LG gram 15 hands-on review

There’s a wave of new Windows 10 hardware on show at CES 2016 and it might come as a surprise to hear that LG has a thin Windows 10 laptop to rival the MacBook Air. Here’s our LG Gram 15Z960 hands-on review.

See also: Samsung Notebook 9 hands-on review.

LG gram 15 review: Design and build quality

We don’t have any details on the price or release date for the new LG gram laptop but what we can tell you is that it’s ridiculously light for a full-size laptop. The 15Z960, as the name suggests, has a 15.6in screen but LG has kept the weight of the device under 1kg. 

It’s just 980g hence the gram 15’s name. It really is incredible and to put it in perspective, the smaller 13in MacBook Air weighs 1.35kg which is a decent chunk more. Plus it’s the same weight as LG’s smaller 14in model.

We’re seriously impressed with this figure and LG is quite probably correct in calling it the lightest 15in laptop in the world. However, it’s had to take go to some lengths to reach this milestone.

Unlike the aluminium MacBook Air, the LG gram 15 is made from a magnesium alloy. While the main section of the laptop feels sturdy, the lid, which houses the display, is far from it. It’s one of the most flimsy we’ve seen and feels worryingly bendy (without putting much pressure on it) making it feel pretty cheap. For a second we thought LG had put flexible screen tech into the laptop but sadly that’s not the case.

LG gram 15 review: Hardware and specs

If you can get past this then the LG gram 15 offers some decent specs. The display opts for a Full HD resolution instead of something higher which will mean its kinder on the battery life front. 

A small bezel round the screen means that the laptop is not much larger than a 14in model and LG has still managed to squeeze in a number pad alongside the regular keyboard which felt pretty good during a quick play although not up to the standard Apple has set.

Under the shiny gold exterior is a 6th-generation Intel Skylake processor with a choice of either Core i5 or Core i7. There’s a decent 8GB of RAM and an SDD which is either 256- or 512GB.

This laptop is thin but the gram 15 offers a good selection of ports with an HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, a single USB 2.0 port, Type-C USB and an SD card slot. The webcam is oddly built into the hinge rather than sitting above the screen.

When it ships, the LG gram 15 will come with Windows 10 pre-installed but we’re missing the all-important price so stay tuned.