If you prioritize a lower price and don't require high performance, the Gateway 14.1" offers basic functionality for general tasks. However, if you need stronger performance for tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering software, the LG Ultra 16 is significantly better equipped. The LG also provides a larger screen and improved battery life, desirable for productivity and multimedia use, but its higher price reflects these enhancements. The Gateway, being lighter, could be more convenient for travel, but its performance and screen are less suited for intensive tasks. 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 Gateway 14.1"
Very good portability
Advantages of the LG Ultra 16
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Excellent battery life
Good speakers
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
208.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The LG Ultra 16 is good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The LG Ultra 16 outperforms the Gateway 14.1" in general use due to its more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and four times the memory, which ensure smoother multitasking and faster performance. Additionally, the LG's superior screen resolution, battery life, and build quality make it better suited for a range of everyday tasks, despite being slightly heavier and less portable than the Gateway model.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
6.2/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The LG Ultra 16 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
7.0/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The LG Ultra 16 is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" laptop, with its Intel Celeron processor, basic integrated graphics, and limited RAM, struggles to keep up with the demands of engineering and design tasks, which typically require more power and faster processing capabilities.
Content Creation
5.8/10
7.7/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Ultra 16 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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.
Software Development
5.8/10
7.5/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The LG Ultra 16 is good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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.
Screen Quality
6.0/10
6.2/10
14.1in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
208.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
The LG Ultra 16 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, a laptop with a fair screen quality like the Gateway 14.1" or LG Ultra 16 means they probably have adequate resolution and brightness, but may not stand out in terms of vividness or clarity, providing comfortable viewing for daily tasks but not the highest detail. In engineering and design, where color accuracy is crucial, these two laptops' fair screen quality suggests they deliver sufficient coverage of color gamuts for moderate professional work, but may not satisfy the most color-critical tasks. For gaming and 3D, the poor screen quality on both indicates that they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for smooth motion, and possibly fall short in resolution and panel quality, detracting from an immersive gaming experience.
Battery
8.0 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Gateway 14.1" has 8 hours of battery life. The LG Ultra 16 has 17 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.
Build Quality
5.1/10
6.5/10
The LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$99
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gateway 14.1" has a price of $99 and the LG Ultra 16 costs $1,000.
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 14.1" or the LG Ultra 16
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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