest or flashiest 2-in-ane I've used, but it is incredibly light and has a chassis that tin endure a regular chirapsia. The keyboard is ideal for those who type all mean solar day, and though the touchpad is smaller than I'd similar, it'south perfectly usable and has a satisfying click.
The lack of Thunderbolt iii is irksome as I tin can't plug into my docking station, and it would be overnice to take two USB-C ports with 1 reserved for charging. Nonetheless, the rest of the selection, including HDMI, dual USB-A three.1, and a microSD card reader, gives plenty of support for older accessories without the demand for dongles.
Other than the slow SATA SSD, performance is up there with what nigh other xiv-inch convertibles offer, and while I experience bombardment life could exist meliorate, information technology will get you through a full eight or nine hours.
So who should buy this lightweight convertible? If you love a impact display with full color reproduction and near-perfect contrast, solid agile pen support, a knockout keyboard, and a 2.five-pound build that can convert to tent, stand, and tablet modes, the LG gram 14 2-in-1 is a recommended selection.
Thin and low-cal convertible laptop
LG gram 14 2-in-1
Still a slap-up laptop despite a few flaws.
LG's new gram xiv ii-in-1 takes a good thing and makes it convertible, bringing some necessary changes along the way. Active pen support is solid, and the display is bright, the magnesium alloy chassis tin can put up with daily abuse, and it'south light plenty that you'll inappreciably detect it's with y'all. Performance is great other than the SSD, and the bombardment will get you through a total workday.
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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/lg-gram-14-2-1-review
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