The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with its M1 chip excels in battery life and offers solid performance for general use with a high-quality keyboard and speakers. Its light and silent design make it highly portable, though its screen is smaller than the LG Gram 17, which might be less ideal for detailed work. On the other hand, the LG Gram 17 has a larger screen and higher storage and RAM capacity, which can be particularly useful for engineering tasks and intense multitasking. However, the LG Gram 17 has a shorter battery life and is less portable than the MacBook Pro due to its larger size. Choose the MacBook Pro for portability and battery life or the LG Gram for a larger screen and better multitasking capabilities. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the LG Gram 17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
491.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
20.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The LG Gram 17 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is seen as good for general use due to its balance of portability, long battery life, and silent operation with a high-quality screen, although its CPU and RAM are less powerful than those in the LG Gram 17. In contrast, the LG Gram 17 offers more power and a larger, high-quality screen which contributes to its very good rating for general use, but it is slightly less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.0/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The LG Gram 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with its high-quality screen, solid build, and Apple's M1 chip delivers strong performance for engineering and design, but with less RAM it may be less suited for very intense tasks compared to the LG Gram 17, which offers a larger high-resolution display and more RAM, aiding multitasking and detailed work, though it is slightly less portable due to its larger size.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Gram 17 is very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the LG Gram 17 for general use, AI, and engineering and design, while the LG Gram 17 has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
The MacBook Pro 13 (2020) excels in screen quality for general use and engineering with its high-resolution Retina display that offers vivid colors and excellent brightness, but it lags for 3D applications due to a standard refresh rate. The LG Gram 17 provides a larger, high-resolution screen that's ideal for general use and detail-oriented tasks like engineering, as well as offering a good color range, but its standard refresh rate limits its appeal for gaming and 3D work. For those wanting to engage in 3D modeling or gaming, neither laptop is ideal since they lack the high refresh rates critical for smooth visuals in these scenarios.
Battery
20.0 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The LG Gram 17 has 11 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
13.3in
SIZE
17.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has very good portability, while the LG Gram 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the LG Gram 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$1,699
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the LG Gram 17 costs $1,699.
The LG Gram 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)'s fair performance in 3D tasks can be attributed to its integrated Apple M1 GPU, which while efficient, isn't as powerful as dedicated gaming GPUs, and its standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz. On the other hand, the LG Gram 17, with its Intel Iris Xe graphics, shows better suitability for gaming and 3D because the integrated GPU is robust for integrated graphics, and its large screen provides a more immersive experience, though both are still limited by the 60Hz refresh rate common to non-gaming laptops; additionally, the availability of gaming titles is more restricted on Apple's macOS.
Software Development
7.8/10
8.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Gram 17 to be very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the LG Gram 17 compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"The LG Gram 17 is a light office laptop with a large display and great battery life. The newest incarnation of the Gram 17 can be classified as a model update. LG uses the predecessor's compact, light magnesium case along with an identical port configuration (including 2x Thunderbolt 4) and keyboard. Changes can be found in the hardware. With the Gram 17 (2022), LG offers a light (approx. 1,350 g), mobile work device - and finally with a matte display."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the LG Gram 17
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
About LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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