New 998-gram LG Gram SuperSlim laptop lives up to its name

Now confirmed for an Australian release, the LG Gram SuperSlim looks to shake up the ultra-portable laptop space with a 15-inch model that weighs just 998 grams.

It’s already put Apple’s claim of having the world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop to the sword, with a 10.99mm depth when closed. Compared to the new MacBook’s 11.5mm thickness, it’s splitting hairs, but more importantly, reflects an industry-wide trend of highly portable laptops beyond the traditional 13-inch form factor.

First shown at CES 2023, the LG Gram SuperSlim (referred to at the time as the “Ultraslim”) uses self-lit OLED display technology, which also puts it up against Asus’ new OLED laptops. It’s a laptop designed for people who want a mixture of mobility and power while out and about.

LG Gram SuperSlim is indeed slim

OLED is synonymous with LG, with the brand pioneering the display technology across TVs for 10 years now, so it’s no surprise to see the trend filter down into laptops. LG’s Gram SuperSlim wields a 15.6-inch OLED panel along with many of the expected certifications, including a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut and VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black for starters. Add in LG’s Anti-glare Low Reflection (AGLR) coating and you’ve got a recipe for a laptop that should produce good contrast and colours.

Really, the only downside of the SuperSlim’s display is that it’s only Full HD (1920 x 1080) and has a 60Hz refresh rate. To be fair, this is fine for most users, as it’s not a device for high-end gaming or anything requiring a smoother 120Hz display.

Otherwise, the laptop’s specs look pretty stock-standard as far as ultra-portable laptops go. Under the hood, it uses a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1360P 12-core CPU and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Unfortunately, the Gram SuperSlim doesn’t have any USB-A ports, unlike the similarly petite Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED. It’s annoying for those of us who still use older wired peripherals, but there are three USB-C ports plus Bluetooth 5.1 for more modern devices.

Oddly, despite announcing that its new laptop is out next month, LG hasn’t provided a local price for the Gram SuperSlim. Overseas, the equivalent model sells for US$1,699 which is roughly $2,500 thanks to the weak Aussie dollar. If you register your interest by 18 June, you’ll get a 20% pre-order discount. Based on specs alone, it should be cheaper than the $3000+ Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 laptop, considering the Yoga has a higher resolution screen with a faster refresh rate plus a larger battery.

It’s a sleek-looking device that competes reasonably well alongside other ultra-portable laptops on paper. However, it’s tricky to get a full handle on the target market until we know its price.