LG gram 14 14Z90RU mini review

[John Ratsey]

As noted here, I stumbled on a new and less expensive version of the LG gram 14 and ordered one. It arrived today and my initial observations are:

1. Yes, it is 2025 production despite the R in the model number. The label on the box says that mine was made (in China) on 24th September 2025. 

2. According to my kitchen scales (which have weighed many computers) it weighs 964g, so less than the advertised 999g. There was a time, many years ago, when Dell computers always weighed more than advertised so these days I'm pleasantly surprised when my purchases weigh no more than advertised.

3. The hardware seems to be a mix of Raptor Lake and Alder Lake parts. The CPU specs are here.

4. The WiFi module is the Intel AX211 (same as in my 2024 gram Pro). Thus supports Bluetooth 5.3 and not 5.1 listed in the on-line information.

5. The case, battery and display seems to be that used for the other 2025 models (the bottom cover has a February 2025 date stamp).

6. The keyboard is backlit. It has two SSD slots, so no spec trimming for the budget model. The supplied SSD, however, is Phison - not a well-known brand. 

7. HWiNFO provides some useful information about the CPU power limits:

This shows that the CPU is capable of much higher power for shorter periods. Under load the fan noise is noticeable but not annoying.

8. On first charging the battery showed 69.7 Wh - about 3% short of the rated 72 Wh. This may improve with a bit of power cycling.

 

More will follow.

[John Ratsey]

Some more observations:

9. Build quality seems solid. The smaller size compared with my bigger grams is obviously a factor.

10. The back feet (rubble pads) on the base are about 6mm (1/4 inch) thick, presumably to help airflow to the vents on the bottom. I had put my own rubber pads of similar thickness on the SuperSlim for this reason while the back of Gram 17 sits on rubber pads. LG seems to have realised that airflow to the fan is a potential performance bottleneck. I wonder if they have applied the same improvement to all the current production.

11. The keyboard has bigger lettering which is centered on the keys while my other two grams have smaller lettering which is offset towards the top left corner.

12.  The display is advertised as 350 nit brightness and, in normal lighting, needs to be used at nearly full brightness for good eye comfort. My gram 17 shows the same characteristics. The SuperSlim display is brighter (advertised at 400 nits). 

13. Playing a 3 hour video MP4 file at about 80% display brightness used 10.7Wh of battery - a power drain of about 3.6W. I'm very happy with this.

14. Simple benchmarking using Cinebench 23 and Geekbench 6.4 revealed that the single core performance of the i5-1334U is at least as good as the grams with the Ultra 7 155H. The multi-core performance of the i5-1334U is, however, about 20% slower. Changing to the high fan setting didn't make much difference. I'm happy with this. I'm not looking for a mobile powerhouse but something which does normal tasks quietly and without making a lot of heat.

15. LG continues to supply a brick of a PSU. The basic PSU weighs 234g and the UK mains cable another 108g (ie 35% of the weight of the gram 14). A modern wall-wart GaN PSU plus 2m of USB-C cable weighs no more than 230g and is easier to carry around. The only time the computer needs 65W is for simultaneous charging and high CPU load. Otherwise a 45W PSU is sufficient.