LG is known to be a tech manufacturer of home appliances and mobile devices like smartphones. However, a little-known fact, particularly among consumers in the United States, is the company also has many flagship products under its laptop and tablet lineups.
All that is about to change, as South Korea-based LG is hoping to enter the U.S. laptop market, and with an ultralight workhorse, no less. According to industry observer CNET, LG hopes to capture a slice of an already-saturated laptop market with a MacBook alternative, the company's Gram laptop lineup.
The lineup is so named because one of the main selling points of the LG Gram is akin to the MacBook – the minimalist design, feel, and construction. It is portable and feels light to the touch and weighs about the same as the newer Apple laptop iterations.
However, although the Gram can be considered an ultralight device, the moniker is just for the weight, dimensions, and design. The specs sheet of the Gram reads like a heavyweight.
LG will be introducing three versions of the Gram in the U.S., a 13-inch variant and two 14-inchers with Intel Core i5 and Core i7 chipsets plus IPS displays and full HD resolutions. The most premium specs would be for the 14-inch with a fifth-gen Intel Core i7 and 8 GB of RAM, with a massive 256-GB SSD flash drive storage. This iteration will be priced $1,399. at least $100 less than the newer 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Meanwhile, the specs sheet for the basic LG Gram 13 reads like it is a mid- to above-average workhorse. Users who favor smaller screens will have a 13.3-inch IPS full HD display, with an Intel Core i5 processor and a massive 8 GB of RAM, plus 128 GB SSD storage, which can still be expanded via microSD/SDXC cards. This version will sell for $890.
