LG Gram 16Z90P 2021, Core i7-1165G7, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Black

The LG Gram 16Z90P pairs an 85th percentile screen and a featherlight 1.19kg body with a 14th percentile GPU and a cramped 256GB SSD. It's a travel dream and a performance letdown. Buy it for the portability and battery, not for the specs.

Let's talk about that Core i7-1165G7. It's a 4-core, 2.8GHz chip from Intel's 11th generation, and in our database it lands at the 35th percentile for CPU performance. That's not great. For everyday tasks like browsing, email, and document work, it's perfectly fine. But the moment you try to do anything demanding, like video editing or heavy multitasking, you'll feel the ceiling. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are even more limiting, sitting at the 14th percentile for GPU performance. This is not a machine for gaming or GPU-accelerated workloads, period.

The 16GB of LPDDR4X running at 4266MHz is a decent spec, and it helps keep things snappy for memory-intensive tasks like having 40 browser tabs open. But the 256GB SSD is a real bottleneck. It's fast, sure, being an NVMe drive, but the capacity is tiny by modern standards. You'll be juggling external drives or cloud storage before you know it. The Thunderbolt 4 ports help here, since you can hook up fast external storage, but it's an extra expense and hassle you shouldn't have to deal with at this price point.

Stacked against the current competition, the Gram 16Z90P has a clear identity but some serious gaps. The Apple MacBook Pro M5 absolutely demolishes it in CPU and GPU performance, and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus GA403UM-G14.R9HX4 is in a completely different league for graphics work. Even the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition offers a more modern processor and better overall balance. Where the Gram wins is portability and screen real estate per gram. The Lenovo Legion 5i 83F00008US is heavier and bulkier, but it crushes the Gram in gaming and raw performance. The MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG-285US is similarly a performance monster, but it's a desktop replacement, not a travel companion. If you need a big, beautiful screen in the lightest possible body, the Gram is unique. If you need actual performance, every single one of these competitors beats it.

Pricing on this Gram is all over the place. We're seeing listings from USD 799 up to USD 1,292, a spread of USD 493 depending on the vendor and condition. The used like-new option on Newegg is the one to watch, since you're getting essentially the same hardware for potentially hundreds less. At the lower end of that range, this laptop makes a lot more sense. You're getting a gorgeous 16-inch display, incredible portability, and all-day battery for under USD 800. At the top end, though, you're paying over USD 1,200 for a 2021 CPU and integrated graphics, which is a tough sell when newer machines with far better performance exist in that price bracket. If you can snag it near the USD 799 mark, the value proposition flips from questionable to genuinely compelling.

The LG Gram 16Z90P is a weird mix of extremes. You get a 16-inch 2560x1600 display that lands in the 85th percentile for screen quality, all wrapped in a 1.19kg chassis that feels almost impossibly light. The 80Wh battery is also a genuine standout, and LG's claims of all-day use aren't just marketing fluff. But then you look at the internals and realize this thing is running an Intel Core i7-1165G7 from 2021, paired with integrated Iris Xe graphics that sit in the 14th percentile for GPU performance. It's a laptop that wants to be a premium ultrabook, but the silicon inside is showing its age.

The storage situation is another head-scratcher. A 256GB NVMe SSD puts this machine in the 25th percentile for storage capacity, which is rough for a laptop marketed toward content creation and editing. The 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM is fine, sitting right around the middle of the pack at the 48th percentile. But when you're paying premium ultrabook money, you expect premium ultrabook specs across the board. This Gram delivers on portability and screen, but stumbles hard on the performance side.

Skip this if you need any real graphical horsepower. The 14th percentile GPU ranking means video editing, 3D work, or gaming will be a frustrating experience. Also skip it if you store a lot of files locally, since the 256GB SSD is in the 25th percentile for capacity and will fill up fast. And if reliability is a top concern, the 10th percentile reliability score is a red flag worth taking seriously. This is a laptop for people who prioritize weight and screen quality above everything else. If you need performance per dollar, look at the Lenovo Legion 5i or ASUS ROG Zephyrus instead.

The LG Gram 16Z90P is a niche machine that nails its niche. If your priority is a large, high-quality display in an ultra-light body with battery life that just won't quit, this is one of the best options out there. The 85th percentile screen and 1.19kg weight are genuinely impressive. But the 14th percentile GPU and 35th percentile CPU mean this is not a performance laptop, no matter what the marketing says. The 256GB SSD is also a real limitation for a machine pitched at content creators. At the right price, especially the lower end of that USD 799 to USD 1,292 range, it's a solid buy for travelers and office workers. At full price, you're paying a premium for portability while sacrificing a lot of horsepower.