LG Gram 14Z980 (i5-8250U) Laptop Review

[Redaktion]

The Gram 14 is a few hundred grams lighter than the XPS 13 while having a larger 14-inch display. In fact, it's one of the lightest Ultrabooks in its size class with an Intel Core U-series CPU. So, what's the catch?

https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-Gram-14Z980-i5-8250U-Laptop-Review.415652.0.html

[Marcos Truchado]

Hi

According to reddit and also comments on amazon's product webpage, the Z980 series comes with SATA ssd, indeed, but It also supports NVME as well, as opposite to that this article claims.

Could you please confirm?

[Stu]

There is a lot of unused space that could have probably been used for better speakers, another SODIMM slot or a better cooling system. 

[Jesse]

LG ruined what could have been a great laptop by using a glossy screen.  When will these people learn?

[Alex Alderson]

Hi

According to reddit and also comments on amazon's product webpage, the Z980 series comes with SATA ssd, indeed, but It also supports NVME as well, as opposite to that this article claims.

Could you please confirm?

I can confirm that the 14IZ980 does come with a SATA SSD but its primary M.2 2280 bay supports NVMe drives.

[NikoB]

This is a 4GB jiggle! The normal two-channel mode is possible only for two strips of 4GB each! No normal 16GB (8 + 8). What the hell, LG, have you done this? Why unsolder the poor 4GB when memory has already fallen in price to $45 for DDR4 2666 8GB?! W10 empty installation only requires under 2-2.5GB complete with drivers for OS! Remains 5.5-6Gb of RAM in two-channel mode, and then after 8GB+ begins continuous pornography! Why, why? And why a glossy screen instead of a matte?

You would at least unsolder 16GB (8 + 8) and a dot today!

[sticky]

All LG Gram models post 2016 have two NVMe, touchscreen and TB3 on 15"+ SKUs. Units with USB-C support PD up to 85W as well.

Touchpad is rather on the clicky side giving a loud "click", definitely would not describe it as being spongy or mushy.

Serviceability is some of the best in the industry, with access to upgradable RAM, 2x SSD, battery, touchpad and pretty much everything down to the cooling assembly, except for Wi-Fi card.

Gorilla Glass is rarely included in any other clamshell laptops and Gram 2-in-1 actually uses GG5 for extra protection.

Speakers get much better with bundled DTS and Conexant software, although still subpar.

In my region, Gram is configurable with matte anti-glare screen protector and LG's 65W USB-C charger called "PD Boy", so glossy screen and proprietary charging are not any issues.

Gram 14's shortcomings relative to its competition are lack of TB3, high-res display and dGPU.
But it goes both ways. MateBook X Pro, Blade Stealth and Thinkpad T490s have it all but you won't get upgradable RAM, two SSD slots, real 10 hour battery life and ultra lightness.