LG gram Book 15.6 inch Review

The LG gram 15 is a bit of a puzzle. On paper, it's got a solid spec sheet for the price: a 6-core AMD 5600 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a full 1TB SSD. That lands it in the 62nd percentile for CPU power, which is respectable for a thin-and-light. But the overall picture gets murky when you look at its percentile rankings. It's a laptop that seems built for one thing: being a portable, touchscreen Windows machine.

And that's where the trade-offs start. Its weakest areas are glaring. It scores in the 9th percentile for gaming, which is no surprise with integrated graphics. More concerning are its reliability and port selection, sitting in the 8th and 7th percentiles respectively. For a machine that might travel a lot, that's a red flag you can't ignore.

Performance is a mixed bag, defined by its CPU. The AMD 5600 is a capable 6-core chip, and that 62nd percentile ranking means it'll handle everyday tasks, office work, and even some light photo editing just fine. Paired with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB Gen4 NVMe SSD (which is in the 65th percentile for storage), the system feels snappy for general use.

But that's where the good news ends. The integrated graphics put it in the 18th percentile for GPU performance, so gaming or any serious creative work is off the table. The 15.6-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen is functional, but its 29th percentile ranking suggests it's nothing special in terms of color or brightness compared to peers.

At $949, the value proposition hinges entirely on your needs. You're getting a lot of SSD space and a decent mid-range CPU for the price. Compared to something like a base MacBook Air, you get more storage and a touchscreen for less money. But you're sacrificing build quality, reliability, and port selection. It's a budget-friendly option for someone who needs a big, fast drive and a touchscreen above all else, but you have to be willing to accept the compromises in other areas.

Stacked up against its peers, the LG gram 15 carves out a niche. The Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 will destroy it in reliability and ports but costs more. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers a revolutionary dual-screen setup for creativity, though at a higher price point. Compared to the Apple MacBook Pro (even an older M-series), there's no contest in performance per watt or build quality, but you lose the touchscreen and pay a premium. Against gaming laptops like the MSI Vector or Gigabyte AORUS, the gram can't compete on performance but wins on weight and battery life. It's a classic case of 'you get what you pay for' in specific features.

The LG gram 15 is a hard sell. The 1TB SSD and touchscreen are legit perks for $949, and the CPU is fine. But the alarmingly low scores for reliability (8th percentile) and ports (7th percentile) are deal-breakers for a primary laptop. I can only recommend this if you need a ton of cheap, fast storage and a big touchscreen on a tight budget, and you're planning to use it as a secondary machine. For most people, especially students or professionals who need a dependable daily driver, spending a bit more on a ThinkPad, a MacBook Air, or even a different Zenbook is a much smarter long-term investment.