new laptop 2025 lg gram?
 

Hi Everyone

So in the market for a new laptop. I am looking at lg gram which has mil-Std durability test. Any one on the road now or has used one on big trip in 2024.

Cheers nobby

First question is: do you specifically need a full Windows laptop with you?

My experience is that a modern laptop equipped with an SSD had essentially no moving parts and is therefore perfectly okay to travel with as luggage. I've had a Lenovo T-series (not a super-portable model!) in a neoprene sleeve in my panniers and it had absolutely no problems on a long trip. An earlier Dell XPS got a broken charger port on a trip, but could still be charged over USB-C so it was just a matter of buying a powerful charging brick in the next town.

That said, think carefully about your realistic workloads. The best compromise for a larger device to bring with you is a tablet in a keyboard case. I've had my 2021 iPad Pro in the Apple magic keyboard case come with me on long motorcycle journeys and around the world in a backpack, and it performed admirably for my actual work tasks, communications, entertainment, and it can do light video editing just as well. (There is now a Davinci Resolve client for the iPad!)

If you don't like Apple, there are plenty of Android tablets with keyboard cases, or the Microsoft Surface. I think it would have to be a very specific edge case to prefer a full laptop like the LG Gram over those for travel.

In corporate IT they have a reputation for being the toughest range of normal consumer laptops, at home my main computer is an old Lenovo (T450 or something like that) that I bought second hand cheap 10 years ago now, it survived road touring ok despite being dropped and getting a bit wet.

Hardened laptops are too heavy and bulky for me, as per AnTyx I take a tablet, albeit a cheap Android one, wrapped in a dry bag when I'm going off road but want a big screen (again made by Lenovo, I got it new and boxed in Hungary for 30€, off the back of a truck).

It kinds depends on what you want to do with your electronics while out on the road as to what the best tool is!