LG gram Pro 17 (2024) Review

About the LG gram Pro 17 (2024)

The LG gram Pro 17 we received is a top-end configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics, 2TB of storage, and 32GB of RAM, all of which totals $2,500 (although it’s currently on sale for $2,200).

Fortunately, LG offers a more affordable entry model with the same processor, Intel Arc integrated graphics, 1TB of storage, and 16GB of RAM for $1,900, or $1,700 on sale. That’s still expensive for such a configuration, but it’s at least below $2,000.

LG gram Pro 17 17Z90SP (2024) specs

• Price as configured: $2,500
• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16-core, 22-thread), 3.8GHz clock speed up to 4.8GHz boost
• Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3050 4GB (discrete, 45W TGP); Intel Arc Integrated graphics
• Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X at 7467 MHz
• Storage: 2TB NVMe PCIe solid state drive
• Display: 17-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS, 144Hz, 423 nits (tested), variable refresh rate support (VRR)
• Ports: 2x USB-C 4 (with Thunderbolt 4, Power Delivery, DisplayPort), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI, 3.5mm combo audio
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Camera: 1080p, 30 frames per second, IR camera with Windows Hello support
• Battery: 90 watt-hours
• Weight: 2.86 pounds (1.29 kilograms)
• Dimensions: 14.9 x 10.4 x 0.51 inches
• Warranty: 1-year limited warranty

What we like

It’s big but portable

The LG gram Pro 17 has a huge 17-inch display, but it weighs only 2.86 pounds, which is incredibly light for a laptop of this size. It’s lighter than the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 and only two-tenths of a pound heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Air M2 and is only outclassed by LG’s own Gram SuperSlim line.

This makes it easy to forget you even have the laptop in your backpack and easier to handle when picking it up from a table or using it in tight spaces. It’s thin too, measuring just .51 inches thick. That again beats much of the competition and in many cases, it’s not even close.

Dell’s XPS 17, itself among the more portable 17-inch machines available, is much thicker at .77 inches. The LG’s slim profile and low weight make it easy to handle. Most laptops in this class feel bulky when picked up from a corner, as you might when taking a laptop out of a bag, but the LG remains easy to maneuver.

Connectivity is passable. The LG gram Pro 17 has two USB-C 4 ports and two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports. The USB-C ports also support Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort Alternate Mode, and Power Delivery, meaning they can charge the laptop or output video to a USB-C monitor. The laptop also has one full-sized HDMI port and one 3.5mm combo audio jack, providing plenty of options for external displays and audio.

Battery life is impressive

Battery life is also solid, as the gram Pro 17 lasted over 14 and a half hours on a charge during our standard battery test, which cycles through a series of open web pages with the display set to 200 nits. While not a record-setting result, that beats the new M3-powered MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models and outperforms more expensive big-screen rivals like the Dell XPS 17.

There are limits to the gram Pro 17’s portability, which impede making the most of that outstanding battery life. The laptop measures almost 15 inches wide and more than 10 inches deep. It can fit in some backpacks and bags designed for 15-inch laptops, but it’s very close, and some shoppers will need to buy a larger bag to handle this laptop.

Still, that comes with the territory. It’s no surprise that a 17-inch machine is larger than a 15-inch or 14-inch model. LG makes the laptop as portable as possible despite its large display, and the gram Pro 17 proves a fine travel companion if you have a bag large enough to hold it.

The large display is great for productivity

Both models of the gram Pro 17 ship with a 17-inch, 2560 x 1600 panel. That’s a lot of display real estate, and it’s great for anyone who wants to multitask on a laptop.

LG sticks to a more traditional IPS-LCD display instead of the OLED or mini-LED displays available on some competitors. There are definite downsides to this choice; the laptop’s measured contrast ratio tops out at 1410:1, which is above average for an IPS display but not particularly impressive, and HDR is not supported. It’s not a great display for gaming or entertainment. The speakers don’t hold up, either. They have a hollow, metallic sound profile and aren’t particularly loud even at maximum volume.

Productivity and multitasking are a different story. The display gets bright, reaching a maximum of 423 nits, and has a matte finish that keeps glare to a minimum. It’s sharp, too, with a pixel density of 177 pixels per inch. That’s better than a 27-inch 4K monitor. It’s ultimately easy on the eyes while typing or creating spreadsheets and can be used in a bright room without strain (at the maximum brightness setting).

The display also has a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. That’s not unheard of for a laptop in the gram Pro 17’s price bracket, but it beats alternatives such as the Dell XPS 17, which tops out at 60Hz. The improved refresh rate can be useful in games thanks to the improved pixel response times and lower latency, and even browsing the Windows desktop feels more responsive.

The SSD is very quick

The LG gram Pro 17 has some performance problems, but the solid-state drive isn’t one of them.

Our review unit had a 2TB PCIe gen 4 drive from SK Hynix which achieved storage read speeds of up to 7,134 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,231 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark, a synthetic storage benchmark. These are the third- and sixth-best scores we’ve yet recorded from a productivity laptop, so the gram Pro 17 should handle large file transfers with ease.

These are excellent results. However, shoppers should be mindful that gram Pro 17 variants with a smaller, 1TB drive may not perform as well, as drive performance often varies based on size; manufacturers may use a different brand of drive for different configurations.

What we don’t like

It’s plain and feels inexpensive

LG’s gram laptop line-up is rarely the most fashionable choice, though there are exceptions like the LG gram Style. The gram Pro 17 isn’t among them. On the contrary, it’s hard to imagine a less alluring design.

The laptop’s black exterior is flat, simple, and lacks the metallic luster many rivals provide. It’s paired with a slim, slate-like design with few features or flourishes. LG uses a slight bevel across the front of the laptop to make it feel even slimmer, but that’s a tactic many competitors also use.

Build quality is a bigger problem. LG shaves every Gram off the gram Pro 17, including material that might be used to reinforce the chassis. The display flexes and wobbles when opened and the interior warps noticeably when the laptop is picked up from a corner. This doesn’t noticeably dampen the typing experience, at least.

These issues would be easier to overlook if the gram Pro 17 was less expensive, but it’s not. The model we tested has an MSRP of nearly $2,500 (though it’s currently on sale for $2,200), which puts it in league with entry-level models of the Dell XPS 16, Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3, and Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro. These alternatives are heavier and thicker but also feel more deserving of their price tag.

Performance falls short, and the GPU is a disaster

The specifications on our top-tier LG gram Pro 17 are solid, but the laptop’s overall performance didn’t stand out despite the dedicated mobile Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card.

In Geekbench 6, a synthetic processor benchmark, the gram Pro 17 achieved a single-core score of 2,221 and a multi-core score of 11,115. Both figures are relatively mediocre. The 2023 Dell XPS 17 scored 2,264 and 12,572, respectively. Apple’s MacBook Pro 16 M3 Max achieved much higher scores of 3,175 and 21,999, respectively. Other processor benchmarks, like Cinebench R23 and Blender, told the same story. Our test unit was never at the bottom of the pack, but always middling and never a leader.

The gram Pro 17’s GPU performance is a head-scratcher. It has Nvidia’s mobile RTX 3050 with 4GB of VRAM, which, on paper, sounds like an upgrade over integrated graphics. In 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, however, the RTX 3050 achieved a graphics score of just 3,711, while Intel’s Arc integrated graphics reached 3,538. It was a similar story in 3DMark Night Raid. Here, the RTX 3050 achieved a score of 35,272, while Intel Arc achieved a score of 29,764.

Confused, I ran Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p resolution and high settings (with DLSS and XeSS upscalers turned off). The RTX 3050 averaged 36 frames per second (fps), while Intel Arc averaged 41 fps. Yes, that’s right: on average, Intel Arc graphics ran quicker than the RTX 3050, though, again, that’s without Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling.

To be frank, this is ridiculous. Shoppers looking at the gram Pro 17 might expect the aging Nvidia RTX 3050 to offer a major boost in performance over integrated graphics, and LG charges a whopping $500 premium for the upgrade.

Yet in practice, the RTX 3050 essentially ties Intel’s Arc, with only a small advantage in some situations. That hurts the gram Pro 17’s position. Many alternatives, like the Dell XPS 17, have switched to the RTX 4050, which is a tad quicker and supports new features like DLSS 3 frame generation, while alternatives that stick to Intel Arc integrated graphics nip at the Gram’s heels value-wise.

The touchpad is too small

Bigger laptops usually benefit from larger keyboards and touchpads, since there’s more room to accommodate them. That’s true of the LG gram Pro 17’s keyboard, which offers a spacious layout and a full-sized numpad. The touchpad, however, is disappointing.

The touchpad’s surface measures just over 5 inches wide and 3.25 inches deep. That wouldn’t prove impressive on a 14-inch laptop; on a 17-inch laptop, it’s dismal. A wide variety of competitors have larger touchpads including the Dell XPS 16 and 17, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro M3, the Razer Blade 16, and the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra.

We didn’t find the gram Pro 17’s touchpad especially responsive or pleasant, either. It works well enough but lacks the ultra-smooth Gorilla Glass surface found on many rivals. Those who like to use Windows’ more elaborate multi-touch gestures, like the five-finger pinch-to-minimize, will find the touchpad cramped and finicky.

Should you buy the LG gram Pro 17 (2024)?

No, it desperately needs a graphics upgrade (or a price cut)

The 2024 LG gram Pro 17 suffers a huge reversal of fortune. This former Editor’s Choice winner has fallen to the rear of the pack.

LG’s decision to stick with the RTX 3050 is the root of the problem. Last year, before the Intel Core Ultra series debuted, the RTX 3050 more than doubled performance over Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics. But the launch of Arc graphics brought an integrated upgrade that reduces the RTX 3050’s advantage. The result is a $500 upgrade that’s hardly an upgrade at all. LG’s mistake is worsened by the fact that most competitors, like the Dell XPS 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3, have received a graphics upgrade since then.

In a strange twist of fate, the Intel Core Ultra also hurts the gram Pro 17’s relative processor performance. The new model with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor sees little gain over the 2023 model with an Intel Core i7-1360P, which can be had for $2,000 with the same RTX 3050 inside.

The LG gram Pro 17 isn’t hopeless. It retains three important perks: great battery life, a big screen, and a thin profile. LG also offers an entry-level non-pro model, which sticks to Intel integrated Arc graphics, for $1,800 (or $1,500 on sale). It’s still expensive for what it offers, but it’s a better value overall. It might even attract frequent fliers who find a 14-inch or 15-inch too small.

Still, it’s clear LG has erred. Saddling a $2,500 laptop with Nvidia’s now-obsolete RTX 3050 is a terrible decision that tanks the laptop’s ranking.