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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a lightweight and more affordable laptop with a larger screen, the LG Gram 17 could be a good option, though with moderate performance for general use. However, if performance, especially for 3D, machine learning, or engineering tasks, is critical, and you're okay with spending more, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers a powerful processor and dedicated graphics card. It also has a high-refresh-rate touch display which is smaller but of high quality. The trade-off is that the Surface is heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the LG Gram 17. 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 17
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5
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
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the LG Gram 17 is only fair.
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
8.0
8.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and LG Gram 17 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is somewhat better.
The LG Gram 17 offers ample RAM and a high-quality display in a very lightweight and portable package, making it suitable for engineering and design tasks that require moving around or presenting work. Conversely, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 provides an even more powerful CPU and GPU combo, twice the RAM for more intensive tasks, and exceptional screen quality, but this comes with an increase in weight, making it less portable.
Screen Quality
7.4
7.9
17.0in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
353.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the LG Gram 17 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The LG Gram 17 offers a large, high-resolution screen with decent brightness, making it ideal for general use and tasks like document editing or web browsing, where sharp text and clear images are beneficial. For engineering and design purposes, its color accuracy and range meet the needs for precise color work, though it may fall short for the most color-critical tasks. However, with a standard refresh rate, the LG Gram 17's display isn't suited for gaming or 3D applications where smoother motion provided by higher refresh rates is crucial.
Battery
11.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The LG Gram 17 has 11 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.
Build Quality
7.0
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good 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
$2,100
$3,300
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The LG Gram 17 has a price of $2,100 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.5
8.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
353.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The LG Gram 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
8.4
8.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Gram 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for content creation.
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
8.2
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and LG Gram 17 are both very good for software development.
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.
Portability
Good
Good
17.0in
SIZE
14.4in
2.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The LG Gram 17 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the LG Gram 17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| LG Gram 17 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,100 | $3,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2022 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.9'' x 10.2'' x 0.7'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.98 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.91" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.19" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1260P | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 2048 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17" | 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 | 353 nits | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8/10 | 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 | 8.8/10 | 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 | 720p | 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 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2022
"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."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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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 17 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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