This laptop went on sale around June 2023, and by August some reviews were already online. So I've had my eye on it for a year and still couldn't bring myself to buy it. It's really too expensive—at ¥14,000, it's practically robbery.
Recently I gave away my Steam Deck and started wondering whether to get a device that could handle light gaming, was portable, and wouldn't be too ugly to pull out on the subway or high-speed rail for a quick card game without looking out of place. My first pick was an ARM-powered Surface, but the more I looked, the more the budget crept up. At that point, I figured I might as well go for my dream machine.
Here's the official product page: LG gram Style 16” OLED Laptop - 16Z90RS-K.ADW8U1 | LG USA
I can't take good photos myself, so I grabbed a few from the official site's comment section. That shimmering effect really looks fake—so soft and dreamy, and even prettier in person.
Lid
Lid
Open view
Open view
Mood
None of that hides its true nature as a piece of junk.
First, its theoretical core clocks are higher than the i7-12700H's, but it's still slower at compiling than my ThinkPad with an i7-12700H.
It also has no discrete GPU. The i7-1360P's garbage iGPU has the same theoretical specs as the i7-12700H's, but I don't know if it was power-capped or what—even RichMan 10 is choppy, the framerate is all over the place, and the iGPU is already pegged at 100% (3D).
The i7-1360P seems to be a low-power CPU, and LG may have power-limited it further to achieve extreme lightness and incredible battery life.
So what's the point of cramming 32GB of RAM into it? With this CPU/GPU performance, I never find myself needing that much memory.
Maybe it was designed precisely to prove the saying "productivity before purchase, iQIYI after purchase." The whole machine is only 1.1kg, and in my own use it gets 6 hours of battery life just for video. With an excellent screen and excellent speakers, it's an absolute binge-watching machine. But why not just use a tablet for that? After giving away my Steam Deck, the tablet also took over that niche on my subway rides—Peglin is really fun.
Right now this laptop is just a pretty ornament. I only use it on the very rare occasion when I'm writing documents lying down. Maybe it would suit someone who does pure document work. Wait—you might say, at this price, why not just buy a Mac for document work? It really is a beautiful piece of junk.
PS: After giving away the Steam Deck, I realized Gaben has truly nailed the portable Windows handheld niche. A dual-boot Deck is a real entertainment beast.
PPS: I've now given it to my mom.