LG Gram SuperSlim Review: The Pinnacle of Thin and Light Laptops

For those in search of a high-performing ultrabook, the LG Gram line has always been a trusted destination. However, the game was taken to new heights at CES 2023 with the introduction of the Gram SuperSlim line. Combining the finest qualities of its predecessors, LG managed to incorporate two remarkable enhancements into this remarkable device, which we will explore in detail in this LG Gram SuperSlim review.

With a starting price of $1,700, LG’s Gram 2023 laptop series offers a 15.6-inch OLED screen option that is sure to impress. Adorned in a single captivating hue, Neptune Blue, the color of the device undergoes a fascinating transformation as you alter your viewing angle or encounter varying levels of light, seamlessly transitioning from vibrant blue to an elegant shade of gray.

LG Gram SuperSlim Review

Design

LG Gram has consistently made its mark as one of the lightest ultrabooks in the market for several years now. However, prioritizing thinness was never its topmost concern. That notion, however, changed with the advent of the Gram SuperSlim. This ultrabook boasts a maximum thickness of merely 10.9 mm, a significant departure from the 17.5 mm thickness of its Gram 15 counterpart with the same screen size. In essence, the Gram SuperSlim represents LG’s thinnest laptop ever crafted.

Accompanying its sleek form is an astonishingly light weight of 990 grams, an impressive feat for a 15.6-inch laptop. Thus, we are presented with a true “super product” known as the Gram SuperSlim. To achieve such remarkable thinness, LG continues to employ a magnesium alloy material for the laptop’s casing, similar to its predecessors within the Gram ultralight notebook range.

Magnesium has gained popularity as a material for thin and lightweight laptops due to its strength, which is comparable to aluminum while being significantly lighter. Despite its substantial reduction in thickness compared to other LG Gram models, the Gram SuperSlim remains resilient, meeting the stringent durability standards of the US military’s MIL-STD-810H, even in the face of challenging usage conditions.

A typical trade-off accompanying thin and light ultrabooks are the limited number of ports available. However, the Gram SuperSlim takes this to a new level by removing USB-A and HDMI ports entirely. It leaves users with only three USB-C ports: two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the left side, a 40Gbps USB4 port on the right side, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Wireless connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6E.

Display

In our LG Gram SuperSlim review unit, we encounter the first groundbreaking feature – an OLED display, a first for the Gram series of laptops. As a leading brand renowned for its OLED panels and TVs, it comes as a surprise that LG has only recently introduced this technology to its laptop lineup.

The Gram SuperSlim boasts a 15.6-inch OLED panel with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, adhering to the traditional 16:9 screen ratio. While we find Full HD to be sufficiently sharp for everyday usage at this screen size, considering the device’s premium price, we expected a resolution of at least Quad HD or higher. Furthermore, LG’s decision to forgo the 16:10 screen ratio, which was already adopted in the Gram series laptops of 2022, appears somewhat perplexing.

Nonetheless, the display quality of the Gram SuperSlim is truly exceptional. The OLED panel excels in contrast, delivering deep blacks, while also accurately reproducing colors with its impressive 100% DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB color coverage. Whether you’re engaged in graphics-intensive tasks or simply indulging in movie-watching sessions on platforms like Netflix, the Gram SuperSlim effortlessly meets your expectations.

In terms of brightness, the display offers 400 nits in SDR mode. Additionally, it holds the VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification, promising a peak brightness of 500 nits in HDR mode.

Features

The LG Gram SuperSlim comes equipped with a Full HD webcam featuring an infrared sensor, enabling the convenient Windows Hello face unlock functionality. However, one particularly intriguing addition to the feature set is the presence of LG Glance by Mirametrix on this ultrabook.

LG Glance by Mirametrix encompasses a range of utility tools that offer several practical functions. These include an anti-peeping feature, which automatically dims the screen and provides an alert when it detects someone looking over your shoulder or when you step away from the machine. This proves especially valuable when working with sensitive documents that should remain private from prying eyes.

Moreover, this tool boasts various other noteworthy capabilities. It can automatically lock the device, pause music and videos when it detects your absence, and adapt to multi-monitor setups. With multiple screens in use, the mouse pointer automatically switches to the screen you’re looking at while dimming the remaining screens. These are just a few examples of the many features offered by LG Glance by Mirametrix, making it a versatile and indispensable companion.

Keayboard & touchpad

If you’ve had the opportunity to type on Gram 16 2022 (REVIEW) or Gram 17 2022 (REVIEW), you’ll find a sense of familiarity when using the Gram SuperSlim’s keyboard. It features a full-size layout that includes a sufficient number of Numpad keys. However, the keyboard’s layout may seem a bit unconventional, requiring some time to adjust to certain aspects, such as the compact arrow keys and the slightly reduced backspace key that can lead to accidental presses.

Due to its slim and lightweight design, the keyboard on the Gram SuperSlim offers short travel distances. However, it compensates for this with excellent tactile feedback and minimal noise. The keyboard also features a monochrome backlight with two brightness levels, providing ample illumination for working during nighttime without the need for an additional desk lamp.

The touchpad on the Gram SuperSlim is generously sized and centrally positioned, deviating from the traditional alignment with the space button. This touchpad supports multi-point scrolling, zooming, app switching, and smooth navigation for moving forward and backward. It effectively caters to almost all basic operations, eliminating the necessity for an external mouse in most cases.

LG Gram SuperSlim specifications

• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• CPU: Intel Core i5-1340P / i7-1360P (13th Gen) 2.2 to 5 GHz Quad-Core / 1.6 to 3.7 GHz Efficiency 8-Core, 18 MB L3 Cache
• GPU: Intel Iris Xe
• Memory: 16GB/32GB 6000 MHz LPDDR5
• Storage: 1 x 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD / 2 x 1 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe
• Display: 15.6-inch OLED panel with FHD (1920 x 1080), 16:9, 100% DCI-P3, 1,000,000:1 Contrast, 0.2 ms Response time
• Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (Supports DisplayPort and Power Delivery), 1 x USB4 (Supports Power Delivery), 1 x 1/8″ / 3.5 mm Headphone/Microphone Input/Output,
• Audio: 1 x 2 W Speakers & 2 Microphones
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax); Dual-Band (2.4 & 5 GHz), MU-MIMO 2 x 2, Bluetooth 5.1
• Webcam: 1080p
• Battery: Lithium-Ion 60 Wh
• Keyboard & Mouse: 97-Key Notebook Keyboard with Backlight, Number Pad, TouchPad
• Security: Dedicated Hardware TPM Security Chip, Facial Recognition
• Dimensions: 35.6 x 22.73 x 1.24 cm
• Weight: 2.18 lb / 0.99 kg

LG Gram SuperSlim review test

Performance

Similar to other Gram models released this year, the Gram SuperSlim is powered by Intel’s 13th-generation Raptor Lake CPU. Our LG Gram SuperSlim review unit features a configuration with a Core i5-1340P chip, 16GB of RAM (soldered onto the motherboard), and two SSD slots, one with a 512GB drive and an additional drive that can be tailored to the customer’s needs.

The LG Gram SuperSlim has obtained Intel Evo certification, ensuring it meets the requirements for battery life, display quality, and charging capabilities. Furthermore, with the Raptor Lake CPU generation, Intel has expanded the Unison platform to include more Evo laptops. This platform facilitates seamless connectivity between laptops and smartphones, enabling swift file and image transfers between devices, as well as the ability to make phone calls and send messages.

Let’s delve into the performance scores achieved by the Gram SuperSlim in popular benchmark applications:

In the Cinebench R23 application, which assesses CPU performance for rendering tasks, the SuperSlim’s Core i5-1340P chip obtained 1,189 points in the single-core test and 6,753 points in the multi-core test.

PCMark 10, a benchmark measuring overall system performance, yielded an average score of 4,076 for the Gram SuperSlim.

In GeekBench 6’s CPU benchmark, the Core i5-1340P achieved 2,025 points in the single-core test and 7,418 points in the multi-core test.

In terms of the GeekBench 6 OpenCL benchmark, the integrated graphics core of the Core i5-1340P CPU, Intel Iris XE, reached a score of 11,136 points.

The LG Gram SuperSlim utilizes two NVMe SSDs for storage, with the primary SSD being the SK Hynix PC801 and the secondary SSD being the Samsung PM9A1. Both drives employ the PCIe 4.0 protocol for connectivity.

The speed performance of the SK Hynix PC801 SSD

As for the Samsung PM9A1 SSD

Measured using Crystal Disk Mark software, the PC801 SSD achieved impressive read and write speeds of 7,063 MB/s and 4,990 MB/s, respectively. In the same test, the PM9A1 exhibited read and write speeds of 6,388 MB/s and 2,675 MB/s, respectively. Both of these SSDs demonstrate exceptional speed capabilities, enabling swift task execution such as opening applications and efficient data copying.

It is important to note that temperature poses a challenge for thin and lightweight laptops, and the Gram SuperSlim is no exception. Due to limited space for heat dissipation, when engaging in demanding tasks like benchmarks, the CPU temperature of the Gram SuperSlim can reach up to 95 degrees Celsius, necessitating throttling to ensure proper cooling.

Battery life

This laptop is equipped with a 70 WHr battery, 10 Whr smaller than the Gram 2023. Even so, the LG Gram SuperSlim still helped me get through a working day with about 10% of the battery left, with a heavy workload. Relatively light work includes surfing the web, reading stories during breaks, and editing photos via Photoshop.

The included 65W charger fully charges the battery in about 90 minutes. You can also use a power bank that supports the Power Delivery standard with an output power of about 45W or more to be able to charge the Gram SuperSlim.

Final line

The LG Gram SuperSlim is designed for individuals seeking an ultra-thin and lightweight laptop that goes beyond the capabilities of LG’s regular Gram line. The addition of an OLED screen further enhances the Gram series. While performance and battery life have certain limitations to maintain the ultra-thin form factor, they should be sufficient to meet the needs of most users.

The inclusion of two NVMe SSDs, the SK Hynix PC801, and Samsung PM9A1, ensures fast storage and efficient data handling. The LG Glance by Mirametrix utility tool, along with the presence of a Full HD webcam and an infrared sensor for Windows Hello face unlock, adds convenience and security to the user experience.

Overall, the LG Gram SuperSlim combines its sleek design, OLED display, fast SSD storage, and innovative features to deliver a compelling ultrabook experience. With different configuration options available at varying price points, it offers versatility for users to choose according to their needs and budget. Whether for professional work, multimedia consumption, or everyday tasks, the Gram SuperSlim proves to be a reliable and impressive choice in the ultrabook market.

LG Gram SuperSlim price and availability

The LG Gram SuperSlim (15Z90RT) is currently available for purchase on various platforms including Amazon.com, Bhphotovideo.com, and Amazon.co.uk. The base model, featuring 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, is priced at $1,699. For those seeking higher specifications, the top model with 32 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD is priced at $1,999.