LG Ultra 13
LG Ultra 13
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GENERAL USE: Fair—6.9/10
GAMING/AI: Fair—6.0/10
ENG/DESIGN: Fair—6.3/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good—7.1/10
CONTENT CREATION: Good—7.1/10
PORTABILITY: Excellent—9.3/10
BATTERY: Very Good—8.0/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Fair—6.9/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Poor—5.9/10
SIZE: 13.3"
The LG Ultra 13 with AMD Ryzen 5 is a lower midrange-priced laptop featuring 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, suitable for general use. It has an integrated AMD Ryzen 5 4500U Vega 6 GPU, which implies moderate graphics performance, so it's not ideal for intensive 3D rendering or gaming. With a 13.3-inch IPS display and a 1080p resolution, it offers good color accuracy and is suitable for everyday tasks and some professional work involving color grading. The laptop weighs 2.16 pounds, making it quite portable. It has a decent selection of ports including USB-C and HDMI, but lacks Thunderbolt connectivity. Its battery is expected to last for about 10 hours with typical usage, which is fair for its class. It sports a backlit keyboard without a number pad and includes a fingerprint reader for security. Overall, the LG Ultra 13 is well-suited for common tasks like web browsing, document editing, and media consumption, but less so for demanding engineering software or high-end gaming. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Lightweight and portable
- Good battery life
- High portability score
- Good keyboard quality
- Excellent heat management
Cons
- Mediocre speaker quality
- Fair performance in 3D/machine learning
- Fair engineering performance
- No touchscreen
Ratings by Category
Portability:4.8
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Battery Life:4.4
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Operating Noise:4.4
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Build Quality:4.2
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Keyboard Quality:4.2
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Software Development:4.1
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Content Creation:4.1
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, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use:4.0
The LG Ultra 13's mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM are adequate for routine tasks, but may not handle complex applications as smoothly as higher-end models. While its portability is boosted due to its lightweight build and reasonable battery life, the fair screen and speaker quality might detract from a more premium multimedia experience.
General Use Screen Quality:4.0
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Engineering & Design:3.4
The LG Ultra 13, with its AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and built-in Vega 6 graphics, may struggle with demanding engineering and design tasks, and while its 13.3-inch IPS display offers good color coverage and size, it may not be sufficient for intricate visual work where higher screen resolutions and larger displays are preferred. Additionally, while the laptop is portable and has a good keyboard, its performance might not meet the needs for heavy computing or complex graphics-intensive projects that benefit from stronger dedicated GPUs and more RAM.
Gaming & AI:3.0
The LG Ultra 13 may offer only a middling gaming and 3D experience because the integrated GPU, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U Vega 6, doesn't provide the same power as a dedicated gaming GPU, and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz can be limiting for fast-paced games that benefit from higher refresh rates.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $499 | ||
Release Date | January 1, 2021 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 12.1'' x 8.1'' x 0.6'' | ||
Weight | 2.16 lbs | ||
Width | 12.08" | ||
Depth | 8.14" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 4500U | ||
RAM | 8 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | ||
RAM Slots | 0 | ||
Storage | 256 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 10 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 51 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | ||
Display Technology | IPS | ||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | ||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 7.4/10 | ||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | ||
Premium Business Laptop | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | ||
Webcam | 720p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | No | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 2 | ||
USB-C ports | 1 | ||
USB-C Charging | No | ||
Display Outputs | 1 | ||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | ||
Shopping
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Dig into reviews and images
CNET
Joshua Goldman | April 2017
"The 13.3-inch LG Gram is a fine fit if you need to travel as light as possible for as long as possible without spending a fortune to do it. It might not be particularly sturdy or have an eye-catching design and its webcam is less than ideal, but with its sharp touch display, comfortable backlit keyboard, responsive touchpad and a fingerprint reader for extra security, the Gram makes a respectible everyday laptop for business or school work."
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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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