2022 LG Gram 16/17 announced

[Steerpike]

On 7/24/2022 at 1:41 PM, John Ratsey said:

inadequate cooling capacity for the CPU when under load

I have yet to hear the fan on mine!  But I guess my usage has simplified to basic browsing, some spreadsheet work, and Outlook / email handling. I haven't needed to transcode a video in a while! Watching YouTube vids or Netflix doesn't seem to tax it. 

 

Regarding the keyboard backlight - there is still the symbol on the F8 key, so I would think the feature is still there. 

[extremecarver]

There are some new low quality reviews out - the only interesting thing is that they had the brightness at around 350-370nits.

So likely brightness was improved a bit (within the lottery).

 

Yeah you get more CPU power (same graphic power without the additional graphic card) at the expense of battery life - and a matte screen. With low prices for the last year version could also buy last year and exchange screen I guess.

[Steerpike]

22 hours ago, extremecarver said:

... exchange screen I guess.

Just how feasible is replacing a screen on a laptop?  I've replaced motherboards several times, but the screen looks kinda difficult. The frame is all glued (not screwed) and you have to fish the cable through the hinges.  Maybe it's not as hard as I'm thinking. 

[John Ratsey]

22 hours ago, Steerpike said:

Just how feasible is replacing a screen on a laptop?  I've replaced motherboards several times, but the screen looks kinda difficult. The frame is all glued (not screwed) and you have to fish the cable through the hinges.  Maybe it's not as hard as I'm thinking. 

If you can get a complete display including the back and the hinges then I think the swap would be easy: Take off the bottom of the computer; disconnect battery; disconnect display; unscrew hinges; remove old display unit then repeat in reverse to fit the new one.

[Steerpike]

On 7/30/2022 at 12:56 PM, John Ratsey said:

If you can get a complete display including the back and the hinges then I think the swap would be easy: Take off the bottom of the computer; disconnect battery; disconnect display; unscrew hinges; remove old display unit then repeat in reverse to fit the new one.

Oh yeah, that's ok - I've dismantled a laptop to the point of having the display separated at the hinges.  And I've even put it back together and it worked :). But the only way I've seen entire screen sub-assemblies sold is on e-bay as 'break outs' from used machines, which tend to be for older models. All the brand-new screens I've seen advertised are purely the panel, and it looks real tricky getting it installed. I wouldn't dare take a fully-functional $1,000+ laptop and try doing that! 

 

By the way, the 'base' of the new 2022 model was quite different - no more big round feet at the back, but rather a long single 'rubber bar'.  I didn't pay too much attention but it's certainly a complete re-design. 

[Steerpike]

On 7/23/2022 at 12:12 PM, Steerpike said:

They finally got the 2022 LG Gram 17 at my local Costco; saw it yesterday.  The screen is definitely matt!  I've preferred matt forever, but now I've got the 2021 LG Gram 17, I'm getting used to the glossy screen, and I may actually prefer it now.  

 

 

For $1600, you get Intel i7-1260P, 16 GB ram, 512 GB SSD. 

...

 

My buddy just picked up the new 2022 LG Gram 17 at his local Costco (Pleasanton area) for $1200! $400 off sticker. Costco online were not offering this; still $1599.99. EDIT TO ADD - costco online DO now have it for $400 off!

 

Model was 17z90q-K.aac7u1 - i7-1260P; 16 GB ram; 512 GB SSD.  I haven't been back to my Costco (Concord) to see if they are also reducing it, but that's a great price for the latest model! 

[extremecarver]

Notebookcheck tested the 17" 2022, only 10-20% faster (except cinebench r20 that increase by 25%), less battery life and better matte display, that's about it for changes.

Then however windows 11 simply still uses more battery than windows 10.

Not sure how much of the worse battery life actually is due to crappy 11.

 

Only the dedicated GPU version has much more power because of increased cooling.

 

As the i5 runs into heat problems very quickly the i7 again won't be any faster, maybe again a bit slower in real life.

 

So far only German language test is published...

[skipper]

14 hours ago, extremecarver said:

Notebookcheck tested the 17" 2022, only 10-20% faster (except cinebench r20 that increase by 25%), less battery

 

The 11th Gen had only 1277 points in multi core vs 2979 points for the Alder Lake. This is 133% faster!!! I also do not understand why Notebookcheck uses Normal performance as their base for measurements (at least they show both in Cinebench, 10% faster and more stable in performance). They are stuck also with Cinebench R15 where its the only version where the differences between Performance and Normal mode are minimal, maybe this is why they are miss-guided.

In Geekbench it is 56% faster!! Only in PCMark the difference is 8%.

So I guess for normal productivity-Office work the gains will be small and you get more noise, heat and less battery. But in case of video editing or some heavy processing the update is a no-brainer.

I will pass this version because I am still ok with my 11th gen and I think the multiple cores of Alder Lake are not yet optimized. I would love if LG went for Ryzen 6800.

On Notebookcheck there is an article of a new LG Ultra with Ryzen, but they have crippled specks compared to the Grams.

I have "upgraded" to Win11. I don't see a change in battery, but have not tested extensively. I hate the OS decisions and use ExplorerPatcher to get back the Win10 functionality, but I saw a substantial improvement in how it handles my multi-monitor setup and this is why I stayed with it. 

[John Ratsey]

On 8/1/2022 at 7:02 PM, Steerpike said:

By the way, the 'base' of the new 2022 model was quite different - no more big round feet at the back, but rather a long single 'rubber bar'.  I didn't pay too much attention but it's certainly a complete re-design. 

That rubber bar is visible in the notebookcheck review photos. I wonder if it's to reduce the recirculation of hot air from the fan exhaust. The internal layout of the Gram 17 is unchanged and I think it's the same size fan as previously.

 

Amazon UK is offering a cosmetically damaged 32GB RAM 2022 model for a very attractive price (about 35% discount on new). I'd like the extra RAM as Windows 10 memory management on my 2021 16GB Gram 17 seems to be deficient. While most of the time it's using around 85% physical memory, sometimes the usage gets close to 100% despite having a generous page file allocation on a fast SSD. It's tempting but unfortunately there's no improvement in the thermal management.

[extremecarver]

The score on the 2021 was plain rubbish. I never scored below 1800 and that's with 26-27 degrees, and usually around 2000, can push 2200 if in front of Aircon or 2400 in winter outside. So it's 2000 Vs 2979.

That's the max real multicore improvement you will get. Usually it's a but lower. Single core anyhow not much change.

[John Ratsey]

On 8/20/2022 at 1:49 PM, John Ratsey said:

Amazon UK is offering a cosmetically damaged 32GB RAM 2022 model for a very attractive price (about 35% discount on new). I'd like the extra RAM as Windows 10 memory management on my 2021 16GB Gram 17 seems to be deficient. While most of the time it's using around 85% physical memory, sometimes the usage gets close to 100% despite having a generous page file allocation on a fast SSD. It's tempting but unfortunately there's no improvement in the thermal management.

Last evening my 16GB 2021 Gram 17 hit 99% physical RAM so everything stopped while Windows did some housekeeping. I saw that as a signal to order the cut price 32GB 2022 model. I wait to see if it's fully functional. LG claims "MIL-STD-810G Strong and Ready for Combat".

 

I'll also have to prepare for doing battle with Windows 11.

[John Ratsey]

I now have that cosmetically damaged 2022 Gram 17 on my desk. I've yet to see the scratches and it looks to be a normal "open box" return. I wonder if whoever originally bought it assumed that the blotchy blue display while Windows was setting itself up meant the display was defective and put the computer back in the box. It had me worried!

Once Windows setup had finished messing around the display was fine and I reckon that I stumbled on a good deal as it is the 32GB RAM version that I wanted. I had half-expected that the description was wrong and Amazon would deliver a lower spec version.

 

I'm current exploring and testing my new purchase and will start a new thread with my observations.

[Steerpike]

3 hours ago, John Ratsey said:

I now have that cosmetically damaged 2022 Gram 17 on my desk. I've yet to see the scratches and it looks to be a normal "open box" return. I wonder if whoever originally bought it assumed that the blotchy blue display while Windows was setting itself up meant the display was defective and put the computer back in the box. It had me worried!

Once Windows setup had finished messing around the display was fine and I reckon that I stumbled on a good deal as it is the 32GB RAM version that I wanted. I had half-expected that the description was wrong and Amazon would deliver a lower spec version.

 

I'm current exploring and testing my new purchase and will start a new thread with my observations.

Just keep in mind, despite all the naysayers to the contrary, that windows 11 plus Explorer Patcher is almost indistinguishable from Windows 10 ! 

[extremecarver]

You can downgrade to windows 10. I would not bother with the problems of 11. But then even with 10 I'm using classic start menu (like 7) and lots of other old functionality... I would not bother until there is windows 12. 

 

11 is just like 8 a version to omit..

[John Ratsey]

So far I've not had any serious disagreements with Windows 11. In my previous brief encounter (on a notebook with an FHD panel) I didn't like being unable to put the task bar up the left side of the display but since I've been running out of space for all the icons I want on the task bar plus whatever is open I'm happy to see if the position along the bottom is better although it eats into the vertical screen space.

 

I see that the English version of the Notebookcheck 2022 Gram 17 review is now available. My Gram 17 has a black keyboard surround unlike the version reviewed (I'm happy with the black).

 

I will shortly start a new thread for 2022 Gram 17 impressions as a better home for my thoughts and observations.

[John Ratsey]

Techradar review of the 2022 Gram 16.

[skipper]

I thought the 2022Gram  does not have the fingerprint reader. When I read this review I thought that they just did copy-paste and they did not really bother.

[John Ratsey]

22 hours ago, skipper said:

I thought the 2022Gram  does not have the fingerprint reader. When I read this review I thought that they just did copy-paste and they did not really bother.

Well spotted! The fingerprint reader in the power button of the 2021 version isn't obvious and the 2022 version looks the same so, without reading the specs, it's easy to assume no change. I've just checked my 2022 Gram 17 and Windows confirms that the FPR isn't available. I think the philosophy is that the face recognition with the FHD camera is better so no need to spend money on the FPR as well. I would note that I've been doing a lot of manual work for the past two weeks and the wear on my fingers has upset the normally reliable FPR on my phone. Perhaps the camera approach is better.

[skipper]

Just to let you know that I installed the Mirametrix software in my 2021 Gram 16 and works perfectly. Still figuring out if it really helps or I will uninstall it eventually. But just to say that one less difference between the 2021-22 versions.

I followed the 2nd link in the following page and installed it through the app store.

https://help.mirametrix.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018030672-Installing-Glance-on-your-system

[RS4]

5 hours ago, skipper said:

Just to let you know that I installed the Mirametrix software in my 2021 Gram 16 and works perfectly. Still figuring out if it really helps or I will uninstall it eventually. But just to say that one less difference between the 2021-22 versions.

I followed the 2nd link in the following page and installed it through the app store.

https://help.mirametrix.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018030672-Installing-Glance-on-your-system

 

Nice discovery, do post a mini review of the features and if you found anything useful. Will the normal camera of the 2021 Gram work as well as the upgraded Full HD IR camera of 2022 Gram? Will the battery consumption increase due to this always on software-hardware combo?

 

Nice Ad from LG describing the Glance:

 

 

[skipper]

On 9/28/2022 at 2:35 PM, RS4 said:

 

Nice discovery, do post a mini review of the features and if you found anything useful. Will the normal camera of the 2021 Gram work as well as the upgraded Full HD IR camera of 2022 Gram? Will the battery consumption increase due to this always on software-hardware combo?

 

Nice Ad from LG describing the Glance:

 

 

So, the standard setting of LG Glance is to be suspended when on battery. I did not change it because I guess they know better... Also it does not work when the windows settings are open. I cannot tell if the 720p camera is less efficient in my 2021 Gram, but basically it works as it is supposed to, I think it follows the face, not the eyes. The window movement from one monitor to the other is hit or miss and ends up being a gimmick. But I started having better results with a 2nd external monitor. To move a window from the far left to far right monitor it is pretty effective. Also the cursor moves to the monitor you look. In the beginning it was not very practical because I was using VMs that were capturing the cursor and made a mess. For normal office work looked more interesting. I have to try it a bit longer to see if it really increases productivity or it is a gimmick after all.

[hfm]

SInce I have a full partitions backup I decided to blow away my Win 11 + Fedora dual boot on my Gram and I installed Chrome OS Flex on it just to see if I could get along doing that. So far it's been great, and the Linux install within Chrome OS Flex seems to work fine, I haven't tried anything advanced yet though like Docker dev env. 

 

My only gripe so far is that this Gram with 8th Gen CPU is just getting long in the tooth. Oh and that Chrome OS Flex doesn't support the finger print reader, but there's no driver for it in Linux either (Chrome OS Flex is just a Linux distro at the end of the day..) so that's pretty much a wash.

 

Though, I think for my upgrade from this Gram I'm probably going to wait to see how the M2 MBP16 looks next year. My other MBP16 is pretty much isolated for pure work related stuff, and I'd like to consider one for more personal stuff. Mostly music related stuff which macOS is just great at.

[skipper]

I think next year I will upgrade to this one:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Schenker-Vision-16-Pro-Laptop-Review-Lightweight-16-inch-Ultrabook-with-RTX-3070-Ti.670849.0.html

 

It has a very light magnesium alloy frame like the Gram, better cooling and is very configurable. It is 400gr heavier, but I guess this is the price to pay for real performance, but is still more than 400-500gr lighter than the lazy competition. I will wait for the next iteration, hoping they will use a better less power hungry monitor, less oriented for gamers and improve battery efficiency. Meanwhile I hope LG works on their cooling and maybe AMD for the next generation.

I am used to Windows, some of my software is exclusive Windows (and a bit of gaming) and Apple is always lazy with optimizing weight, so I think no Mac for me

[John Ratsey]

6 hours ago, skipper said:

 Meanwhile I hope LG works on their cooling and maybe AMD for the next generation.

I would love to buy the dual fan option mentioned in the listing here for the 2021 Gram 17. Unfortunately, Google can't find a source for it.

 

Also an Ultrabookreview review of the 2022 Gram 17 has been published recently. There's also a review of the 2022 Gram 16.

[skipper]

https://www.lgnewsroom.com/2023/01/2023-lg-gram-lineup-offers-more-stylish-yet-powerful-user-experience/

 

Again incremental changes, probably the dGPU RTX versions look better, variable refresh rate screens and slightly brighter. The new models, Ultraslim and Style go to the wrong direction of looks and form over function.