Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Sony VAIO S VPCSA290X 2011 Review
The Sony VAIO S impressive performance, light weight, and powerful graphics make it a solid contender in the ultraportable laptop category.
Sony is so confident that the VAIO S is a superior ultraportable laptop that the company proudly compares the notebook to Apples 13-inch MacBook Pro. And in a lot of ways this notebook is better, thanks to a lighter weight, higher-resolution display, more storage space, and a Blu-ray drive. This $1,399 Core i5 machine also packs switchable AMD graphics and lasts more than five hours on a charge--and thats without the optional battery slice that adds several more hours of juice. Does this 13-incher provide enough bang for your buck to bring down the champ?
Design
Aesthetically, the Sony VAIO S follows a less-is-more path. The notebooks jet-black magnesium lid is highly resistant to fingerprints and smudges. (You can also order this version of the VAIO S in platinum silver.) The chrome-plated VAIO insignia and hinge are the only exterior flourishes. The polished hinge looks attractive, but it didnt feel as sturdy as the rest of the system. The lid on our unit occasionally wobbled back and forth when we lifted or moved the notebook.
Following the same minimalist design as the exterior, the interior features a black aluminum deck with a smaller version of the VAIO logo and the mouse buttons done in chrome plating. The deck sinks in at a subtle angle, where it houses an island-style keyboard. The only splashes of color come from the gray touchpad, the purple text on the ASSIST button, and the power button that glows green when the laptop is on and pink when its sleeping.
The 13.0 x 8.8 x 0.9-inch VAIO S is around the same size as the 13-inch MacBook Pro (12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inches), but it weighs in at a waif-like 3.6 pounds, nearly a pound less than the Apple (4.5 pounds) and a little less than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 (3.8 pounds). However, the VAIO S weight increases to 4.8 pounds--and its thickness to 1.3 inches--when its slice battery is snapped on, making it heavier than the MacBook Pro.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The VAIO S has an island-style backlit keyboard with generous space between its large black keys. The keys provided firm and ample feedback, which combined with the soft-touch palm rest allowed us to type comfortably with few errors. Using the Ten Thumbs Typing test, we achieved a strong score of 86 words per minute, a little higher than our typical 80-wpm average.
Multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, two-finger rotation, and flicks were quick and responsive on the large and smooth 3.7 x 2-inch touchpad (made by Alps). However, it took more swipes than wed like to get from one side of the desktop to the other. Despite having a fingerprint sensor positioned between them, the long touchpad buttons were easy to activate. We just wish the fingerprint scanner itself made it easier to register a finger; we regularly received error messages telling us our swipe was either too fast or too slow.
Heat:
After 15 minutes of streaming Hulu at full screen, the VAIOs touchpad registered a chilly 85 degrees Fahrenheit, while the space between the G and H keys measured 91 degrees. The bottom of the laptop was slightly warmer at 97 degrees, two degrees warmer than what we deem to be comfortable. The hottest point on the VAIO S was the vent located under the back hinge, which kicked out hot 113-degree air.
Ports and Webcam:
The right side of the VAIO houses one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet, a VGA port, an SD card reader, a Memory Stick PRO Duo media slot, and a power jack. The left side features a Blu-ray drive and a headphone jack. On the notebooks front lip sits the wireless switch.
Sony is so confident that the VAIO S is a superior ultraportable laptop that the company proudly compares the notebook to Apples 13-inch MacBook Pro. And in a lot of ways this notebook is better, thanks to a lighter weight, higher-resolution display, more storage space, and a Blu-ray drive. This $1,399 Core i5 machine also packs switchable AMD graphics and lasts more than five hours on a charge--and thats without the optional battery slice that adds several more hours of juice. Does this 13-incher provide enough bang for your buck to bring down the champ?
Design
Aesthetically, the Sony VAIO S follows a less-is-more path. The notebooks jet-black magnesium lid is highly resistant to fingerprints and smudges. (You can also order this version of the VAIO S in platinum silver.) The chrome-plated VAIO insignia and hinge are the only exterior flourishes. The polished hinge looks attractive, but it didnt feel as sturdy as the rest of the system. The lid on our unit occasionally wobbled back and forth when we lifted or moved the notebook.
Following the same minimalist design as the exterior, the interior features a black aluminum deck with a smaller version of the VAIO logo and the mouse buttons done in chrome plating. The deck sinks in at a subtle angle, where it houses an island-style keyboard. The only splashes of color come from the gray touchpad, the purple text on the ASSIST button, and the power button that glows green when the laptop is on and pink when its sleeping.
The 13.0 x 8.8 x 0.9-inch VAIO S is around the same size as the 13-inch MacBook Pro (12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inches), but it weighs in at a waif-like 3.6 pounds, nearly a pound less than the Apple (4.5 pounds) and a little less than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 (3.8 pounds). However, the VAIO S weight increases to 4.8 pounds--and its thickness to 1.3 inches--when its slice battery is snapped on, making it heavier than the MacBook Pro.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The VAIO S has an island-style backlit keyboard with generous space between its large black keys. The keys provided firm and ample feedback, which combined with the soft-touch palm rest allowed us to type comfortably with few errors. Using the Ten Thumbs Typing test, we achieved a strong score of 86 words per minute, a little higher than our typical 80-wpm average.
Multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, two-finger rotation, and flicks were quick and responsive on the large and smooth 3.7 x 2-inch touchpad (made by Alps). However, it took more swipes than wed like to get from one side of the desktop to the other. Despite having a fingerprint sensor positioned between them, the long touchpad buttons were easy to activate. We just wish the fingerprint scanner itself made it easier to register a finger; we regularly received error messages telling us our swipe was either too fast or too slow.
Heat:
After 15 minutes of streaming Hulu at full screen, the VAIOs touchpad registered a chilly 85 degrees Fahrenheit, while the space between the G and H keys measured 91 degrees. The bottom of the laptop was slightly warmer at 97 degrees, two degrees warmer than what we deem to be comfortable. The hottest point on the VAIO S was the vent located under the back hinge, which kicked out hot 113-degree air.
Ports and Webcam:
The right side of the VAIO houses one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet, a VGA port, an SD card reader, a Memory Stick PRO Duo media slot, and a power jack. The left side features a Blu-ray drive and a headphone jack. On the notebooks front lip sits the wireless switch.
