You can spend $1,500 on a laptop and still buy the wrong one. In my 2026 laptop buying guide, I go through what actually matters: the processor, graphics, RAM, storage, display and battery life. I use real laptops to show what I’d pay for, what I’d skip, and when last year’s model makes more sense.
LG gram Pro 17 (17Z90UR) here –
LG gram Pro 16 (16Z90U) here –
Other laptops in the video:
Dell XPS 13 –
ASUS Zenbook 14 (Ryzen AI 9 465, OLED) –
HP OmniBook 3 16″ –
MacBook Air M5 –
MacBook Pro M5 Pro –
MacBook Neo –
ASUS ProArt P16 –
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 –
Lenovo Legion 5 15″ Gen 10 –
ASUS Zenbook A14 (Snapdragon X2 Elite) –
I cover which Intel, AMD, Snapdragon and Apple chips to look at for school, office work, gaming and video editing. That includes the Core Ultra X7 358H, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Core Ultra 7 255HX, Snapdragon X2 Elite and the M5 and M5 Pro. I also cover when you actually need a dedicated RTX 5060 or 5070 Ti, and whether to get 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of RAM. I explain why I’d pick 16GB + 512GB over 8GB + 1TB at the same price, and how to tell if your RAM is soldered. In the display section I compare IPS, OLED and Mini-LED and cover resolution, brightness, refresh rate and colour. The rest covers battery testing, keyboards and touchpads (yes, “Mylar” means plastic), webcams, speakers and USB-C ports.
Part of this Video is sponsored by LG
Disclaimers:
– All Video game results were based on my own testing
– The secure lock feature requires the laptop to be connected to the internet to function as described. If not connected, the feature will not be activated immediately and will activate upon the next instance of internet connectivity. Device registration with LG, My gram, and LG ThinQ® app is required for this function. Requires installation of LG ThinQ® app on a mobile phone prior to enabling this function. Upon activating the data erase function, this is irreversible. All data will be erased.
– Detailed specifications may vary depending on the country of purchase and purchase period.
– Battery life results are based on your own testing.
Affiliate Disclosure: Sometimes I earn a commission when you buy through my links at no extra cost to you.
#LGgram #BestLaptop #17inchLaptop #LightweightLaptop #Aerominum
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Chapters:
0:00 You can still buy the wrong laptop
0:26 What are you using it for?
1:05 Size & weight
1:31 LG gram Pro 16 & 17
3:14 Which processor should you buy?
6:40 Do you need a dedicated GPU?
7:56 How much RAM?
9:13 How much storage?
9:34 8GB + 1TB vs 16GB + 512GB
10:20 Picking a display
13:02 Battery life
13:49 Keyboard, touchpad, webcam & speakers
14:25 Ports
14:41 Should you buy last year’s model?
15:01 Putting it all together
Are you looking for a laptop? If so, whats your budget and what do you need it for?
Hello! I’m a researcher and a PhD student who is also working with large datasets with R for statistical analysis time to time. My budget is around $1700 (taxes included) but of course I’d be more than happy if I could find a laptop that best balance my needs for cheaper price. I constantly do intense multitasking, use split screen and such. I want a 16″ laptop which has a great balance for multitasking, battery life, screen quality, playing GTA 5 kind games, watching series, listening to music and such. I really want to have a touchscreen and a numpad. I really got used to using numpad so I’d feel more comfortable with a keyboard which has a numpad. I’m also so very used to using Windows laptops so I’d prefer a Windows laptop. I have bought Acer Swift 16 AI (X7) around 2 months ago but it constantly shot itself off and freeze ~1.5 mins so I returned it to Best Buy. I’ve been using Asus X556U for ~10 years now. It’s very loud and it annoys me a lot. I also need to find an outlet wherever I go cause the battery doesn’t last more than 50 mins. I’d prefer a lightweight, and great battery life, and silent laptop. I don’t want a gaming laptop. I really struggle with choosing a laptop for myself. I’d appreciate if you could suggest me a couple of laptops for the best balance for my budget and needs. Thank you very much!!
What’s your opinion on the Honor magic book art 14 2025????
If you have to pay someone to install ram for you, what are you even doing?
3:44 That doesn’t seem right, none of Wildcat Lake has Arc iGPU