LG Gram SuperSlim Review: Incredibly Lightweight, Limited Performance
Weighing in at just 820g, the LG Gram SuperSlim 2024 is a marvel of mobile engineering. However, this ultra-slim design comes at the cost of limited durability and performance thanks to the Core Ultra 7 chip.
Ultra-thin design and the trade-offs
The LG Gram SuperSlim 2024 has pushed the boundaries of a 15.6-inch laptop to the extreme. Weighing just 820 grams—significantly lighter than the manufacturer's stated 980 grams—it's one of the lightest full-size laptops on the market. Its slimness is also impressive, ranging from 10.9 mm to 12.5 mm.
To achieve this weight, LG used a magnesium alloy and plastic. However, the trade-off is a flimsy and less sturdy feel. The body can bend noticeably with moderate force, and the screen lid also has a certain degree of flexibility. Although it passed seven MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability tests, the overall feel still suggests it's a device that needs to be handled with care.
In terms of connectivity, the device is equipped with three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, supporting both Power Delivery and DisplayPort video output, along with a 3.5mm audio jack. This is a reasonable number of ports for an ultra-thin laptop.
Input and interaction experience
The Gram SuperSlim's keyboard has a good layout with a separate numeric keypad and two-level backlighting. The key travel is moderate and the key stops are firm. However, the biggest drawback is the flex in the center of the keyboard. When typing, especially with heavy pressing, the entire area will flex, giving a feeling of instability.
The touchpad measures 110 x 70 mm, slightly smaller than current trends, but the plastic surface provides a smooth glide and precise, quiet clicking. The webcam has a 1080p resolution, delivering sharp images although slightly dark, and supports Windows Hello IR facial recognition, integrating Windows Studio AI effects.
The OLED screen is vibrant but has a limited refresh rate.
The highlight of the LG Gram SuperSlim is its 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) OLED display. The Samsung-manufactured panel delivers excellent display quality with a maximum brightness of 410 cd/m² in SDR mode and up to 617 cd/m² in HDR mode. Color reproduction is also impressive, covering 161.4% of the sRGB color gamut and 114.3% of DCI-P3, resulting in vivid, vibrant images and deep contrast.
However, one drawback is that the screen refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. While many competitors in the same price segment have moved to 90Hz or 120Hz screens, being limited to 60Hz somewhat reduces the smoothness of motion, especially when scrolling pages or watching high-speed videos.
Performance is limited by temperature.
Equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip, 32GB of RAM, and two 1TB SSDs, the Gram SuperSlim's configuration looks powerful on paper. However, real-world performance is a different story. The cooling system, with only a single fan and copper heat pipe, proved insufficient to dissipate the large amount of heat generated by the CPU when operating at high intensity.
Severe thermal throttling occurred. In 4K multimedia performance tests, the machine scored only 178, half the 356 of another laptop using the same chip. Similarly, in the CineBench R23 multi-core test, the score was only about 60% of its competitor. When running demanding tasks, the CPU quickly reduced its performance to around 25% to control temperature.
However, the graphics performance from the integrated Intel Arc GPU is still quite good, capable of handling light graphics tasks and significantly better than the previous Iris Xe generation. To compensate for the limited performance, the battery life is very impressive. The 60Wh battery lasted up to 14 hours and 15 minutes in video playback tests, on par with MacBook Air models.
Conclusion: For whom?
The LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 OLED is a unique product, a remarkable engineering achievement in portability. It's an ideal choice for users who prioritize lightness and slimness, travel frequently, and only need a laptop for basic office tasks, web browsing, or entertainment.
However, users need to accept some significant trade-offs: a flimsy feel, a slightly sagging keyboard, and significantly limited CPU performance when handling demanding tasks. If you need a powerful machine for intensive work or are a user who doesn't tend to use the device very lightly, this may not be the right choice.
