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00:00Hey, how's it going? Dave2D here. So this is the 2018 LG Gram, and this is a device that gets updated pretty frequently.
00:11The last update was in, like, December of 2017. Three months later, we have another update.
00:16But this particular update has been one of the more substantial ones. It's actually changed quite a bit of the hardware.
00:21Now, this one is the 15-inch LG Gram, and I actually think this is one of the more unique laptops that LG makes
00:26because they're sticking the U processor into a large-screened chassis, which I actually think is really useful for a lot of people.
00:32People that just want, like, a bigger screen without paying for really expensive processors, this is a really good choice for them.
00:37So, they've made some nice changes, but there's actually a problem with this laptop that other reviewers don't seem to be talking about.
00:43We'll get there, but first I'm going to go through some stuff that hasn't changed.
00:46So, the chassis, I think this is pretty much the exact same chassis as the previous generation,
00:51but it now has the new MIL-STD-810G, and it looks like serious business, right?
00:55There's a green shield, and it just makes you feel like there's a degree of durability that this laptop has.
01:00And it does, but I just don't think that particular specification is very stringent.
01:04Like, there's a lot of products out there that can get that certification because it's not that hard.
01:09Not to say that this isn't a well-built laptop. It is, considering its weight.
01:12But keep in mind that its main advantage is that it's a really lightweight laptop.
01:16And every time I pick this thing up, it feels impossibly light, especially for something with a 15-inch screen.
01:20But they have to use weaker materials to reach that weight.
01:23Okay, something I've always disliked about the LG Gram is just how difficult it is to get into this laptop.
01:28It's the removal of eight screws, but you've got to remove a bunch of feet, like rubber feet,
01:32that don't easily go back on because it's using double-sided tape.
01:35And it's like there's just a lot of stuff you have to do to get into this laptop.
01:39It's possible, but you have to be careful not to break any of the tabs.
01:42Now, once you're inside, you'll see that the speakers look like they've been upgraded.
01:45And they have, technically, but they sound pretty much exactly the same as the previous generation.
01:49A little bit louder, but the sound quality is still not good.
01:52I really wish they had properly upgraded the speakers, because there's room,
01:55there's plenty of room in there for some bigger or better speakers.
01:58But, yeah, we're stuck with some pretty weak speakers.
02:00The keyboard also hasn't changed. It's not a great keyboard or anything.
02:04It's decent, it's just not the best keyboard out there for an Ultrabook.
02:08It's got good spacing, backlighting, and a good layout,
02:11but I just find that the key mechanisms are a little bit softer than I'd like.
02:14Another thing that hasn't changed is the charging.
02:17So, this thing uses a barrel plug, and they include one, a barrel plug AC adapter.
02:21But I feel like at this price point, they should include a USB-C charger,
02:24because it does support USB-C charging.
02:26Now, the last thing that hasn't changed from the previous version is the screen.
02:30It's a good screen, 1080p touch panel, decent color accuracy.
02:34I wish it was brighter. It's not that it's dim, but in 2018,
02:37we're just seeing a lot more Ultrabooks coming out with brighter and better screens.
02:40This one's still good, but there are better displays at this price point.
02:44Okay, let's talk about things that have changed.
02:46The big one for me is the trackpad.
02:48So, it's always had a decent feeling surface with a good mechanism,
02:51but it now uses Windows Precision Drivers,
02:53so the tracking and the gestures are just a little bit more accurate.
02:56The webcam has been moved.
02:58So, it's always been on the bottom, like right along the hinge.
03:00It's now at the top of the panel, kind of like a more traditional spot.
03:03I don't think the image quality is amazing or anything,
03:05but it's a respectable webcam for people that need it.
03:08A nice little refresh they did was to change the location of the fingerprint sensor.
03:12It's now on the power button, not on the top of the trackpad anymore.
03:15It's, I think, a better location, but I don't think it makes a world of a difference.
03:18Um, okay.
03:20The biggest change, in my opinion, is the inclusion of a Thunderbolt 3 port.
03:25So, now this thing supports Thunderbolt 3,
03:27but the weird thing is they didn't change, like, the printing on the side of the device.
03:32Like, it doesn't have the Thunderbolt symbol on it.
03:34It's just your regular USB-C symbol,
03:35and instead they've stuck a Thunderbolt 3 sticker on the top of the keyboard.
03:39Uh, the other thing they've changed inside is they've added a bigger battery.
03:42So, this thing now has a 72-watt-hour battery,
03:44which is pretty large for an Ultrabook,
03:46and I'm able to get around 8.5 or 9 hours of battery life on a single charge.
03:49That's with a screen at 250 nits.
03:51Now, if you're wondering why the battery life isn't longer,
03:53considering how big the battery is,
03:55it's simply because it's a bigger screen.
03:5615-inch screen needs more juice to run.
03:59Their claims of 16.5 hours on their website uses a pretty unrealistic benchmark,
04:03so take that number with a grain of salt.
04:06Okay, let's talk about performance,
04:07and I think this is where this laptop has maybe an issue,
04:10depending on what you use this thing for.
04:12So, this is a device that uses an 8th-gen U processor,
04:15and if you're doing regular stuff that you would on an Ultrabook,
04:18it's great.
04:19Good performance, great multi-core performance,
04:21it's a good laptop.
04:22The problem comes when you want to play games on this thing,
04:24so the default card isn't very good.
04:26It's a UHD 620, it's not great for playing games, so whatever.
04:30But because this thing has a Thunderbolt 3 port,
04:32I connected an external GPU to this thing,
04:34and the performance is disappointing.
04:37So this is the problem.
04:38This laptop was not designed for the CPU to run at full tilt for extended periods of times.
04:43When you plug an external GPU to this thing,
04:45you hope for some kick-ass performance,
04:46but I got some serious throttling,
04:48to the point where it just was unusable as a gaming setup.
04:51The problem is the single fan.
04:53It's fine for an Ultrabook doing Ultrabook things,
04:55but it's not if you're going to be using the Thunderbolt 3 port.
04:58So if you look at other devices,
04:59like the Razer Blade Stealth, that has two fans.
05:01XPS 13, that has two fans.
05:03Even the HP Envy, which doesn't have great thermals, has two fans.
05:07Pretty much every Ultrabook that has a Thunderbolt 3 port,
05:09that can connect to an external GPU, has two fans.
05:12Because when you're playing games on a thermally choked CPU,
05:15it's terrible.
05:16And honestly, I feel like LG just got lazy.
05:18I feel like they slapped a Thunderbolt 3 port on this machine,
05:20just so they could say they had one,
05:22but they didn't spend the time to do it properly.
05:24They didn't improve the thermals,
05:25and it's a bit of a shame,
05:26because this thing's got a lot of good hardware,
05:28if the thermal solution was better.
05:30Like it's got 16 gigs of RAM,
05:31two NVMe drives,
05:32and it's got four lanes of PCIe support on that Thunderbolt 3 port.
05:35It's just not a great gaming setup,
05:38because of the thermal solution.
05:39So, depending on what you want to use this laptop for,
05:42if you want to use it just for like Ultrabook stuff,
05:44it's awesome.
05:45The fan is quiet, and the thermals are good.
05:47It's a great laptop for productivity.
05:48A little overpriced, but it's great.
05:50But if you're looking to pick this thing up,
05:52and connecting it to an external GPU,
05:54for playing games and stuff like that,
05:55this is not a great device for that.
05:57Okay, hope you guys enjoyed this video.
05:58Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it.
06:00See you guys next time.