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I think of my notebook computer as a lumberjack thinks of their chainsaw - a tool I use daily with every aspect of it becoming important over time. Some would say Im a bit obsessive, but I believe something I use for nearly 12 hours a day, whether productive work or entertainment, is worth the extra effort. I pre-ordered this latest version of the LG gram and Ive used it hard ever since it arrived. For me, it replaced a top-of-the-line $3,000 Razer Blade 14". Prior to that I had a $2,700 Macbook Pro with bootcamp. In 35 years of using computers, this is the first review Ive ever written for a notebook computer. Key Considerations: 1. Very Fast - boot-up, sign-in, program loading are all faster than any other notebook computer. Im not the most patient person so speed is key to me. 2. Thin/Light - Im amazed at how handy it is that this computer is radically light and thin. 3. Battery - The battery life is so good its not a worry, ill use it for a couple hours and its down mabye 10% or so. 4. Screen/Keyboard - These are both excellent. While 1080p resolution doesnt sound impressive, it is a perfect fit for this size computer and Im a guy who loves huge curved monitors. Some people think more pixels is important for a 15.6" screen but in this case it is a matter of less is more - by going 1080 the computer is more snappy and drains less power and saves some money. I never used the reader mode before but I love it now - I have no idea how I made it when I let me screen blast my eyes with too much blue light! Put this computer on reader mode next to any other computer with any other screen and youd likely never turn off reader mode (thats whats happended to me). Backlight for keyboard comes in handy and keyboard is great for typing. Numeric pad is good and fits well with the computer layout - nothing is wasted. Surprises: 1. Im shocked by how fast the fingerprint scan is - 1/2 a second login to Windows at a touch, you cant live without this feature once you experience it. The IT expert at our company had to change some settings so I can use it versus typing in a password - it is surprising to me how fast fingerprint scan works for login. 2. Every once in awhile Ill barely hear the fan turn on, the strange thing is the barely audible fan turns on when it doesnt seem like Im taxing the system. The computer has never really been hot, even when playing games. 3. Speed. Seems like LG just found a way to make the components work better together. Programs load faster than any other notebook (and my day job is at a company that resells computers for high-end simulators, so Ive been using fast SSDs for years). 4. Feel. This is so light that you might fear it could easily break. Ive had zero problems with it but if youre the type of person who often drops a computer from 5 feet onto the ground, this is probably not the computer for you. LG says it meets a military standard - which is impressive in such a lightweight chassis. Since I carry this computer from home-to-work-to-home-to-airport-to-hotel-etc... I love how lightweight it is, plus even the AC adapter is lightweight. Fewer back problems. 2.5 lbs. is surprisingly much lighter than 4 lbs. for a computer. Price/Performance: Just outstanding. I gave up a $3,000 Razer notebook to get this $2,000 LG and am very happy. 1 TB SSD and 2 slots is very smart. Other Thoughts: This computer has the ability to charge to 80%, instead of 100%, which I engaged as soon as I first booted it up and which means the effectiveness of the battery will do better into the future (same principle for Telsa vehicles where you arent to charge them to 100%). System/Battery combo is so good 80% charge is perfectly fine. The lack of bloatware is highly appreciated. The ability to use the computers USB-C to fast charge my Google Pixel phone (USB-C) can come in handy. Also, Im able to have one charger for both the computer and phone via USB-C. Notebooks Wifi has been rock solid. I didnt expect much from the speaker audio (I use headphones or bluetooth speaker if i need audio usually) but it is perhaps the #1 or #2 notebook Ive ever owned for quality audio. Ive tested it with some Steam games and it has performed very good - another reason I appreciate the 1080p resolution screen and with Thunderbolt 3 built in, there is the potential of external enhancements because thunderbolt 3 is like having a central line to the backbone of the computer, helping to future proof this model. Update: 5/1/18 Ive had no problems with durability despite heavy use and considerable travel. I just completed some video editing (using Adobe Premiere Pro CC, latest version) and was shocked how well it worked. Previously I used a high-end desktop with 1080 Ti graphic card but I could barely tell a difference between the two of them. There is one problem, when you engage or disengage the trackpad the indicator light is stuck in the on position regardless, but the function actually does work fine just the indicator light is pretty useless. I also added small white dots (used white-out) to help me quickly align and plug in cables since this unit travels between work and home. Update: 9/23/18 LG is still going strong, zero issue with durability. Just bought a Sager 15.6 notebook and Ill do an amazon review on it - but the sager is impressive for performance demanding work or games! If thin and lightweight (while having solid performance) is important to you, this LG gram is tough to beat, you just have to accept that it can be durable even though it weighs almost nothing. Normally this is the time period when Ive had plastic-based Dell notebooks start to have hinge problems but no problems with the LG gram despite daily travel and 12 hours of use per day (plugged into power usually). Update: 11/26/18 Durability is still solid. However, today I had three times where the notebook screen went totally black for about 2 seconds and then came back, but the computer continued as if nothing happened (no reboot occurred nor was a reboot needed). Today was the worse but it has happened before, maybe once every two days. However, I usually have this computer connected to a monitor so it might be a bigger problem for someone not using an external monitor. Update: 6/25/2019 The blank screen issue seems to be less, though Im usually working with it connected to a 4k monitor. Still using it 12 hr. per day and the durability of this thing continues to impress, despite the feather-weight status. Not a single "blue screen of death" despite over 7,000 hours of operation plus over 100,000 of airline miles! I might someday upgrade to the latest LG 17 gram.
