I have been a fan of the Gram 17 for a long time. It has a great battery life, a big screen, and it doesn't weigh much. It is the aesthetic that sometimes makes me hesitate about the line. The Grams of the past have been dull. Because many laptops are, but also because there is a fashion-conscious audience out there that they may not be reaching.
There is a style called the Gram Style. This may be the first laptop I have ever seen that I would call "stylish." It is unbelievably thin, it is mind-blowingly light, and it is covered in a lustrous color. It was one of the most unique-looking laptops I have had the chance to try so far this year, and my hands-on time with it was in a dimly lit booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
This isn't a laptop that will work for everyone. It may turn heads at the coffee store. It is a fun look for an established line.
When not under this light, this looks silvery-white.
Maybe it's a sunset.
That finish is the first thing that comes to mind. It changes color depending on lighting and view angle. The laptops move and change based on the light and angle.
This appears to be a silvery white. I can confirm that the device flashed and signed in a variety of colors as I moved it around. It was a challenge to get that on camera.
The bottom part of the keyboard deck is one smooth surface and there is no touchpad. In the place where you would expect a touchpad to be, there is a hidden one.
This year has seen more and more of these types of trackpads on laptops, and they help companies get them thinner. I had a mixed reaction to the hidden touchpad in Dell's XPS 13 Plus. My right hand knew where to click from experience, but my left hand didn't know where to go when it needed to.
The Gram Style has a light that illuminates the area after you touch it. They stay on for a short time after you click, and then disappear. It doesn't help you find the thing when you need to click it. The lights are pretty I don't know why they couldn't leave them on.
The screen is very pretty. The Style models have a 16:10 display and looked great in the demo area. The keyboard was enjoyable. There is always a concern that a thin laptop might not have enough room for great switches.
This thing is quite light. When you pick it up, it messes with your thoughts. You could make me think that this was an empty box. It is nice to know that the Style is still a part of the Gram line.
There are even more wilder designs on the way. Attendees were able to vote for their favorite one of the patterned Gram Style lids on display at the booth. The company will bring the winner to market, according to representatives. I cast my vote for the purple one. Stay on top of the situation.
Monica Chin is a photographer.
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