My Experience Of Using The LG Gram 16Z90P

You have to admit it. If a company has managed to take ultralight laptops to the extreme, that is LG. Their LG Grams make a difference with models like this LG Gram 16Z90P. It is a laptop with a 16-inch screen and a whopping weight of only 1.1 kilos, which gives you an idea of ​​how light it is compared to other models with slightly fewer screens. Of course, do not expect raw power or advanced gaming with this laptop, but expect remarkable performance and several hours of use with each charge (up to 16.5 hours, depending on the brand).

Among its advantages, it should be noted that LG has not sacrificed full-size connectors as it does in other ultralights. Thus, we have two full-size USB ports and an HDMI port to connect it to monitors or televisions. The LG Gram 16Z90P is available in stores for a price starting at 1,150 euros for the version with an Intel Core i5 processor and 16 GB of RAM. I have had the opportunity to tinker with it during the last weeks. These are my impressions of use.

FEATURES OF THE LG GRAM 16Z90P

	LG Gram 16 16Z90P
Screen	16-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD resolution, 300 nits of brightness, and covers 96% sRGB
Processor and RAM	1.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-1035G4 (max 3.7GHz) 1.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-1065G7 (max 3.9GHz) Up to 16GB RAM
Internal memory	256 / 512 GB in M.2 SSD format Memory expansion slot
Graphics	Integrated Intel Iris Graphics
Sound	2 x 1.5W DTS:X Ultra speakers
Autonomy	Up to 19 hours of use
connections	1 x USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3 3 X USB 3.1 Audio Out 1 x HDMI Bluetooth 5.0 WiFi 6
OS	Windows 10 / Windows 10 Pro
Colors	Black, Silver
design and dimensions	Nano carbon and magnesium chassis 355.9 x 243.4 x 16.8 mm 1.19 kilos
Featured Features	Military resistance MIL-STD 810G (7 tests passed) Fingerprint reader Security through TPM chip
Release date	Available
Price	From 1,090 euros (on offer)

LIGHT AND RESISTANT DESIGN

The design is the great workhorse of the LG Gram. These laptops are surprising for their lightness, but they have also improved some key points in which the previous versions were weak. We start with the first. The LG Gram 16Z90P laptop integrates a 16-inch screen weighing 1.19 kilos. It is lighter than many 14-inch ultrabooks and even some 13-inch ones. This is achieved through a lightweight chassis that combines nanocarbon and magnesium. And here we go with the improvement part. Previous generations of LG Gram were sturdy, but they had a problem that gave them a somewhat flimsy image: the screen flexed too easily, to the point that it seemed like it would break at any moment if you were a little careless.

This has been fixed in the latest installments of the LG Gram, with an area of ​​the screen with a more robust touch so it does not bend as easily. You have to know that since previous generations, this laptop has passed several military-grade tests (up to 7 different ones, including pressure or shock), allowing it to have the MIL-STD810G certificate. The laptop I’ve tested has a striking black color, which suits it well, while you can also find it in white in other configurations.

Continuing by the design, you may be surprised that due to its weight, it has a thickness that is not bad but not impressive. Its 16.7 millimeters are about average for what you can expect from an ultrabook. The reason is double. On the one hand, more space to house a good battery is designed to not sacrifice connectors, as we see in other finer models. And it is something that I am very happy about daily (and I think it will make you happy too). The fact is that thanks to this, we can enjoy a set of connectors typical of a multimedia laptop. This includes state-of-the-art USB ports, two full-size (USB 3.2) on the right. It also incorporates a microSD card reader on this side. On the left are two USB 4 Type-C ports, an HDMI, and a headphone port. The only port that can be missed is an Ethernet port to connect to the Internet by cable, but they say you cannot have everything in this life.

Another interesting section is the keyboard. I have been able to try several generations of LG Gram, and for me, due to my work, it is one of the improvements that I have noticed the most. The company has kept the same keyboard size but has increased the height of the keys and, above all, has given them more travel so that they are closer to the feeling you would have on a mechanical keyboard. It is an improvement that seems key to typing comfortably. This keyboard has two levels of backlighting. I must say that the low light seems too low to me. I miss more power since the keys are hardly visible. As for the trackpad, it is a good size and complies, although it does not seem to me to be one of the finest on the market. Suppose I have a choice. I always prefer to go to the mouse.

By the way, the power button is located in the upper right corner and also serves as a fingerprint reader. Until now, I had not been a big fan of Windows Hello, but the truth is that it is very convenient to register your fingerprint and enter the desktop without having to enter the password, just by turning it on and keeping your finger there. Of course, the angle at which you place your finger matters a lot, so, likely, you will not get it the first time.

16-INCH SCREEN WITH GOOD COLOR TREATMENT BUT NOT VERY BRIGHT

As for the screen, the company has opted for the 16-inch format. It is uncommon to find this size in a laptop (normally 15.6 inches). The reason is that a square format of 16:10 is chosen instead of a more panoramic one of 16:9 to make it more comfortable to work and also to cut the size of the frames as much as possible and take advantage of the space (11% more screen according to LG). The truth is that the frames are very thin, and you have that feeling of being in front of a panel that is even bigger than it is, but there is still some space to grab and not touch the glass directly.

One of the points that LG has wanted to influence is that its LG Gram 16Z90P has a screen capable of reproducing 99% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum. What does that mean? More defined and varied colors that are closer to the source in a more reliable way. It seems to me that this laptop is weaker in the brightness section. The 300 nits the panel reaches are somewhat fair and noticeable daily if you want to take this laptop on a trip or go. The company could have worked more on this point, considering this is a very outdoor-oriented laptop.

AUTONOMY FOR A WORKING DAY

And we enter what is the other key section of this LG Gram laptop. The autonomy. This is a point that the company takes great care of in its Grams, and the LG Gram 16Z90P follows this trend. Of course, it must be said that the latest generation of laptops from the firm has lowered its performance in this section by one point. It continues to have competitive figures but has been there for a while. According to official figures, the Gram can reach up to 16.5 hours of use.

As always, don’t get carried away with enthusiasm because these are numbers you will rarely get in real use. In addition, there is something here that plays against the autonomy that you are going to achieve. Having a less noticeable brightness, most of the time I have worked with this equipment, I have done it with the brightness at or near maximum (except at night, there I do lower it). That’s assuming real-time usage with browsing, app usage, and the occasional video I’ve typically had for between five and six hours. It’s not bad since it almost covers a day, but it doesn’t reach the level of previous laptops.

PROCESSOR AND RAM

As for the processor, this laptop uses low-power Intel chips. We have two options depending on the configuration you are going to buy. The most basic uses a quad-core Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor with a maximum speed of 4.2 GHz and 16 GB RAM. Then we have a more advanced configuration, which already incorporates an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor capable of reaching a frequency of 4.7GHz. In this case, it can be combined with 16 GB RAM (the configuration I have tried) or a 32 GB one.

The internal memory can be 512 GB or 1 TB. And here is a point that I find more than interesting. The LG Gram allows you to expand the available memory through a second slot to insert a disc. A good inclusion for users who are looking for an extra point of performance and do not mind adding weight to the package.

And how about performance on a day-to-day basis? The truth is that I have not had any type of problem, although I do not make very intensive use of the laptop in a matter of applications. Yes, I play games like Fortnite or older games and haven’t had any breaks. However, it is not a laptop designed to regularly run modern games or heavy graphics applications. By the way, I have noticed that it is a bit slow to start compared to other premium laptops, but otherwise, it is a reliable device for day-to-day use.

Where all this lightness of the design is noticeable is in the refrigeration. Now that it’s hot, I’ve noticed a lot of how it overheated sometimes and transmitted the heat to the upper area of ​​the keyboard. It is not exaggerated, but it can be annoying when you take it to work on the go (for example, when you put it on your knees on the train).

PRICE AND OPINIONS

The LG Gram 16Z90P is available in stores for a price starting at around 1,150 euros (on sale at the official LG store). This laptop meets what is expected of an ultrabook very well in its design’s lightness and autonomy. LG has done a good job of bringing a team with a very good finish with little or no rival in the market in terms of weight. And all this at a cost that does not get out of hand. Of course, as the main weak point, I would put the fact that its brightness is not very high, so it is not so comfortable to use on trips where you have to face the impact of sunlight (for example, if you travel by car in the passenger seat). All in all, a great proposition if you have the money to invest.