LG’s 17-inch Gram Fold set to release in South Korea at $3,700

Joining the ranks of Lenovo, Asus, and HP, LG’s latest offering features a 17-inch laptop with a single, expansive and foldable display. The laptop will be released in South Korea on October 4th for 4.99 million won (about $3,697); international release details remain undisclosed.

Like other foldable laptops, this laptop also offers many usage options. Those who want to use the laptop conventionally can fold it upright and attach a Bluetooth keyboard to the lower portion, converting the top screen into a 12-inch laptop with a 3:2 aspect ratio. Alternatively, for those who prefer a keyboard-free experience, a virtual keyboard can be employed on the screen itself.

If you flatten the laptop, it converts into a tablet-like device, and adding a keyboard extends it into a full-fledged computer with a generous 17-inch display.

Additionally, the device features a book mode designed for comfortable landscape-oriented handheld use.

The LG Gram Fold’s display boasts a resolution of 1920 x 2560 and achieves a peak brightness of 500 nits, reported The Verge. Notably, LG Display, in a separate announcement regarding the mass production of the foldable panel, highlighted the integration of a ‘specialised material’ within the folding area to minimise creasing. LG assures potential buyers that the Gram Fold can endure up to 30,000 folding cycles.

Beyond its innovative foldable screen, the LG Gram Fold features modest specifications, including an Intel i5-1335U CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 72Wh battery. The laptop weighs 1250 grams and measures 19.9mm thick when folded and 9.4mm when unfolded. It offers a pair of USB-C ports: Thunderbolt 4 compatible and the other USB 3.2 Gen 2×1. The laptop is stylus-compatible, though you will have to buy it separately.

LG’s entry into the foldable laptop market follows the recent launch of HP’s Spectre Fold, which offers a 17-inch display but comes with a premium price tag of $4,999.99. Before that, Asus introduced the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED featuring a 17.3-inch screen, retailing at $2,499, while Lenovo unveiled the ThinkPad X1 Fold with a 13.3-inch screen, retailing at $2,499. Lenovo also has an updated model in the pipeline, the second-generation ThinkPad X1 Fold, which boasts a 16-inch screen and is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of this year.

With LG coming into the fray, other companies like Dell and MSI may also enter the world of folding laptops.

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