LG is breaking new ground with a set of devices, specifically the company's debut of LG Gram laptops in the United States. The LG Gram comes in 13- and 14-inch variations.
The big attraction is that these laptops are light in weight at 2.16 pounds. That puts them in direct competition with the lightweight Chromebooks, but the LG Gram laptops use Windows 10 as the operating system instead of Chrome OS. Unfortunately, it's an expensive device with the 13-inch version starting at $899.99.
| LG Gram | 13-inch (13Z950-A.AA3WU1) | 14-inch (14Z950-A.AA3GU1) | 14-inch (14Z950-A.AA4GU1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 13.3 inches (1920 x 1080) | 14 inches (1920 x 1080) | 14 inches (1920 x 1080) |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-5200U(2.2 GHz, 2.7 GHz Turbo) | Intel Core i5-5200U(2.2 GHz, 2.7 GHz Turbo) | Intel i7-5500U(2.4 GHz, 3.0 GHz Turbo) |
| RAM | 8 GB x 1, DDR3L (1600 MHz) | 8 GB x 1, DDR3L (1600 MHz) | 8 GB x 1, DDR3L (1600 MHz) |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 5500 | Intel HD Graphics 5500 | Intel HD Graphics 5500 |
| Storage | 128 GB SSD | 128 GB SSD | 256 GB SSD |
| I/O | - HDMI- USB 3.0 x 2- Micro-SD/SDXC card slot- Audio jack- 1.3 megapixel HD webcam | - HDMI- USB 3.0 x 2 - Micro-SD/SDXC card slot - Audio jack - 1.3 megapixel HD webcam | - HDMI- USB 3.0 x 2 - Micro-SD/SDXC card slot - Audio jack - 1.3 megapixel HD webcam |
| Connectivity | - 802.11 agn/ac Wi-Fi - Ethernet - Bluetooth 4.0 (low energy) | - 802.11 agn/ac Wi-Fi - Ethernet - Bluetooth 4.0 (low energy) | - 802.11 agn/ac Wi-Fi - Ethernet - Bluetooth 4.0 (low energy) |
| Dimensions | 11.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 in (WHD) 2.16 lbs | 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.5 in (WHD) 2.16 lbs | 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.5 in (WHD) 2.16 lbs |
| Battery | up to 7.5 hours | up to 7.5 hours | up to 7.5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home |
| Price | $899.99 | $999.99 | $1,399.99 |
Earlier this month, our own Seth Colaner wrote about the start of the market war between Chromebooks and Windows devices and the rise of cheap Windows notebooks. Companies like Acer, HP and Lenovo make both Chromebooks and Windows notebooks. The hope is that consumers will want to buy a cheap notebook with Microsoft's new operating system. However, these are low-powered laptops, and the performance of Windows 10 will not be the same as the operating system on a more powerful desktop.
LG, on the other hand, didn't skimp on power with its Intel Core i5-5200U, which will make users happy when it comes to performance with Windows 10. However, power comes with price, as MacBook Air users know all too well (the 11-inch MacBook Air starts at $899). If anything, LG is bypassing the other cheap Windows notebook companies and going straight for Apple, with the hope that its first laptop offerings add more attractive options in the high-price range.
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