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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a lightweight and more affordable laptop with decent performance for everyday use and long battery life, the LG Gram 16 is ideal. However, if you need high performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, and are okay with a heavier laptop and higher price, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 with its dedicated graphics is better suited for you, albeit with shorter battery life. 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 LG Gram 16
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
347.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the LG Gram 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.4
7.7
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the LG Gram 16 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 outperforms the LG Gram 16 in gaming and 3D tasks primarily because it is equipped with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 120Hz, compared to LG Gram 16's integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and 60Hz refresh rate. Additionally, the superior graphics card in the Surface Laptop Studio 2 enables features like hardware ray tracing, which enhances visual fidelity, making it a better choice for more graphics-intensive activities.
Engineering and Design
7.5
8.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the LG Gram 16 is good.
The LG Gram 16 is praised for its portability and silent operation, suitable for engineering and design with its capable CPU and integrated graphics, good screen, and ample RAM. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 steps up with a more powerful CPU, superior dedicated GPU, and higher screen quality which enhances its suitability for more intensive engineering and design tasks, but it's less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.8
8.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the LG Gram 16 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
7.3
7.9
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
347.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the LG Gram 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The LG Gram 16 offers high-resolution and bright display enhancing visibility and detail, making it comfortable for reading and web browsing, which suits general use. For engineering and design, its wider color gamut provides accurate color representation crucial for detailed design work. However, its lower refresh rate may result in less smooth visuals, making it less ideal for fast-paced gaming and 3D applications where high refresh rates are essential for fluid motion.
Battery
15.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The LG Gram 16 has 15 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 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
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The LG Gram 16 has very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the LG Gram 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,450
$2,900
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The LG Gram 16 has a price of $1,450 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $2,900.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.9
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for software development, while the LG Gram 16 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 LG Gram 16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Gram 16 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,450 | $2,900 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2022 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.5'' x 0.66'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.64 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.96" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.53" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1260P | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 347 nits | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
LG Gram 16
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | January 2023
"The LG Gram 16 is a lightweight device with stability issues. The LG Gram 16Z90Q with a Core i7-1260P is made with portability in mind and places less of a focus on users with high demands on performance. The compact and light chassis is particularly practical when you are on the go. The device is not only comfortably small and lightweight, it also boasts a great battery life. When connected to mains, on the other hand, the 16-inch device is rather disappointing. The standard cooling mode causes extreme volatility in terms of CPU, SSD and iGPU performance. The meager stability of the chassis may also put off some potential buyers."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the LG Gram 16 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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