As we go full speed into the CES 2021 tech expo, LG has announced a refresh of its lightweight gram laptop range – one of the more premium ultraportable line-ups on the market at the moment.
The headline upgrade is the introduction of the latest 11th-generation Intel chipsets to the gram portfolio, which should ensure more performance with even less of a drain on battery life. Graphics are provided by integrated Intel Xe chips, so these aren't for demanding games or other intensive tasks.
There are five new models in total: the 16-inch and 14-inch models come in both standard laptop and 2-in-1 configurations (with the latter offering 360-degree swivel hinges, touchscreens and a stylus), while there's also a 17-inch model that's only available in the standard laptop form factor.
The 17-inch and 16-inch laptops come with displays running at a WQXGA resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, while the 14-inch models offer a WUXGA resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, which is still impressive for the size of the screen.
Another change is the introduction of a 16:10 aspect ratio to all of the models in the gram line-up, a design choice that was previously exclusive to the biggest 17-inch gram. While it's not quite as suitable for widescreen video watching as 16:9, the 16:10 is a better option for fitting more of a document or webpage onscreen at once.
LG says the keyboard and trackpad have been enlarged as well, while the specs are rounded off with either 8 GB or 16 GB of RAM. As yet we don't know how much internal storage will be available, but we do know it'll be the latest NVMe SSD.
As in previous incarnations of the gram, the lightness of these laptops is notable. The biggest and heaviest 17-inch model tips the scales at just 1,350 grams (2.98 lb), while the standard, non-2-in-1 14-inch laptop weighs in at a mere 999 grams (2.2 lb). LG is promising close to 20 hours of battery life for all the models in the range, though manufacturers tend to be overly optimistic in this area.
CES 2021 is typically the place for companies to show off what's coming over the next year, with pricing and availability details following later, and that's indeed the case with the new LG gram laptops – we don't yet know when they're going on sale or how much they'll cost, but based on the current models they'll be towards the more expensive end of the market.
Source: LG