SECOND UPDATE
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(1) Speakers
(2) Build
(3) Temperature/fan noise
(4) Tips
(5) General Thoughts
(1) Speakers: I know some of the professional reviews said they aren't the greatest but they are not terrible for the size. No, you're not going to get blown away and you're not going to get deep bass. The built-in speakers are located around the hinge, facing up and slightly toward the screen. The sound doesn't get distorted at max volume and fills a standard room pretty adequately at max volume. I'm sure the small size also provided some challenges for the engineering team, so I'm not disappointed.
(2) Build: The more I play with it, I'm not convinced that it's mainly carbon fiber. I sense that there is a decent amount of "plastic-y" material in there but I'm not complaining. The only issue it gives me is the accuracy of the trackpad when not on a hard surface (see the second update to this review below).
(3) Temperature/fan noise: OK, I'll concede a little here with some of the other reviewers. I'm not so concerned with the noise as much as I am with the durability of components that heat up this much. Yes, when the fan gets going, the exiting air temperature is very hot, and the underside of the laptop is as well. SpeedFan reported temps as high as 78 degrees Celsius (172 degrees F)!! That's hotter than any other desktop or mobile computer I've owned without additional heat-mitigating mechanisms. I just hope the components are able to handle that temp--at least it's an SSD instead of a traditional platter. It's also a little bit away from the hot components. The extended battery gives a little relief since it pushes the laptop up a little like a stand.
(4) Tips: There are quite a number of Sony updates to install including a firmware/BIOS update. When you click on the assist button the updates are listed under "software" instead of "updates". I got an error message installing Intel Anti-Theft indicating that the device was not compatible with it. It is. I was able to fix it by going into the BIOS settings and clicking on enable TPM and AT (even though it already was). After a few reboots, it recognized it OK. One thing that drove me crazy until I figured it out... the only way to get to the UEFI and BIOS settings was from a "shutdown" state, then pushing the "assist" button.
Another tip, this doesn't use the camera for light sensor as some have speculated. It uses the dedicated sensor next to the "assist" button. I personally do not like this since if a directional light is shining down on the device but not lighting the surrounding, it is thrown off. I have LED lighting in the main room of my house and it is constantly auto-adjusting the brightness. I believe there is a way to turn this off but I haven't played with it. It also has issues with adjusting brightness when your arm blocks the light for a few seconds. Why would your arm do that you say? Oh, I don't know, maybe because it's a TOUCHSCREEN laptop!! Come on Sony, so perfect in every other way! Again, not so bad that I would return it. I still think it's one of the best Haswell Ultrabooks on the market.
Purchase tips in the first updated review below.
(5) General thoughts: I haven't bothered to fix my Android tablet yet (the Asus TF300T is a pain to replace the digitizer unlike any other device I've owned). This has all but replaced my netbook and tablet that were used previously for separate tasks. All in a footprint smaller than either one individually. I am looking forward to the Windows 8.1 improvements. I have not installed the preview. I want to wait for the more stable release. On another note, the Intel Anti-Theft is $6.99 for one year on Amazon here.Intel 1 Year Anti Theft Service for Ultrabooks and Laptops Totally worth it for me. I take this everywhere.
FIRST UPDATE AFTER flying with this (and for the first time, without an additional tablet)
===================
(1) TRAVEL THOUGHTS
(2) CASES
(3) OTHER QUIRKS ("Flex", touchpad, wifi, fan)
(4) TABLET REPLACEMENT?
(5) PURCHASE TIPS
(6) TAKE APART/DISASSEMBLY
(1) TRAVEL THOUGHTS At first I thought a 13.3" device would be too big to use on the airplane comfortably especially if someone in front of me reclined. I must say this was not the case--furthermore, this is where the touchscreen really shines. Since it is very light, I can hold it closer to me and use it like a tablet without having the keyboard get in my way. The on-screen keyboard also helps for this. I had to ask my colleague to hold the laptop for a second and when I handed it to him he was shocked at how light it weighed!
(2) CASES: The EasyAcc 13.3 inch Laptop Sleeve Bag Case Cover Neoprene Shock Resistant Pouch Protective Handbag for Apple Macbook Air 13, Macbook Pro 13, Acer Aspire S3, Asus Zenbook UX31, Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, Samsung SERIES 9 NP900X3B, Toshiba Satellite Z830, SONY S... did NOT fit this ultrabook so be careful which MacBook Air Cases you choose. I ended up using this Case Logic QNS-113 13.3-Inch EVA Molded Laptop / Macbook Air / Pro Retina Display Sleeve (Black) because it also lets me use the ultrabook in the case itself and I can also stash my second really thin screen (GeChic OnLap--read my review there) GeChic On-Lap 1302 13.3 USB Powered Thin Slim LCD Monitor with ThunderBolt/Mini Display Port Adapter for Apple Macbook Pro Air 13 in the same case! I can also use the Case Logic 14" Case Logic LAPS-114 14-Inch Laptop Sleeve (Black) but it doesn't let me use the laptop in its case. TSA had no issues with either case and I didn't have to remove the ultrabook.
(3) OTHER QUIRKS: So, I think I have figured out the problem with some people reporting touchpad sensitivity and issues. The chassis is carbon fiber and has some "flex" to it. Therefore, if the ultrabook is not fully on a hard surface, and more specifically, half on a hard surface and the palmrest hanging off, the touchpad must be getting compressed inside somewhere as it bends between the palmrest and the touchpad. That is the only time I had issues. If it were fully on a hard or soft surface it operated normally. Imagine taking the laptop and pushing down on the palmrest while it is half over the side of a desk. That is what seems to be happening with me at least. Easy enough for me to adjust so it's a non-issue for me.
The fan noise that people are complaining about I must admit can get annoying sometimes, but I have not tried too much in the way of intensive operations yet. The initial DropBox sync (about 7GB for me) kicked up the fan a lot and it was noticeable. In airports and other areas, it wasn't too much of a distraction, but time will tell if I will be the "weirdo" with the noisy machine in day to day meetings, etc. Ah well, I guess I will have to avoid playing video games during my business meetings!
I did not experience any major Wifi issues other than with networks that do not broadcast SSID's. There are a large number of Sony firmware updates available so I would suggest installing them if you are experiencing issues with bluetooth, wifi, and NFC (which I haven't tried yet). My problem is that the Sony Vaio Update app keeps getting an error so I will contact Sony shortly.
(4) TABLET REPLACEMENT? My Asus TF300T's digitizer broke prior to my flight and it's a pain to replace so I haven't done that yet. Needless to say, I've used the Sony Vaio Pro 13 in many situations that I would have used the tablet for and honestly, I feel less restricted than under Android limitations (read: multitasking, productivity office apps, etc.). I have all but replaced it and since it actually weighs less than my TF300T with keyboard dock, I'm happy to be using this. Yes, it's a little bit large for some situations, so I might hold out and get a decent 8" Bay Trail tablet when they are released later in the year.
(5) PURCHASE TIPS: So, after playing with this for a while, and knowing that some options are pretty expensive, here is what I can offer: most of the components are fixed and not upgradeable. If you can afford it, go with the highest processor and memory that you can. The memory is soldered to the main board. The SSD, however, is Samsung's new XP941 PCIe "M.2" form factor SDD. While they are not available for sale (that I could find) other than to OEMs right now, it is likely they will appear in the market soon. Going from the base 128GB, it costs $220 for 256GB and $720 or so for the 512GB. While the speeds are among the fastest you will see today for SSD, I might be willing to hold off on that, especially since it appears to be user-replaceable (no confirmation on that but see below). Your best shot is to keep searching for them online and see when they pop up cheaper in the future.
(6) TAKE-APART AND DISASSEMBLY: While I have not tried it yet, there is now a good tear-down video () and pictures () so you can see for yourself.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
===================
In this review:
(1) In the box
(2) PROs (+)
(3) CONs/Quirks (-)
(4) Windows Experience Index Ratings, Battery Life, and Performance Observations
(5) Extended sheet battery thoughts
(6) Thoughts on travel/portability/business use
(7) General Thoughts and Thoughts on tablet replacement
(1) In the box: power cord and adapter with neat USB port in transformer, brief setup pamphlet, VGA Adapter.
I thought I would include this section because there was some confusion as to whether the USB-powered Ethernet wireless router that attaches to the power adapter was included. Sadly, it is not. It is also not listed as available for sale (as of this date) in the US. If you need the part number (since it's hard to find), it's VGP-WAR100 and is available on Sony Asia's website ()
(2) PROs
Great battery life (later)
Super thin AND great battery life!
full-size spacing on keys
Tight integration between hardware and Windows 8 (even some 8.1 features done Sony-style on Windows 8.0)
Screen lifts for the most part with one hand (better than I could have expected)
brightness is decent
Carbon fiber build seems flimsy (because it bends) but actually feels and appears to be durable (if that makes sense)
Really light.
Did I mention that it's really thin and light?
(3) CONs/Quirks (not all are really terrible and I've overcome some as described)
Yes, there is a known WiFi issue. Supposedly, Sony is working on a fix though not all their stores and call centers are familiar with it. However, that being said, I did not experience any major issues. Just in case, I have a WiFi adapter I can use if needed.
For me: lack of Thunderbolt port is a disappointment but I understand that Sony had to sacrifice some things for such a thin laptop. I would have preferred Thunderbolt over HDMI but that is just me and the market supports the decision to stick with HDMI right now.
Lack of Gb Ethernet. Really wished it had this but a lot of ultrabooks are forgoing this option these days. To overcome this, I purchased a nifty Asus USB router (see below under travel)
The large amount of flex in the build makes using the touchscreen difficult to use or at least not as "seamless" as it could be. The screen vibrates back and forth a lot with each press making for a slightly uncomfortable but bearable experience. It certainly does not replace a tablet feel (nor is it meant to so no stars deducted). It's just that it feels like the touchscreen could have been left out altogether but I must admit I still use it extensively over the touchpad (but maybe not over a travel mouse).
The sheet battery is not flush to the device (more on that below under the "extended battery" section).
The keyboard is a little awkward for me, but to be fair, I'm accustomed to a 12.1" netbook keyboard. The keys for me are spaced too far apart but I can still type pretty fast and it doesn't seem like it will take a lot of getting used to.
The lights for the backlit keyboard are visible from underneath the keys when you are looking at the device. It's kind of annoying and I wish it were just the letters that were lit instead of an outline of the keys.
Silly dedicated "assist" button launches Sony's troubleshooting and repair/recovery apps. I'd rather be able to customize a dedicated hardware button (and maybe I can?)
(4) Windows Experience Index, battery life, and other performance measures
Overall: 6.3 (internal HD4000 graphics being the limiting factor)
CPU: 7.1 (This is for Core i7 model but the rest of this review is relevant to this model)
RAM: 7.6
Graphics: 6.3
Gaming Graphics: 6.3
HDD: 8.6
It isn't meant to be a super high-end gaming machine. The idea here is thin and light...but seriously, it does a pretty darn good job at everything else while it's at it. Data transfer rates are extremely good. If I get a chance, I'll post some samples.
Battery Life is really really good. I use Battery Bar and it varies it's estimate based on use but going from a full charge on just the main battery without the extended sheet battery, it varies between 7-8.5 hours, way over Sony's 6.5 hours estimate. To be fair, I have only been installing software and not anything otherwise intensive. With the extended battery which is almost double capacity, I would easily believe Sony's 13-14 hour claim and then some. Time will tell and I will update if this changes.
Performance is pretty snappy and I haven't noticed any major hiccups but to be fair, I haven't done a whole lot other than web browsing and software installation. I'll update as time goes on if it changes.
(5) Extended Sheet battery thoughts:
Honestly, I have mixed feelings. Since there are really no pictures for this model, I thought I would post this so you have a good idea of what it is like. I will post a picture soon as well. For starters, it does NOT sit flush with the laptop. In other words, it adds a significant amount of depth (almost double) but at least it is a smaller footprint and not the whole side of the laptop. It serves as a stand while it is attached. One thing I do wish: the cover for the connector for the extended battery can be difficult to remove form the laptop (it has a spot to reattach to the extended batteyr to hold it in place but even that is a pain to do in a hurry. If I have to switch batteries in a hurry or switch to the extended, it can be irritating. A sliding cover would have been more practical (but I'm not sure if it's feasible space-wise)
(6) Travel and portability thoughts:
For me, extended batteries are almost a necessity and I'm so used to just ordering them that I ordered it with the device. As I am using this, I am actually thinking I wouldn't need it if I were just replacing my netbook/laptop. Since the sheet battery adds such significant battery life, I might use it to replace what I normally defer to my Asus TF300T tablet for (notes, travel, work on airplanes/trains, etc.).
I will update this review soon--I have ordered two different MacBook Air cases and will see how they fare.
I also ordered the Asus WL-300NUL pocket WiFi router (ASUS Multi-Mode Pocket Router (WL-330NUL). This can be used in much the same way as the Sony part I mentioned above with the added benefit that it can also be used as a USB ethernet adapter and standard WiFi adapter as well.
For travel, I also ordered a USB combo mini outlet surge protector Satechi Compact USB Surge Protector for Charging MP3 Players, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Windows Mobile Phones and an inline surge protector TRC 90510-10 Lap Top Surge Protector 3-Wire which should arrive soon.
(7) General Thoughts and Thoughts on Tablet replacement:
I was really hoping for a Haswell ultrabook convertible that would double as my desktop via a nice Thunderbolt dock for two monitors, GbE, USB 3.0 drives, etc. I was hoping for said ultrabook to also double as a tablet and take advantage of Window 8 handwriting recognition with a digitizer (this does not have a digitizer). In the end, while this may have been a purchase out of frustration in waiting or the "perfect" device to come along, I think I am happy with it. The near-instant on feature is nice so that certainly helps in pushing the case to replace my tablet. I can still think of a need for a decent tablet with digitizer (perhaps a future "mini" Windows 8 tablet with Bay Trail?). I thought about the Sony Duo 13 as well but the limited one angle kind of was a dealbreaker for me. In retrospect, it might be more of what I was looking for. The trackpad is becoming more and more of an after-thought for me as I use the touchscreen more so the fact that it is much smaller on the Duo may not be bad. At least it isn't behind the keyboard like on the recently announced Samsung device. The Asus Transformer Book Trio is probably the closest to what I wanted but it may not be released until much later this year. For now, I would say I'm very happy with the purchase and will continue to evaluate my needs as I go on in terms of living without a tablet.
I do hope that Thunderbolt becomes more common and is standard in the near future. Partly due to cost and partly due to ignorance, I think people are missing out on something great that might be too early for it's own good. It's almost like the "Apple Newton" was way ahead of its time and didn't succeed because of ignorance and cost until Palm released their version of the PDA when the market was "ready" for it. I'm hoping this is the time for TB.
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I am an executive and work in a technology company. Over the years I have owned a number of laptops, most recently the Lenovo X301, which was the best laptop I had/have ever owned. Recently, I decided to purchase the Sony Vaio Pro, mainly so I could get the Windows 8 experience on a touch screen device. In purchasing this new laptop I had a number of requirements -first and foremost that it be light and secondly that it boot quickly (when getting on and off airplanes, in flight, etc., I often don't have much time or the patience to wait for my computer to turn on or off). Additionally, I wanted a laptop that would adequately perform basic office functions, e.g., word processing, email, etc., and that had a sufficiently high resolution display so that viewing an occasional video would be a pleasure.
With these requirements in mind, I purchased the Vaio Pro -and only after adequately researching all the other options available. I am pleased to say that now, after having used this laptop for well over a month and under all the use cases which I typically experience (planes, cars, conference rooms, the office, at home, etc.,), the Vaio Pro 13 has exceeded my expectations in meeting all of the above requirements, and it is noticeably lighter than any laptop I have ever owned (the X301 was about 3lbs). Most surprising, though, is the boot time -about 2 3 seconds. This combined with the weight make it the perfect executive/office worker machine.
As for the negative comments this laptop has received in other reviews (poor Wi-Fi reception and loud fan). Frankly, I've not had a problem at all. The Wi-Fi has worked in every situation I have been in; it's speed is fine, etc. I really don't know what others are complaining about -as long as you use the latest drivers which can be downloaded from the Sony web site. The fan does occasionally run, but not often. Using typically office applications, web browsing and so on, it does not run at all (keep the computer settings on balanced performance). On the other hand, transcribing pre-recorded text using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, transcribing video or converting audio file formats while having the laptop set in high performance mode -yes, the fan will run, and in a dead quiet room, you will hear it. It will be "loud" -though not any louder than a fan in the back of many other desktop PCs or for that matter nettop PCs often used in home theater settings. My point, the fan noise (at least to me) is not even a nuisance.
Conclusion: This is a great laptop. My only complaint. Scratches show in the carbon fiber. It doesn't take long for the Sony Vaio Pro to look used. But then, I'm not worried about that. Use it is what I want to do, and carry it I must. The scratches, after all, don't add to the weight or take away from the performance.
Best Deals for Sony VAIO Pro SVP1321ACXB 13-Inch Core i5 Touchscreen Ultrabook
Love the high resolution screen, back-lit keyboards, light weight, battery life and fast start-up... Just what I need and want to be able to go around with my work. I would have given it a 5 if not for the below problems:
I had to return the first device within a week because of a bad USB port (broken pin), which was random problem anyone can run into.
Pre-installed Intel Anti-theft service is trash. Do not activate it without backing up everything! Not only it caused problems running some important software, its file protection service can lock or corrupt your important files even after you disable and uninstall it. It caused all my Office files stored in Dropbox folder and my Quicken database no long usable. This probably has nothing to do with the device itself, but something to call out.
Occasionally, after waking up from sleep mode, it will give you the Windows blue screen of death and restart. So you better make sure all you important works get saved before sleep.
Honest reviews on Sony VAIO Pro SVP1321ACXB 13-Inch Core i5 Touchscreen Ultrabook
Background: I'm a PhD electrical engineer/computer scientist and developer and consulting professional
I bought this laptop from Amazon and have now had it for a week. I carefully reviewed options and it came down to this laptop or buying a Macbook Air as I really wanted light weight, long battery life, and fast. After a week of intense work on the machine including updating to Windows 8.1, installing an extensive Python development environment, and doing work on a lot of different software (including LibreOffice), I have come to love this laptop. And I am a tough customer to please!
Things you will LOVE:
HARDWARE: Astonishingly thin and light and I genuinely like the look of it. It took a little getting used to but the character and look is nice and there are a number of nice small touches like the little clear "winglets" at the bottom screen edge that turn out to be support feet when you unfold it.
BOOTUP/SHUTDOWN: This was one of the most pleasant surprises! Most reviews of this laptop barely touch on the fact that it is fast to start and stop. The startup is easily as fast as my chromebooks or a macbook air and startup is just a couple seconds. Together with the very light weight and very good battery it has changed my approach to computing as there is now no overhead or minimum effort needed to start it up and use it. I can access my Sony VAIO Pro just as fast as going to the iPad when I need to jump into Amazon to buy something, so I use this laptop a lot more than my others.
-TOUCHSCREEN: I've been on the bandwagon that WINDOWS 8 was a mistake to insist on touch but it really works here. This was another surprise to me. The high quality and accuracy on the Sony together with the fact a laptop is close enough and well positioned for touch makes it more handy to just use touch rather than mouse or touchpad for a lot of things like accepting ToS, moving icons, or even using the menus in desktop mode apps. I was very surprised by this. Until this laptop I disapproved of touch sense screens on laptops/desktops.
-BATTERY LIFE: One of my goals was to have a light laptop with enough battery life that I can put the charger in my checked bags. This laptop fits the bill. I just finished a weekend torture test where I ran on battery from Friday night to Monday morning (not continuously, obviously). I did a lot of coding, a fair amount of web browsing, and lots of document review (over 80 pages). My particular work style turned in over 8 hours of battery life, so the Sony engineers have put together an excellent system of SSD and power savings. A nice review on Anandtech after I ordered found that the work-time per battery watt-hour of this laptop are astonishingly good.
Things that could be better:
-WI-FI: There is a lot of online argument about the WI-FI on this laptop so I've been carefully characterizing it everywhere. I have found that the WiFi is normally quite good *except* when sitting within about 5 feet of another, older, laptop that is accessing the same Wi-Fi on a direction that passes *through* the Sony VAIO. In that case the connection fits the online complaints perfectly with sub Mbps rates and infuriatingly long latency (e.g. pulling up Google Search takes ~7 seconds). This is the only scenario where I have found a problem and I am able to eliminate it by moving 10 feet. Additionally I found that the same spot next to the other laptop doesn't create a problem if I change Wi-Fi access points. This was infuriating when it happened (and is the only reason I don't give 5 stars) but now that I understand how to eliminate the problem I haven't had to deal with it.
-SCREEN ANGLE: I'm kind of mid-tall (not huge, above average) and find that if the laptop is sitting on my lap I have to tilt the laptop back because the screen doesn't bend back enough. Minor issue.
Overall this laptop is just a great game changer. The battery life is incredible and the startup time so fast that the two of those traits together make this laptop a practical replacement for grabbing the iPad when I want to get online for a few seconds and do something. Additionally, I can leave my programming environment going and hibernate the laptop and just open it up to code for a couple minutes while the kids are busy and I'm waiting. I wasn't able to do this before because my other laptops take too long to boot, are too heavy to have handy, and don't have the battery life to start up 20 times in a weekend.
Great laptop! I was worried about windows 8 and touch but this laptop makes them work really well do to high quality of build and very long battery life. I'm way more pleased than I expected!
I will update this as I find more details people may be interested in, feel free to ask questions.
Cheers
