Does the world need laptops with gigantic screens that fold in half? The jury is still out. But in the meantime, manufacturers are still throwing designs at the wall to see what sticks. [Editor’s note: Do not throw your laptop at the wall. It will not stick.] The LG Gram Fold packs a 17-inch folding OLED screen and the now-familiar detachable keyboard and rear stand. It’ll be coming to South Korea next month with an international release yet to be determined.
The setup seems extremely similar to designs from Asus and HP: A big, gorgeous screen that can function as a gigantic tablet, stand up with an included base like a monitor, or fold into a conventional laptop shape. Folded down it’s 19.2mm thick with a fairly sizeable gap around the hinge, but that lets the Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad slide in for the ride. The laptop is compatible with stylus input, but notably does not include one in the box. There is a big folio-style case (which is also the monitor stand) to keep it all together, though…which makes the package even more chunky. All packed up it’s a fairly svelte 2.75 pounds, though that bumps up to 3.4 pounds if you bring the keyboard along.
The showpiece of the hardware is, of course, the screen. At 16.9 inches and 2560×1920, it’s a 4:3 screen when completely unfolded, making it bit skinny 980 pixels high on both screens if you have it folded in laptop mode. Underneath is a Core i5-1335U processor with Xe graphics, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and 512GB of storage. Presumably, with the tablet-style construction, neither the memory nor storage will be user-removable. The full HD webcam has an IR sensor, so should work with Windows Hello. The design also accommodates two USB-C ports and that’s it for I/O.
LG
LG
LG
How much will it cost? If you happen to be in Korea next month, you can pick up the LG Gram Fold for 5 million won, which is about $3,700 in US dollars. That’s a pretty big chunk of change, but it’s surprisingly normal for these OLED folding laptop designs. It’s a bit more expensive than the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold, but far less than HP’s Spectre Fold, which commands an eye-popping $5,000. Of course, the price may be adjusted a bit when (and if) LG decides to take the Gram Fold international.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.