This seems like a very narrowly focused question and likely without getting into full design specs and engineering is only going to get a general answer.
Though, material, and weight focus when making other compromises is pretty much the answer.
In design [there is always going to be a sacrifice of some kind](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/465/425/3fd.jpg). Some materials may be lighter, but weaker, and/or more expensive. Making something super small may not make it run well thermally. Making something smaller and compact may not allow it to be upgradeable by the user since things need to be soldered permanently to save weight and space versus having the mechanism to remove them. One of the reasons easily removeable batteries has gone away, the mechanism adds weight and space. There also may be less performance oriented parts in order to get weight lower.
Magnesium is lighter, but has lower stiffness and strength while also being more expensive and harder to work with than aluminum or steel. Magnesium is also reactive and needs more coatings and alloying to prevent corrosion. In pure form it’s also [brilliantly flammable](https://jalopnik.com/just-how-horrifying-was-the-worst-crash-in-motorsports-1589382023) but that’s less of a concern for the small amount of a laptop. The Gram has super thin panels on it, made of already lightweight materials.
System memory is also soldered to the boards so that it is not removeable, but saves weight.
It also only has integrated graphics. Graphics processing can be done in a separate more specialized computer part which is generally faster since it is specialized and in a separate area to get rid of heat, but using one that is integrated to the CPU(central processing unit, controls the main functions of the computer) is smaller and lighter. It will be less powerful since it’s sharing size with the CPU which means it is sharing heat, power, and hardware as well.
There is also less space for cooling. The fans, heat pipes, and exhaust areas all add space. This is the inside of a gaming laptop[ more focused on performance](https://i0.wp.com/laptopmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cooling-29.jpg?ssl=1), there is far more heavy fans, heat pipes made of heavy materials like copper, and exhaust areas.
[This is the inside of the Gram.](https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/_processed_/b/7/csm_LG_Gram_16Z90P_Innereien_5765da3210.jpg) There are some other design choices like using really small wires to connect different ports and speakers, and even cutting out excess material from some of the parts. Both of these sacrifice strength and cost in the name of weight savings.
So the gram is less rugged, has more flex in the entire chassis, non-user upgradeable memory, less performance per $ spent, less powerful graphics, and less space for cooling, but these were likely all conscious design compromises in order to have the lightest platform possible.
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