The LG Gram line of laptops is entering new territory in 2018. The new models are still thin and light laptops but LG is introducing its first convertible tablet-style model, as well as the first LG Gram laptop with a 17 inch display.

LG hasn’t officially announced the new laptops yet, but a reliable source sent us a few pictures that give us an idea of what to expect.

Update: We have more details about the new LG Gram 2-in-1 convertible and LG Gram 17 laptops. See below for more details. 

LG Gram 2-in-1

I have the most details about the new convertible, which will be branded as the LG Gram 2-in-1. It’s a 2.6 pound laptop with a 14 inch touchscreen display, a 360-degree hinge that lets you use the computer in laptop, tablet, tent, or stand modes, and support digital pen input.

The 14 inch laptop features two USB Type-A ports, a USB-C port, an HDMI port and headset jack, a microSD card reader, and a power button on the side of the computer, where it’s easier to hit whether you’re using the LG Gram in laptop or tablet mode.

There’s also a separate port for a power adapter — no USB-C charging for you.

Fewer details are available for the new 15.6 inch and 17 inch models. I can tell you that both laptops have numeric keypads, and neither seems to have a convertible design.

LG Gram (17 inch)

Logically it would make sense for the larger laptops to weigh more than the 14 inch model… but I wouldn’t necessarily bet on that.

At 2.6 pounds, the new 14 inch LG Gram 2-in-1 would already be one of the heaviest Gram notebooks to date.

The original LG Gram laptops got their name from their weight — whether you bought a model with a 13.3 inch, 14 inch, or 15.6 inch display you got a laptop that weighed about one kilogram (2.2 pounds). The 15.6 inch model I reviewed earlier this year was only a little heavier: it weighed in at a whopping 1.1kg (2.4 pounds).

LG Gram (15 inch)

So odds are that the new laptops will weigh around a kilogram, give or take a few hundred grams… unless  LG takes a page out of Lenovo’s book and starts to treat the word “Gram” as meaningless branding (Lenovo recently launched its first “Yoga” laptop that’s not a convertible).

There’s no word about the price or specs for any of these new laptops, but I suspect we’ll hear more about the 2018 LG Gram sometime between today and the start of the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Update: The LG Gram 17 is a 2.95 pound laptop with a body the size of a typical 15.6 inch notebook, and a model with an Intel Core i7 Whiskey Lake processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage is expected to sell for $1700.

The LG Gram 2-in-1, meanwhile, is a 2.5 pound convertible laptop with a full HD touchscreen display, a 360-degree hinge, and a Wacom AES 2.0 pen. A model with a Core i7 Whiskey Lake processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage will cost about $1500. 

Upon closer inspection, I think it’s possible that the 15.6 inch model mentioned above is either the existing LG Gram 15Z980 that’s already available for purchase, or a modest upgrade. 

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9 replies on “Exclusive: LG Gram 2019 laptops include 14 inch convertible, 17 inch thin-and-light”

  1. This is actually quite light for a convertible. I noticed that when compare a non-touch and a touch version of a laptop (otherwise both exactly the same, e.g. Elitebook has these options to choose from), the touch version is >100 grams heavier (this is for the touchscreen / digitizer). And hinges & body of a convertible are probably also a bit heavier compared to a standard laptop, maybe an extra 50 grams? So a 14 inch convertible weighting 1.18 kg is still quite a feat. Heck this might even be light enough to use it as a tablet for not too long, having the potential to replace something like an 12.5 Ipad Pro or Surface Pro as a bonus.

  2. Logic time. If nobody wants, nobody builds, and nobody is demanding Windows tablets, then who actually gives a shit about a 2-in-1? Is it because the Windows tablet demand is being filled by these 2-in-1 monstrosities? Or is it just more likely that nobody did, and nobody currently wants one. Desperate times call for desperate measures. When times are desperate, people will try anything. I’m not knocking Brad for covering this subject of 2-in-1 laptops. Like manufacturers, covering tech news means you need to talk about all things, sometimes regardless of how super fantastic (or not) the technology really is and regardless if people will be lining up to buy it.

  3. I would think if it’s anything like the existing Gram laptops, the USB-C port can also be used for charging (as an alternative to the DC port). Though, I’d rather they do away with the DC port entirely and just go with two USB-C ports.

    Also, it looks like Best Buy has a listing for the 17 incher up already?! 2.95 pounds.

    1. The convertible is also listed at Bestbuy. 2.53 lbs (1148g), slightly less than the similarly specced Lenovo Yoga 730 (2.62 lbs, 1190 g). Still no thunderbolt.

      I hope they also bring a lighter non-convertible.

  4. Wow that keyboard’s number pad is really odd. I’m no stranger to alternative keyboard layouts (I build keyboards with very odd layouts), but this one doesn’t even try to appeal.

    When you design a keyboard with a reduced size, you can do one of 2 things: You can either try to keep design elements that keep traditional logic (make them as familiar as possible to traditional keyboards), or you can take the opportunity to improve functionality with an innovative layout.

    That numberpad does neither. It has every button in an unconventional location, and none of it seems like an ergonomic improvement.

    Here is a keyboard I built recently with a numberpad similar to that one. https://i.imgur.com/WFjsQNY.jpg The top row is the traditional order, but I moved the Plus key lower. No enter key, because why have 2 enter keys so close to eachother?

    1. What irks me the most, is that I don’t use the Right-Shift key that often (and really most people don’t)…. yet companies insist on making it large. This robs the opportunity to have a full-size arrow keys, because at half-height they’re a disaster to use.

      Maybe the Right-Alt key should be axed, just like they axed the Scroll-Lock key?

      1. I agree. I never touch the right-side Shift, Control, Alt, or Windows key. There are many keys that can be removed to save space.

        I also never touch the left side of the space bar. I only ever press it with my right thumb, and it hit it directly beneath the N and M keys.

        All the custom keyboards I’ve made have had these things in mind, and I find better use for those spots.

        Here is my dream laptop keyboard layout: https://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/652821aa96056a0d9c1f2bb54f0b547f

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