LG gram 15 (15Z980) Review

The 15.6-inch Gramme laptop followed the 14-inch Gramme, which LG released in the United States in early 2016. Their featherweight construction was a selling point, and thankfully, this trend has continued with the newest gramme models. The LG Grame 15 (15Z980) ($1,999) is the lightest 15.6-inch laptop we are aware of, weighing in at just 2.41 pounds. Its nearly borderless screen makes it appear to be only slightly larger than ordinary 14-inch laptops. It has the processing capability of a desktop computer (albeit not the graphics processing power), plenty of memory and storage, a gorgeous screen, and a long battery life, making it a viable desktop replacement.

We’re so pleased with the LG that it joins the ranks of our Editors’ Choice products alongside the Dell XPS 15 Touch and the Microsoft Surface Book 2.

 LG gram 15 (15Z980) Review Specification

Costs and accessibility

The LG Gramme SuperSlim was initially announced for 2023, alongside the rest of LG’s Gramme series. When it debuted in late April, it was rebranded from its previous name, LG Gramme Ultraslim. Now you can buy it via LG or from other shops like Amazon and B&H. There is also a non-working Best Buy listing. The LG Gramme SuperSlim, with a starting price of $1,700, is a very pricey laptop that must accomplish a lot to justify its high price tag. My system is a high-end configuration, costing $2,000, with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. There is only one shade available, a dark grey named Neptune Blue. There is a hint of blue to it that may be brought out by changing the lighting or your perspective.

Design

LG’s magnesium alloy chassis has been used for years, making the Gramme series recognised for its light weight. Magnesium is fantastic because it is both lightweight and strong, offering the same durability as aluminium but in a much more manageable profile. However, this has a drawback in that magnesium doesn’t have the same solidity as aluminium. The Gramme SuperSlim, despite being durable enough to pass the MIL-STD-810H test, has a plasticky texture and feel. However, it does not feel particularly cheap; rather, it is merely average.

Until recently, LG’s Gramme laptops have been noted for their light weight but not their small profile; the Gramme SuperSlim changes that. It’s the smallest laptop LG has ever created and one of the tiniest laptops overall, at just 0.43 inches, or under 11mm of thickness (the regular LG Gramme 15 is 17.5mm thick). The LG Gramme SuperSlim weighs in at a feathery 2.18 pounds, making it one of the lightest 15-inch laptops available. The Gramme 15 is incredibly lightweight for its size, at just 2.51 pounds.

Keyboard

The keyboard on the LG Gramme SuperSlim is one area where it falls short. Though they’re not horrible, I like the keyboards on Lenovo laptops. This one pales in comparison. The lack of stiffness and travel in the keys makes typing uncomfortable. Over time, I was able to adjust to it, and I can now say that it served its intended purpose. It’s just not as good as the keyboards on high-end laptops like HP or Lenovo. LG likewise went with an almost full-size layout, with a number pad and inverted T-shaped arrow keys. Given how uncommon they are, I always appreciate having them on my laptop. When it comes to the touchpad, I have slightly more pleasant feelings. It’s the right size, and my hands go across it easily. The fact that there is empty space all around it is my primary criticism. It hasn’t felt too small to me, but obviously more space is always preferable. I want to point out that the touchpad is in the middle of the laptop, rather than to the left or right of the spacebar. It may take some time to adjust to the fact that the touchpad on many laptops with numeric keypads is located out to the side in order to bring it into alignment with the spacebar on the keyboard. I think this is the best method.

Display

LG’s Gramme laptops have boasted excellent screens from the start, with up to 99% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. However, the Gramme SuperSlim introduces OLED to the selection, which is a huge plus for the product. One minor letdown is the screen’s Full HD resolution (1920×1080) and rather small 15.6-inch size. Full HD is still very sharp for most uses at this size, but having Quad HD as an option would have been excellent, especially given the high cost of this laptop. However, the current presentation is already really impressive. OLED displays have individual light sources for each pixel since they are self-emissive. Since the light for each pixel can be shut off on command, the screen is able to create more bright colours and true blacks. All the pictures I’ve looked at seem amazing, with stunningly vivid colours on this screen.