News
- Dots will decide how to work autonomously toward a goal you set
- They have their own cloud computer and browser for safety
- Only Pro and Business Premium users are getting access for now
OpenAI has launched a new type of always-on AI agent within ChatGPT designed to take ongoing actions for work rather than waiting for individual prompts.
The new GPT-6-powered feature, Dots, means ChatGPT can keep working on tasks between conversations, only bringing things back to the user when they require specific attention or permission.
Designed to be more of an autonomous agent, the company explains that users only need to set goals and boundaries, and the Dots should be able to go about working out what happens next.
ChatGPT's Dots ramp up the 'autonomous' in agentic AIThe fundamental difference for ChatGPT's Dots is that they each have their own cloud computer and browser, giving them an environment within which they can interact with the broader web, use apps, run code and work with other plugins, keeping users' computers totally separate and free of any potential damage an autonomous agent could otherwise take.
A Dot's activity is shown as either being in progress, scheduled or completed, with some example use cases spanning checking a user's calendar to provide them with a morning report, or reviewing information from connected services and apps.
And to make Dots even more like proactive colleagues, the company has already added them into Slack and Teams, with text support also coming soon.
Built-in safeguards also promise to pause or stop a Dot's work if their system detects malicious instructions or behavior.
They're coming first to Pro and Business Premium users at no additional cost, and only work towards a set goal will consume usage limits – conversations with dots are totally free. Dots need to be set up on the desktop app or a browser first, but from there, they'll also be available to interact with on the mobile app.
OpenAI didn't share plans for a broader rollout, but given its previous deployment phases, it's possible that Dots could extend to other subscription types in the future once early users get to grips with real-world use cases and costs.
Today Samsung debuted a pair of new Tablets: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra. I’ve been taking the Ultra for a spin ahead of its October 7 launch and have been loving the massive display.
But the price hike, and minimal upgrades leave me questioning if it really needed it launch.
There’s a lot that’ll be familiar here for owners of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra when it comes to the S12 series. The AMOLED screen is still 14.6-inches with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,600 nits peak brightness, the battery is still 11,600mAh with 45W charging (and boasts the same promised 23 hours of video playback as the S11 Ultra), and the S12 Ultra tablet is still IP68 rated meaning it could spend 30 minutes underwater at a depth of 1m and survive the experience.
The tablet is as thin (5.1mm) as it was before, with the same Silver and Gray color options to choose between as before. The only notable change is the chipset — the new 3nm processor boasts an up to 19% faster CPU, 17% better GPU performance, and a 51% improvement to its NPU processing for your AI needs — though there is also a new heat chamber for better heat dissipation, plus a new four-channel speaker setup for more immersive audio than last generation’s dual-speaker build.
I’ve been trying the Ultra model out and enjoying it so far — relying on it as a solid laptop alternative with the book keyboard cover attachment (sold separately), and also as a great mobile gaming and TV-watching device while I travel (a full review will be coming soon) — but considering how similar it is to the last generation, I am left wondering if Samsung should take a leaf out of Apple’s book and abandon its annual refresh approach to Galaxy Tab launches.
(Image credit: Future)The Tab S12+ is an interesting beast. There was no S11+, so it’s a replacement for the S10+ from 2024, but there’s also no regular S12 launching alongside these models, so it's kind of the successor to the S11 too.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12+ boasts a 12.6-inch AMOLED screen with the same 1,600 nits peak brightness as the Ultra. It also has the same chipset as the Ultra model, but there's a smaller 10,600mAh battery (unsurprising, since it's physically smaller).
Besides the lower battery capcaity and screen size it also lacks the Ultra’s 8MP ultra-wide rear camera — but otherwise has the same 13MP main on its back, and 12MP ultra-wide on its front.
Because the S12+ is billed as a step-up model, despite there not being a base S12 to step up from, it does mean Samsung’s cheapest 2026 model is a lot more pricey than its cheapest 2025 tablet (more on that in a second).
For someone on a budget thinking of upgrading, it’s a real shame the best option from Samsung might be a tablet that’s a year old, but unless we get a regular Tab S12 (I’m not holding my breath) that’s the position we find ourselves in.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda)Coming for the iPad Pro?As we’ve come to expect in 2026 — though it still stings to see every single time — the tablets will cost more than what has come before. The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra will set you back $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,299 — up from $1,299 / £1,269 / AU$2,099 – meanwhile the S12+ costs $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$1,999 for its cheapest model.
For both tablets the cheapest configuration comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, with both also having a 512GB model, and the Ultra boasting a 1TB model that also ups the RAM to 16GB, though these configurations will cost more.
At these prices, Samsung is pitching its S12 lineup against Apple’s iPad Pro lines, but thankfully the prices are a little cheaper. Compared with the 2025 iPad Pro launch prices, Samsung’s tablets would be pricier — however Apple hiked its prices by up to $200 / £200 / AU$400, putting its 11-inch iPad Pro on-par with the S12+, and making its the 13-inch iPad Pro $100 / £100 pricier.
Should Apple be worried? (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)There are factors to consider beyond price, of course. The Samsung tablets have larger screens than their respective rivals and a longer quoted battery life, and come with the S Pen stylus in the box, while the Apple Pencil is sold separately.
But Apple’s tech is lighter — 444g and 579g compared with 553g and 692g — and while we need to do some more testing, Apple silicon tends to outperform its rivals.
All that aside, there’s plenty to still love about the S12-series Galaxy Tabs. I’ve been using the Ultra for a couple of weeks now and it’s genuinely a very useful machine. I’m currently writing this story using the tablet and its keyboard attachment (multitasking across documents, web pages, and my photos app with ease).
But again I’m left wondering if it really needed to exist considering the lackluster hardware upgrades and price increase. Right now I’m not sure, but let’s see how I feel when my review is ready
- Singapore police charge a man over a deepfake AI image
- The picture shows a crocodile in a public recreation area
- A total of 10 years of jail time could be attached to the charges
We know that AI apps can produce images that are often indistinguishable from real photos, and these pictures may get you into trouble with the law too: a man in Singapore faces a jail term of up to 10 years after allegedly sharing an AI-generated image of a crocodile in a popular public recreational area.
The man is Ye Lin, a 30-year-old from Myanmar (via PetaPixel), and the area is Pandan Reservoir. After the picture was shared on August 20, Singapore's national water agency shut down rowing and canoeing activities on the water while trying to find the semiaquatic reptile.
After determining the image was fake, the agency reported Ye Lin to the police, and the man could now be looking at a serious stretch inside when he turns up to court in November. On the charge of sending a false message, Ye Lin could face up to three years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000 (about $7,835 / £5,895 / AU$11,235), or both.
Then there's the charge of obstructing justice, which can put you inside for up to seven years, lead to a fine (though it's not clear how much), or both. The accused man is reportedly planning to plead guilty and will be hoping the judicial system takes a lenient view on his AI deepfakery.
Communicating falsehoodsPandan Reservoir (Image credit: Adhirk/CC BY-SA 3.0)"The Police will not hesitate to take action against anyone who communicates falsehoods," said the Singapore Police Force in a statement. "Apart from causing fear and inconvenience to members of the public, such falsehoods also result in public resources being unnecessarily deployed to deal with these incidents."
It's not immediately clear how the image came to be widely circulated: according to the police, Ye Lin only shared the image with one of his colleagues rather than posting it online. He then deleted the image and the Gemini app he used to make it "in an attempt to conceal his actions" the police said.
The reactions online show some sympathy for Ye Lin, with many arguing that the original offense wasn't particularly egregious, especially as he didn't share the image widely. However, questions are being asked about why the man didn't step in and tell the authorities the picture was faked after the reservoir was closed off.
If the image was indeed made by Gemini, as the Straits Times reports, then it should've come with an invisible, embedded watermark identifying it as being generated by AI. It's not clear whether this watermark was removed somehow, or whether no one thought to check once the picture started circulating.
Celebrity Traitors Season 2 arrives tomorrow, but if you're travelling and at risk of missing out, you needn't worry.
BBC iPlayer is the free home of the popular UK series, meaning if you're a UK resident on holiday, you'll be stuck without due to the BBC limiting access to only those on home soil. Thankfully, a VPN can fix this, and I've found the cheapest way to ensure you don't miss out on the chaos: PrivadoVPN.
PrivadoVPN ranks among the fastest VPNs we've tested and offers the best free VPN alternative too. But, more importantly, it's also a top streaming VPN for BBC iPlayer.
When I tried using PrivadoVPN to watch the last series of Celebrity Traitors, it was flawless. I connected to a UK server quickly, and never experienced any buffering or dropouts.
What's more, unlike alternatives such as NordVPN, PrivadoVPN costs only $1.11 per month. This means you can get two years of stress-free streaming access for only $30. That's over $60 less than an equivalent NordVPN plan.
PrivadoVPN: Only $1.11 per month for 27 months of protection
PrivadoVPN is the cheapest way to access the new season of Celebrity Traitors without compromising your stream quality. It's by far the fastest VPN available right now. Plus, it's got all the essential security features you need from a VPN, and servers in 66 cities worldwide so you can be secure anywhere. Interested? PrivadoVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free. View Deal
PrivadoVPN's streaming performance excels beyond iPlayer too. We put it through rigorous testing with global Netflix libraries, Prime Video, Disney+, and more, and, compared to far more expensive alternatives, it proved effective.
Its biggest hurdle was Prime Video which, like many VPNs, it failed with altogether. Aside from that, it worked with all the global and local streaming services we tested it with, despite its budget price. This is helped by its servers in 49 countries being regularly optimized for streaming.
- New Spectre variant exploits processor prediction behavior in just-in-time compilers
- Researchers demonstrated practical attacks against Intel-based Linux systems
- Vendors released mitigations as security teams assess performance tradeoffs
The dreaded Spectre vulnerability which had chip manufacturers scrambling for a fix a few years ago, has returned, experts have claimed.
Security researchers from the Vrije Universiteit in the Netherlands and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy published a new report, detailing a type of attack they call Branch Target Reuse (BTR).
They labeled it the first practical in-place Spectre v2 attack that targets just-in-time (JIT) compilers - and it's a lot to decompile (pun intended), so let’s break it all down.
Spectre and MeltdownModern microprocessors come with a feature called “speculative execution” - they speculate what a program’s next moves might be, and load them in advance, so that when one scenario actually happens, it can be executed rather quickly.
They also monitor recurring patterns and try to remember them, but this also opens the doors to so-called “side-channel attacks”, which allow threat actors to steal information by observing indirect clues from a system (timing, power consumption, etc.), rather than accessing them directly.
Back in 2017, security researchers discovered that speculative execution can be abused via side-channel attacks, giving birth to two vulnerabilities: Spectre and Meltdown. Given how widespread the flaws were (practically all chips were affected), and their potential severity, the entire industry rushed to fix the flaws with software patches. Some succeeded, but the overall effort was more of a fiasco than a success. Many chips were throttled significantly, and some computers were entirely bricked.
Spectre and Meltdown were eventually fixed, but since then, there have been countless copycats and variants. We now have a new variant, called Branch Target Reuse (BTR).
BTRWhen a processor wants to “remember” a recurring theme, it stores it in something called the Branch Target Buffer (BTB). At the same time, there is an element called “JIT”. Short for just-in-time, it is a compiler that translates code into native machine instructions during program execution, rather than before it runs. In practice, JIT creates code at memory address X, later running it numerous times. The CPU learns the pattern and tries to repeat it.
So when JIT deletes the code and puts something else at the same address X, that’s where the problems begin, since the CPU still tries to jump to X first. That is called Branch Target Reuse. The CPU will eventually realize that the old habits no longer work, but it’s the moment in between that the researchers managed to exploit.
What makes BTR particularly dangerous is the fact that there is no need for a new malware to exploit it. Threat actors can simply use the fact that machine-code bytes can mean different things when execution begins at a different byte offset.
In the paper, the researchers detail two proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits that can target Intel-based Linux kernels, revealing the root password hash even with the constant binding defense provided by cBPF. The expected leakage rate is 5.7 KB/sec for Intel Raptor Cove chips and 5.4 KB/sec for Lion Cove which, according to The Register, is “slow but enough for an unprivileged user to coax a sensitive password hash out of a vulnerable system.”
Linux kernel developers and Oracle responded with mitigations. The bugs have now gotten two CVEs: CVE-2026-64507 and CVE-2026-64508. Mozilla decided to focus more on site isolation, and while IBPB is most likely effective, it will slow the machine down. “Update your OS and software as soon as vendor patches are available,” the researchers said. “Both the Linux kernel and Oracle have released patches.”
The Branch Target Reuse paper, which can be read on this link, was peer-reviewed and accepted by ACM CCS 2026, a major academic cybersecurity conference, due to take place in mid-November this year in The Hague, Netherlands.
Via The Register
Thinking of buying an Amazon Echo Show? The best time to do it is during an Amazon Prime Day sale. It's a safe bet that the vast majority of Amazon devices — including Echo Shows — will be heavily discounted during these events, and it's very rare to see these kinds of price-drops at any other time of year.
Nowadays, we have two Prime Days every year: one around July and one around October. And of course they don't just last a day. That would be silly. You can expect at least two days of deals, and maybe more. The next Amazon Prime Day is imminent: it's scheduled to run on 6 and 7 October.
Traditionally, you had to be a Prime subscriber to take advantage of the Prime Day deals. That's still sort-of the case, but increasingly we're seeing 'Prime Day' pricing appearing ahead of the official events, and the deals are open to everyone. That's the case this year with the Echo Show range (as well as a bunch of other Amazon devices, actually).
• Shop Amazon's full US early Prime Day sale / UK early Prime Day sale
There are significant discounts live already across almost the entire Echo Show range in both the US and the UK. I've rounded up all the current pricing directly below, or you can scroll down further for more information on the deals — including how they compare to previous offers — and my advice on how to choose.
US links Amazon Echo Show 5 (newest gen) Amazon Echo Show 8 (newest gen) Amazon Echo Show 11 (newest gen) Amazon Echo Show 15 (newest gen) Amazon Echo Show 21 (newest gen) UK links Amazon Echo Show 5 (newest gen) Amazon Echo Show 8 (newest Gen) Amazon Echo Show 11 (newest Gen) Amazon Echo Show 15 (newest gen) Amazon Echo Show 21 (newest Gen) Amazon Echo show: buying adviceNormal bargain-hunting rules dictate you should wait for a product to return to the cheapest price it has ever dropped to, before now. However, in the case of Prime Day, Amazon does like to switch things up. For instance, the most recent Prime Day was in June 2026; the deals appearing now aren't exactly the same, and in some cases prices are slightly higher than we saw in June.
However, I'd still recommend buying the model you want now, as I don't expect prices to drop any further during this event. Unless, of course, you wanted to gamble and wait until the next Prime Day to see if your desired model gets a bigger discount. (Risky tactics because in general, prices are trending up.)
(Image credit: Future)What's slightly sneaky is that Amazon has increased the list price alongside those discounts, to make the deal appear better than it is. For instance, in the US the Echo Show 11 has fallen to the same price it was in June: $149.99. However, because Amazon has raised the 'original' price, it's showing as a 40% discount now, whereas in June it was only 32% off.
For reference, here are all the discounts and list prices for the June 2026 Prime Day. I'll start with the US:
- Show 5: $59.99 (list price $89.99) — 33% off
- Show 8: $124.99 (list price $179.99) — 31% off
- Show 11: $149.99 (list price $219.99) — 32% off
- Show 15: $249.99 (list price $299.99) — 17% off
- Show 21: $319.99 (list price $399.99) — 20% off
And here were the deals in the UK:
- Show 5: £49.99 (list price £89.99) — 44% off
- Show 8: £114.99 (list price £179.99) — 36% off
- Show 11: £139.99 (list price £219.99) — 36% off
- Show 15: £239.99 (list price £299.99) — 20% off
- Show 21: List price £399.99 — no discount
I assume if you've got this far, you know what an Amazon Echo Show is and what it's for. But just in case: these are speakers / displays that act as hubs from which you can control your smart home. The different options range in capabilities and screen size — the number at the end of the product name indicates the size of screen.
If you want the biggest and best screen, you should buy the Show 21, which has a 21-inch, full HD display. The Show 15 and Show 11 also have full HD screens, but they're smaller.
If price is your main consideration, it's the littlest option that comes in cheapest. The Echo Show 5 is very compact, and less than half the price of the next model up. However, there are concessions you're making for that low price: the display isn't HD, there's one basic speaker and the camera is only 2MP.
You might get better value for money by opting for an Echo Show 8 or 11, which both offer a jump up in specs compared to the Show 5. Both have two full-range drivers and a 2.8-inch woofer, plus a 13MP camera with auto-framing. The 8 has a HD display and the 11 has full HD. You can see exactly how all the specs compare in the table below.
Model:
Show 5
Show 8
Show 11
Show 15
Show 21
Current gen:
3rd gen, 2023
4th gen, 2025
1st gen, 2025
2nd gen, 2024
1st gen, 2024
Screen size:
5.5 inch
8.7 inch
11 inch
15.5 inch
21 inch
Screen specs:
Touchscreen
HD touchscreen
Full HD touchscreen
Full HD touchscreen
Full HD touchscreen
Audio:
1.75-in speaker
2x full-range drivers and 1x 2.8-inch woofer
2x full-range drivers and 1x 2.8-inch woofer
2x 2in woofers, 2x 0.6in tweeters
2x 2in woofers, 2x 0.6in tweeters
Camera:
2MP
13MP with auto-framing
13MP with auto-framing
13MP wide angle with auto-framing
13MP wide angle with auto-framing
Video support:
Prime Video app
Prime Video and Netflix app
Prime Video and Netflix app
Full selection via Fire TV app store
Full selection via Fire TV app store
Fire TV built in:
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Smart home hub built in:
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dimensions (W x D x H):
5.8 x 3.6 x 3.2in / 14.7 x 9.1 x 8.2cm
8.2 x 5 x 5.9in / 21 x 13 x 15cm
10 x 5 x 7.2in / 26 x 13 x 18cm
16.1 x 10.1 x 1.4in / 41 x 3.6 x 26cm
21.4 x 13.2 x 1.5in / 54 x 3.8 x 34cm
Thin. Light. And a big screen. Say less. Add in a surprising amount of power for this form factor, and you have the LG Gram Pro 16. There’s a lot to like with this laptop, including some interesting LG-specific software and a very impressive battery life. The only thing that might give me pause in recommending it as one of the best laptops out there is its very high price.
Now, I should clarify that there is a version of the LG Gram Pro 16 that skips the Aerominum material of the pricier version (more on that later) and has the most basic integrated graphics instead of the Intel Arc B390 Graphics included on the configuration reviewed here. Even though the Intel Arc B390 Graphics in the review unit are also integrated, it’s surprisingly on par with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050.
So that version might be one of the best Ultrabooks out there for someone who wants that thin and light package with a big screen but doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. But that version pales in performance. Of course, the LG Gram Pro 16 reviewed here is much more expensive. I don’t want to tell you to wait for a sale, but its price is its biggest drawback.
The LG Gram Pro 16 is very portable thanks ot its light weight, thin design, and powerful battery. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)LG Gram Pro 16 review: Price & Availability- How much does it cost? Starting at $2,699.99 (about £2,010/ AU$3,830)
- When is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available in the US
While the LG Gram Pro 16 is available in US, UK, and Australia, the 2026 configuration, which has the model designation of 16Z90U (or 16Z95U for the AMD powered ones), is mostly just available in the US at the time of writing. It most certainly will make it to the UK, and one configuration is sold in Australia with an MSRP of AU$4,199, though it’s already discounted to AU$2,899. This configuration comes with a Intel Core Ultra 7 355 CPU, 32GB RAM, Intel Arc graphics, and 1TB of storage. It also features a 2560x1600 touchscreen.
For the US, there are seven configurations. The cheapest one, not accounting for any slashed prices, goes for $2,699.99, which has an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU and its integrated graphics, 32GB RAM, 512GB storage, and that same 2560x1600 touch screen. The price starts to creep up with more storage (though some models have a 1TB SSD but 16GB of RAM and are maybe fifty bucks more).
The most expensive model doesn’t have a touchscreen, but does have slightly higher resolution with a 2560x1800 screen. More importantly, it comes with an Intel Core Ultra X7 CPU, integrated Intel Arc graphics B390 Graphics which have the power of an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a good laptop to compare the LG Gram Pro 16 to. Its price tag of $2,449.99 / £2,999 (around AU$6,000) for a laptop with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU and 1TB of storage, similar CPU, and similar screen is also expensive, though less expensive than the LG Gram Pro 16 at its maxed out configuration. Or, if you look at the Dell 2026 XPS 16, you’ll find a very similarly priced and specced laptop that also comes with an OLED screen (again comparing to the max configuration).
I think there are a few reasons that LG costs more. The first is that they’re using a new material called Aerominum for the chassis, and semi-relatedly, weighs under three pounds, unlike either of the other mentioned laptops. Hopefully as LG keeps using Aerominum, the price will come down.
- Value score: 4 / 5
The LG Gram Pro 16 has about seven different configurations at the time of writing, all with slightly different combinations of CPU (Intel Core Ultra 7, AMD Ryzen AI 7 450, Intel Core Ultra X7), RAM (16 or 32GB), storage space (512GB, 1TB, or 2TB), and graphics, with the cheapest configuration utilizing the basic integrated Intel Graphics and more substantial configurations using the Ryzen AI 7 450’s integrated AMD Radeon 860M graphics or at the top of the price range, Intel’s integrated but powerful Arc B390 GPU.
Base
Review / Max
Price
$1,399.99 (about £1,040 / AU$1,980)
$3,499.99 (about £2,600 / AU$9,000)
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7
Intel Core Ultra X7
GPU
Intel graphics
Intel Arc B390 Graphics
RAM
32GB LPDDR5X
32GB LPDDR5X (Dual Channel, 8533MHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 SSD
1TB M.2 SSD
Display
16-inch diagonal, WQXGA (2560x1600) touch IPS @120Hz
16-inch diagonal, WQXGA+ (2560x1800) non-touch IPS @120Hz
Ports and Connectivity
USB 3.2 Gen1 (x2), USB 4 Gen3x2 Type C (x2, with Power Delivery, Display Port, Thunderbolt 4), HDMI, Aux out
USB 3.2 Gen1 (x2), USB 4 Gen3x2 Type C (x2, with Power Delivery, Display Port, Thunderbolt 4), HDMI, Aux out
Wireless
Intel Wi-Fi 7 (WiFi7, 2x2, BT Combo) and Bluetooth 6
Intel Wi-Fi 7 (WiFi7, 2x2, BT Combo) and Bluetooth 6
Camera
FHD IR Webcam with Dual Mic (Face recognition)
FHD IR Webcam with Dual Mic (Face recognition)
Dimensions
2.97 lbs (1.35 kg)
2.64 lbs (1.2 kg)
Weight
14.1 x 9.9 x 0.49~0.5 inches / 358.1 x 251.5 x 12.4~12.7 mm
14.1 x 9.9 x 0.49~0.5 inches / 358.1 x 251.5 x 12.4~12.7 mm
On the exterior, there are two different screen options. The less powerful models come with a 2560x1600 resolution, some of which have touchscreens including the cheapest configuration. The more powerful ones with either the Ryzen or Intel Arc graphics have a slightly sharper 2560x1800 resolution – none of them touchscreen.
LG Gram Pro 16 review: Design- Light, thin, but with a big screen!
- Keyboard doesn’t have much travel
- Good ports, but not ideal port placement
First things first, the LG Gram Pro 16 reviewed here is like all the other LG Grams, as it manages to be light and portable while still providing a pretty large screen. Those things are typically mutually exclusive. Yet here, you get a 16-inch screen in a package that weighs under three pounds. And since the bezels are pretty thin, it’s only fourteen inches wide. Plus, it’s half an inch thick.
It’s taken me a while to figure out why the LG Gram Pro 16 comes with such a high price tag. Part of it is the robust components. Part of it is the engineering to get it so light and thin. But part of it is, in my opinion, the use of a proprietary material called Aerominum instead of the usual aluminum alloy or plastic. It feels like plastic but is a little tougher, and the LG Gram Pro 16's chassis is made from it. There is, however, a little bit of give in the bottom shell where the venting is.
The LG Gram Pro 16 has both USB-C ports on the same side. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)Since the LG Gram Pro 16 is so thin, the keyboard doesn’t have much travel. Because of this, I don’t really enjoy typing on it for long periods of time. It’s fine. It’s accurate. And it doesn’t bother me when browsing or more casual use, but it just doesn’t have much cushion. I can feel the keys bottom out on every press. At least, it’s a full size keyboard.
The trackpad, on the other hand, is nice to use. It’s also big, though I have to be careful to not accidentally touch it when typing as it is sensitive, and I’m somewhat lazy with my hand placement. And if you use all the different gestures Windows is capable of, the trackpad will register them.
Lastly, I’m appreciative of the port selection, but less so the port placement. A laptop like this doesn’t need anything beyond the two USB-4 type C, two USB, headphone jack, and an HDMI port that it comes with, but the LG Gram Pro 16 makes the same mistake that many laptops do. If you have two USB-C ports and that’s the only way to power the laptop, put one on each side and not on the same side. The power cable it comes with is not that long, and I’ve created a few tripping hazards trying to charge just because of the port placement.
- Design score: 4.5 / 5
- Plenty of power for demanding tasks, though with some adjustments
- Mostly great suite of additional software
- Good audio, camera, and mic performance
3DMark: Solar Bay: 25,811; Steel Nomad: 1,607
Geekbench 7.0: (Single Core) 2,254; (Multi Core) 17,471
Crossmark: Overall: 1,981; Productivity: 1,763; Creativity: 2,334; Responsiveness: 1,716
HandBrake 1.11.1: 4:01
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p): 61.7fps; (2880x1800) 29.7fps
Cyberpunk 2077: (1080p, Ray Tracing): 18.29fps; (1080p, Ray Tracing off) 50.07fps
Battery Life (PCMark 10): 15:34:02
Between the Intel Core Ultra X7, Intel Arc B390 Graphics, and 32GB or RAM the LG Gram Pro 16 I’m reviewing has, it’s a fairly powerful computer. Despite the fact that the Intel Arc graphics are integrated and not actually a discrete GPU, it compares favorably to an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050 (which is admittedly entry level for discrete graphics).
That means that I can take this somewhere to do a little work – maybe write this review, for instance – and then switch to a demanding video game like Starfield, South of Midnight or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for a bit of fun. While the computer struggles a little at the highest settings for these games, it’s also running at a 120Hz refresh rate.
Now, I assume that many people wanting to read about the LG Gram Pro 16 care about its gaming capabilities, but those are among the more demanding tasks you can ask from a computer. If it can run one of those games, it can handle photo and video editing (we also have benchmarks to show how they would handle those tasks). It can handle recording audio. This is a powerful computer, though, as a gaming computer, it just barely clears the bar of running those more demanding titles.
The keyboard is full size, but a little shallow. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)Now, since LG proudly advertises the AI capabilities of this laptop – if you look on the website, the thumbnail puts “AI” next to the computer’s name as if it’s part of it – it makes sense that AI is all over this thing.
When I open LG’s My Gram app, which is the LG Gram Pro 16’s software interface for fine-tuning its performance, I see things like AI microphone and speaker optimization settings (you can also register your voice so that the laptop only hears / recognizes it), AI cooling for the fan settings, and an AI mode for the battery settings where it adjusts battery usage based on what it’s learned about how one uses their computer and how to allocate battery based on that. The My Gram software can also turn off the screen automatically when you walk away from the laptop.
LG also includes its own LLM tool for interacting with the laptop: AI Gram Chat. Instead of letting you write prompts to generate an image or a short story, it is made as almost an interactive interface for the computer. I can ask it to summarize a document, change settings, or troubleshoot, to name just a few things it's capable of.
The unique software suite on the LG Gram Pro 16 isn’t limited to AI-focused apps. LG Gram Link is an interesting one that’s included, and lets you quickly share files with other compatible devices, like other LG Grams from 2021 and on, LG TVs and smart monitors, and mobile devices. You can download the LG Gram Link for both Android and iOS, so you’re not limited to an LG device.
The last thing worth mentioning on the software front is that, as interesting as those other apps are and as expensive as this computer can be, you’ll still be subjected to dealing with a free McAfee trial. Since I don’t use or like McAfee, it’s an annoyance with its constant pop-ups. And it’s a piece of software that makes you jump through hoops to uninstall. I don’t like it. Minus five points to LG.
For a laptop, the audio here is pretty good. There’s almost no low end to speak of, but that’s the case for most laptops. Content, whether it’s a movie or music, sounds clear without sounding harsh. If you want excellent audio, get some wireless headphones, but if you don’t have any, the speakers on this laptop are good enough.
Those who are stuck on video calls all day will be happy to know that the webcam looks pretty good. There’s some graininess in low light situations, which is to be expected, but the image is clear and smooth. Plus, you can do the auto framing where the camera zooms in on your face like a 70’s Western. The eye contact feature and background effects are also here. Just be aware that there’s no physical shutter to block the camera. And the built-in mic is similarly capable for Zoom and voice calls.
- Performance score: 4.5 / 5
- Very long battery life
- Has some AI features to extend battery life even longer
LG claims that the Gram Pro 16’s 77Wh battery can last for 27 hours when playing back video when using its AI Battery Efficiency feature). And it might just be able to do that. But I like to test battery life without any special features or tricks. I want to get a good sense of what the battery itself is capable of.
During use, it did in fact last quite a while. I was able to actually play computer games unplugged without running the battery completely down in an hour or two, though it did take a hit. And I would use it unplugged multiple days at a time without charging. Running the PCMark 10 battery benchmark for office use with all the settings midway between performance and battery took almost 17 hours. A chore to sit through, but a great indicator of how good the battery life is.
Using the LG Gram Link app, you can share files between devices. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)- Battery Life score: 4.5 / 5
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
If you compare the LG Gram Pro 16 to similarly specced laptops trying to do the MacBook Pro 16 thing, they’re all at the same somewhat hard-to-stomach price.
4 / 5
Design
I might have some issue with a few choices on this laptop, but it’s thin and light while still offering a big screen. That’s hard to find.
4.5 / 5
Performance
In that thin and light chassis is a pretty powerful computer, able to handle pretty powerful tasks along with its own AI apps. Just beware the McAfee popups.
4.5 / 5
Battery Life
Even without LG’s battery efficiency, the battery on this laptop lasts a very long time.
5 / 5
Final Score
If price is no object, the LG Gram Pro 16 is a very impressive computer. It’s the full packet (but a light one).
4.5 / 5
Buy it if…You want thin, light, and powerful
This laptop comes in under three pounds and is half an inch thick, yet you can run a lot of demanding software on it.View Deal
You need long battery life
The LG Gram Pro 16 surprised me with its battery life, especially after experiencing its power. I think you’ll be surprised by it too.View Deal
You want to drag and drop files between devices
Using LG Gram Link, you can share files between devices. So, if you want to send a couple pictures from your phone to the laptop for editing, the app makes it simple.View Deal
You have any budget concerns
The LG Gram Pro 16 is just priced too high. While I hazard to guess that it’s the use of a new type of material, its price tag is just out of reach for most people.View Deal
You don’t like McAfee
This is bloatware. Yes, it can be removed, but you get an added inconvenience to counteract the laptop’s actual conveniences like LG Gram Link.View Deal
If our LG Gram Pro 16 review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...
Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra
Thin. Light. With a 16-inch screen. Sound familiar? Well, the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra checks those boxes too. Plus, it’s similarly expensive. However, it does come with more powerful graphics (and a bigger issue with heat).
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review
Dell XPS 16 (2026)
The Dell XPS 16 is a premium laptop that’s thin and light with a big screen like the LG Gram Pro 16. Plus, it comes with an OLED screen for about the same price. Its port selection is a bit more limited, however, and it’s a pound heavier.
Read our full Dell XPS 16 (2026) review
How I tested the LG Gram Pro 16- Tested for a couple weeks
- Used it for work, gaming, and streaming
- Messed with its AI capabilities
I used the LG Gram Pro 16 for a couple weeks. I used it for work, including typing up most of this review (along with the requisite online research). I used it to stream video. I even did some serious gaming. I also played around with the AI and first-party software.
After spending time with the LG Gram Pro 16, it’s clear that this is meant for those who want a large screen in a thin, light package without sacrificing power. That might be a big ask, but LG has done it for a price.
I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.
- First reviewed: August 2026