Hands-On With the 17" LG Gram and a Look at Apple's Old 17" MacBook Pro

LG recently introduced a 17-inch ultralight laptop, which we thought would be interesting to take a look at in light of rumors suggesting Apple may be planning to introduce a 16 to 16.5-inch MacBook Pro in the future.

We compared the LG Gram to a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but we also thought it might be fun to take a look at Apple's old 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro at the same time, as it was the last larger-display notebook Apple released.


Priced at $1,700, the 17-inch LG Gram features a 2560 x 1600 display with a slim and light enclosure. It has a full keyboard and a decent-sized trackpad, with speakers built into the bottom of the device.

The bezels at the top and the sides are super slim, and bezel size reduction is one of the ways Apple could expand the size of its current MacBook Pro lineup without making the enclosure larger.

The 17-inch LG Gram weighs just under three pounds, making it a pound lighter than the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The LG Gram is an impressive demonstration of how far technology has come over the course of the last eight years, as compared to Apple's 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro, it's so much lighter, thinner, and sleeker.

Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro weighs a whopping 6.6 pounds, but back in the day, components were larger and Apple also packed an entire SuperDrive for CDs and DVDs inside. The elimination of large components like this is a major reason why notebook computers today are so much thinner than they were in the early 2010s. The larger size of components in 2011 is also the reason why Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro has so much more open space than the LG Gram around the trackpad.

The LG Gram offers three USB-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a micro SD card slot, an HDMI port, and a USB-C port, which is a better variety of ports than we're likely to get in a future MacBook Pro, even if it is larger. Apple has transitioned to all USB-C ports on its notebooks, which we don't expect will change.

Apple's MacBook Pro used a 1920 x 1200 panel, so while it's not quite as nice as the 2560 x 1600 display in the LG Gram, it's not too bad. The current 15-inch MacBook Pro uses a 2880 x 1800 display, and we expect Apple will use a similar pixel density expanded to the new 16 to 16.5-inch size.

We loved the larger size of the 17-inch LG Gram, and we're hoping those rumors of a 16 to 16.5-inch MacBook Pro are accurate. Apple probably isn't going to significantly increase the size of the MacBook Pro, but may instead cut down on bezel size to provide more available display area in a slim package. We wouldn't mind having a super large display in a bigger body, though.

What do you think of the 17-inch LG Gram? Are you hoping Apple releases a similar machine that's closer in size to its original 17-inch MacBook Pro? Let us know in the comments.

Tag: LG

Top Rated Comments

sumisu3 Avatar
53 months ago
One of my favorite commercials was for the 17

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gugy Avatar
53 months ago
17" MBP with matte screen and ports. Wow, we can only dream about it. Do it Apple!
As for the size, if Apple get rid of those large screen bezels the size would not be that much bigger than the current 15".
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheIguana Avatar
53 months ago
Looks like they got the keyboard right, I just want Apple to get rid of the god-awful butterfly keyboards and Touch Bar.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BuffaloTF Avatar
53 months ago
stop saying "we"... its I, me, you, your. The article's byline is an individual, not a group of people nor an indication of a collaborative effort.
Actually, it's 'we'... conveying a discussion took place amongst multiple people, or a group of say MacRumors editors. One person sitting down to write it does not impact this usage.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sawdustman Avatar
53 months ago
I still have a 17” which I use in my RV when traveling to Art Shows so for me it’s used primarily as a travel desktop. Would love to replace it with something similar. Been hoping for a new 17”.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
53 months ago
i still have the 17" mbp, it's my european backup)
it was an amazing computer when it came out. i still miss 3 usb ports...
but as technology is evolving i wouldn't get anything that big again. in fact i don't think i'd even get a 15" at this point. maybe it's the way i'm evolving. :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Leak Reveals Unified Volume Button and Mute Button

Monday March 20, 2023 8:33 am PDT by
As previously rumored, the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a unified volume button and a mute button, according to leaked CAD images shared in a video on the Chinese version of TikTok and posted to Twitter by ShrimpApplePro. Instead of separate buttons for volume up and volume down, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have a single elongated button for...
voice isolation

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:01 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today. Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa. Voice...
airpodsd 3 purple 4

iOS 16.4 Seemingly References New AirPods and AirPods Case

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:43 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 release candidate version that was provided to developers today appears to hint at a new set of AirPods that could be coming in the near future. According to @aaronp613, the beta features references to AirPods that have a model number of A3048 and an AirPods case with a model number of A2968. There have been no rumors that new AirPods are on the horizon, and it is early for...
maxresdefault

Nothing Launches $149 Ear (2) Wireless Earbuds to Compete With AirPods Pro 2

Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash. The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds Release Candidate Versions of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 to Developers [Update: Public RC Available]

Tuesday March 21, 2023 10:25 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the launch of the fourth betas. The RCs mark the final version of the software that will be provided to the public in the near future. Registered developers are able to download the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates...
apple park at night 1

Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer. Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Rumor Recap: 10 New Features and Changes to Expect

Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular. Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...