LG LG 14" gram 14Z90S-V Laptop (Obsidian Black) Review
The LG gram 14 is incredibly light and portable, but its high price and average performance make it a niche choice. Here's who should buy it.
Overview
Looking for a super light laptop that can handle your daily work and media? The LG gram 14Z90S-V is a strong contender. It's a featherweight at just 1.12kg, making it one of the most portable 14-inch laptops you can buy. Under the hood, you get an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16GB of fast LPDDR5x RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The 14-inch 1920x1200 screen is bright enough for most indoor use, and with a 72Wh battery, you should get solid all-day life. It's priced in the premium ultrabook range, so you're paying for that incredible portability.
Performance
The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a capable chip, landing in the 69th percentile for CPU performance. For everyday tasks like web browsing, office apps, and video calls, it's more than fast enough. It can even handle some light photo editing. The integrated Intel Arc Graphics, however, are firmly in the mainstream. With a 59th percentile ranking, don't expect to game on this beyond very casual titles. The 16GB of RAM is a good sweet spot for multitasking, and the NVMe SSD ensures the system feels snappy. For a compact machine, the performance is well-balanced for productivity.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Extremely lightweight at just 1.12kg, incredibly easy to carry. 90th
- Strong all-day battery life from the 72Wh cell. 85th
- Solid everyday performance from the Intel Ultra 7 CPU. 71th
- Good port selection includes Thunderbolt and HDMI.
- Backlit keyboard is great for working in dim light.
Cons
- Integrated graphics are weak, scoring a dismal 17.9/100 for gaming. 8th
- The 60Hz, 350-nit display is fine but not exceptional for the price.
- Reliability score is shockingly low in the 8th percentile.
- 512GB storage feels a bit tight for a premium laptop.
- Price is high for the specs you get compared to some rivals.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H |
| Cores | 16 |
| Frequency | 1.4 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 24 MB |
Graphics
| GPU | Arc Graphics |
| Type | integrated |
| VRAM | 16 GB |
| VRAM Type | Shared |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 16 GB |
| RAM Generation | DDR5 |
| Storage | 512 GB |
| Storage Type | NVMe SSD |
Display
| Size | 14" |
| Resolution | 1920 (Full HD) |
| Panel | IPS |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 350 nits |
Connectivity
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI |
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Physical
| Weight | 1.1 kg / 2.5 lbs |
| Battery | 72 Wh |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro |
Value & Pricing
This laptop sits in a tricky spot. Prices range from about $1886 to $2150 depending on the vendor, so shopping around is key. You're paying a premium for the gram's legendary lightweight design. For that same money, you could get a much more powerful Windows laptop or a MacBook with better performance and battery life. The value really hinges on how much you prioritize weight above all else. If portability is your number one concern, it makes sense. If you want the best performance for your dollar, there are better options.
Price History
vs Competition
Let's look at the competition. The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch with an M4 chip absolutely crushes this LG in CPU performance, GPU performance, and battery life, though it costs more. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers a unique dual-screen design for multitasking at a similar weight. If you need any graphics power, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or MSI Vector gaming laptops are in a completely different league, but they're also much heavier. The LG gram's main advantage is being lighter than all of them. It's a trade-off: ultimate portability versus more features or raw power.
| Spec | LG LG 14" gram 14Z90S-V Laptop (Obsidian Black) | Apple MacBook Pro Apple 14" MacBook Pro (M4 Max, Silver) | ASUS Zenbook ASUS 14" Zenbook Duo UX8406CA Multi-Touch Laptop | Lenovo Legion Pro Series Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 (16″ Intel) 83F3000HUS | MSI Vector MSI 16" Vector 16 HX AI Gaming Laptop | Microsoft Surface Laptop Microsoft 15" Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC (7th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | Apple M4 Max | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 |
| RAM (GB) | 16 | 128 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 64 |
| Storage (GB) | 512 | 4096 | 1024 | 1024 | 2048 | 1024 |
| Screen | 14" 1920x1200 | 14.2" 3024x1964 | 14" 2880x1800 | 16" 2560x1600 | 16" 2560x1600 | 15" 2496x1664 |
| GPU | Intel Arc Graphics | Apple (40-Core) | Intel Arc Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 | Qualcomm X1 |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro | macOS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Pro |
| Weight (kg) | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 1.7 |
| Battery (Wh) | 72 | 72 | 75 | 80 | 90 | 66 |
Verdict
So, should you buy the LG gram 14Z90S-V? If you travel constantly and every gram in your bag matters, this is one of the best ultraportables out there. The battery life is great, and it has enough power for office work. But for most people, it's a harder sell. The low reliability score is concerning, and the integrated graphics and average screen don't justify the high price for many. I'd only recommend it to the specific user who answers 'yes' to this question: Is being as light as humanly possible more important to you than getting the best performance or features for your money?