LG Gram Review: Korea's Lightest Laptop Worth It?
LG Gram Review: Korea's Lightest Laptop Worth It?
The LG Gram is the best ultralight laptop you can buy right now. Bold statement? Sure. But I've been carrying this thing around Seoul for nearly three months, and I genuinely believe it.
Here's my problem though — I didn't expect to like it this much. I'm a long-time MacBook user. Like, embarrassingly loyal. The kind of person who'd defend the butterfly keyboard era with a straight face. So when I picked up the 2026 LG Gram 16 at the Yongsan Electronics Market back in January, I fully expected to return it within a week and crawl back to my M-series MacBook.
That didn't happen.
Why I Switched (Temporarily, I Told Myself)
So here's the context. I needed a Windows machine for some work stuff — specific software that just doesn't play nice with macOS. My plan was simple: buy the cheapest decent Windows laptop, suffer through it, and go back to my MacBook for everything else.
But then I picked up the LG Gram 16 at this shop on the third floor of Yongsan — the one near the escalators where the guy always has K-pop playing. And the second I held it, my plan changed.
This laptop weighs 1.19kg. For a 16-inch screen. Let me put that in perspective: my 14-inch MacBook Pro weighs 1.6kg. The Gram is a bigger laptop that weighs noticeably less. I stood there holding it like "wait, is this a display model with no battery?" It genuinely feels hollow. Not in a cheap way — more like the first time you pick up a carbon fiber bike frame and your brain can't process that something this rigid weighs basically nothing.
I paid ₩2,190,000 (about $1,590) for the Intel Core Ultra 7 / 32GB RAM / 512GB SSD config. Not cheap, but pretty competitive when you compare it to something like a Dell XPS 15 or a MacBook Air 15-inch at similar specs.
The Stuff That's Actually Great
Weight (Obviously)
I keep coming back to this because it's the Gram's entire identity. And honestly? It delivers. I carry this thing in my backpack every single day — cafes in Mapo-gu, the coworking space near Hapjeong station, sometimes the KTX to Busan for weekend trips. My shoulder doesn't hate me anymore. That sounds dramatic, but if you've ever lugged a 16-inch laptop around all day, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
The magnesium alloy body (they've been using this for years) has a slightly matte finish that doesn't pick up fingerprints the way my old MacBook did. It's cool to the touch, always. Even when the fans are spinning. Which brings me to...
The Screen
16:10 aspect ratio, 2560x1600 resolution, IPS. It's sharp, colors are solid (I'd guess around 95-97% sRGB based on what I'm seeing), and the bezels are thin enough that the laptop doesn't feel oversized for a 16-inch panel.
Is it as good as the MacBook's Liquid Retina XDR? No. The contrast ratio isn't there, and the blacks look a bit washed out if you're watching movies in a dark room. But for actual work — writing, browsing, coding, video calls — it's genuinely great. And the 16:10 ratio gives you that extra vertical space that makes a real difference when you're writing or working with documents.
Battery Life
LG claims "up to 22 hours." That's... optimistic. In my real-world use — Wi-Fi on, screen at about 60% brightness, Chrome with too many tabs, Spotify running, occasional Zoom calls — I get around 12-14 hours consistently. And honestly? That's phenomenal. I stopped carrying my charger most days. That's a sentence I never thought I'd say about a Windows laptop.
For comparison, my 14-inch MacBook Pro gets about 10-11 hours with similar usage. So the Gram actually outlasts it. I know. I was shocked too.
The Keyboard
This one surprised me. LG laptops aren't exactly famous for their keyboards, but the Gram's keyboard is... actually good? The key travel is about 1.5mm — deeper than a MacBook — and there's a satisfying tactile bump that makes long typing sessions comfortable. I've written entire blog posts on this thing at cafes without any hand fatigue.
It's not ThinkPad-level (nothing is), but it's way better than I expected. The layout is sensible, the function row isn't annoyingly small, and the power button has a fingerprint reader built in that works fast.
Now Here's Where It Gets Complicated
I promised an honest LG Gram laptop review, so let me talk about the things that bug me. Because there are some.
The Trackpad
It's fine. Just fine. Which on a laptop this good feels like a missed opportunity. It's smaller than what you'd get on a MacBook or even a Dell XPS, and the gesture support in Windows — while better than it used to be — still doesn't feel as smooth as macOS trackpad gestures. I catch myself reaching for a mouse more often than I'd like.
If you're coming from a Mac, this'll be the adjustment that annoys you most. Not a dealbreaker, but definitely noticeable.
Speaker Quality
They're laptop speakers. They exist. Sound comes out of them. But if you're used to the genuinely impressive speakers on recent MacBooks (Apple really nailed that), the Gram's speakers will disappoint you. They're thin, they lack bass completely, and at higher volumes there's a slight tinny quality that makes me reach for my earbuds.
I tested this back-to-back with my MacBook at a cafe in Itaewon and it wasn't even close. MacBook speakers are in a different league. For the Gram, just budget for good Bluetooth earbuds. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro pair nicely if you want to keep it Korean.
Build Quality Concerns
Okay, this one's nuanced. The Gram is incredibly light because of that magnesium alloy chassis. And it's rigid — you can't flex the lid or the deck easily. But there's a hollowness to it. When you tap on the palm rest, it sounds and feels slightly drum-like. There's a tiny amount of keyboard deck flex if you press hard in the center.
Does this matter in daily use? Honestly, no. I've been carrying this thing loose in my backpack (I know, I know) and there's not a single scratch or dent. The MIL-STD 810H certification isn't just marketing. But the in-hand feel just doesn't have that "premium density" that a MacBook or a ThinkPad X1 Carbon gives you. It's the trade-off for the weight, and I think it's worth it, but it's there.
Webcam
720p. In 2026. Come on, LG. I get that the thin bezels make it hard, but my Zoom calls look noticeably worse on this laptop compared to basically anything made in the last two years with a 1080p camera. This is my biggest actual complaint. If you do a lot of video calls, keep this in mind.
Performance: The Honest Truth
The Intel Core Ultra 7 (Arrow Lake architecture) is a solid performer for productivity work. I run Chrome with 30+ tabs (I have a problem, I know), VS Code, Notion, Spotify, and occasionally Lightroom — all at once. The Gram handles it without breaking a sweat. The 32GB of RAM helps a lot here.
But let's be real: this isn't a performance laptop. The integrated Intel Arc graphics can handle light photo editing and even some casual gaming (I played some Stardew Valley on the KTX, don't judge me), but anything GPU-intensive is going to struggle. If you need to run Premiere Pro or play AAA games, this isn't your machine.
The fans are mostly quiet during normal work. They do spin up during heavy tasks, but the noise is a gentle whoosh rather than the jet-engine sound you get from some gaming laptops. I've used it in quiet cafes and libraries without feeling self-conscious.
One thing I appreciate: the Gram boots from cold in about 8 seconds. Coming from an older MacBook that took 15-20 seconds, this felt weirdly luxurious.
The Port Situation
This is actually where LG shows they understand their audience. You get:
- 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4)
- 2x USB-A 3.2
- HDMI 2.1
- microSD card slot
- 3.5mm headphone jack
No dongles needed for 90% of use cases. I can plug in my external monitor, a USB drive, and my wired mouse all at the same time without carrying a hub. Meanwhile, MacBook Air users are living that dongle life. Sorry, but it's true.
Who Should Actually Buy This
After three months, I've got a pretty clear picture of who this laptop is for.
It's perfect if you: - Commute or travel constantly and weight is your #1 concern - Need a big screen (16") without big laptop weight - Work mainly in productivity apps (Office, browsing, writing, coding) - Want all-day battery life without carrying a charger - Need actual ports (not just USB-C)
Skip it if you: - Do serious video/photo editing or 3D work - Care deeply about speaker quality - Are a trackpad purist coming from Mac - Need a great webcam for frequent video calls
The Three-Month Verdict
Look, I went into this expecting to write a lukewarm LG Gram laptop review. "It's light, it's fine, go buy a MacBook." That was supposed to be the vibe.
But three months in? My MacBook has been sitting on my desk at home collecting dust. Not because the Gram is better at everything — it's clearly not. The speakers are mid, the trackpad is just okay, and that 720p webcam is embarrassing. But the combination of that absurd lightness, genuinely great battery life, a solid keyboard, a beautiful 16-inch screen, and enough ports to actually be useful... it just works for my life.
I take the subway from my apartment in Mapo to various cafes and coworking spaces around Seoul almost every day. The weight difference is something I feel in my shoulders by the end of the week. And I'm not going back to heavy.
Is it the best laptop ever made? No. Is it the best laptop for people who actually carry their laptop every day? I think it might be. And at ₩2,190,000 (~$1,590), it's priced right around where the MacBook Air 15" sits, while giving you better battery life and way more ports.
The LG Gram is one of those products that only Korea could make — obsessively engineered around a single metric (weight) to a degree that borders on ridiculous, and somehow it works. Like how Korean skincare brands will spend years perfecting a single ingredient. That same energy went into making this laptop light, and the result is something genuinely unique.
Quick Specs Recap
| Spec | LG Gram 16 (2026) |
|---|---|
| Display | 16" 2560x1600 IPS, 16:10 |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 7 |
| RAM | 32GB LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Battery | 80Wh (~12-14 hrs real use) |
| Weight | 1.19kg / 2.62lbs |
| Price | ₩2,190,000 / ~$1,590 |
| Ports | 2x TB4, 2x USB-A, HDMI, microSD, 3.5mm |
Have you tried the LG Gram? Or are you team MacBook forever? I'd love to hear what you're carrying around Seoul — drop me a comment below.
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