The Vaio S13A190X I reviewed still outperformed most ultrabooks, but as you can see, the difference is sometimes in terms of seconds. It matched up surprisingly closely with the 1.9GHz Core i7-3517U ultrabook CPU seen in the Acer Aspire S5 391-9880, an indicator that the gap between "full-fledged" dual-core laptops and ultrabooks is diminishing by the month.
Sony vaio s series 13 series#
With a third-gen 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-3210M processor, the Vaio S Series 13P handled everyday tasks very well.
Sony vaio s series 13 upgrade#
One thing you can't upgrade is screen resolution. Upgrade options are plentiful: you can pick from a trio of Core i5 or i7 processors, Nvidia 1GB or 2GB graphics, up to 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of hard drive storage or 512GB SSD, and even an optional Blu-ray player or burner. The average user can probably skip that $119 upsell and go for the Enhanced version (the review unit sent by Sony is the Premium model). Premium, based on what we can suss out on Sony's site, includes TPM for business security, solid-state drive (SSD) storage options, and a fingerprint reader. Enhanced and Premium include Nvidia graphics, but the differences between Enhanced and Premium are harder to appreciate. The Vaio S series comes in three pricing tiers: Standard (starting at $799), Enhanced (starting at $999), and Premium (starting at $1,119). The pricing and distinctions between various Sony models can often get confusing, and with the new Vaio S it's not much easier to understand. This $1,199 Vaio S Series fits a nonultrabook (meaning, faster) third-gen Core i5 processor, a 640GB hard drive, 6GB of RAM, a slot-loading DVD drive, Nvidia graphics, and a higher-res 1,600x900-pixel display into the package. The Vaio S Series 13P's got you covered when it comes to ports and features: USB 3.0, a USB 2.0 port that can charge while the laptop is powered off, Ethernet, HDMI, and VGA along with two media card slots (SD and MagicGate/Memory Stick) line the Vaio's right side, while the slot-loading DVD drive sits alone on the left next to an oddly placed rear headphone jack. Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacksĢ USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0 w/power-off charge, SD card reader, MagicGate card readerĮthernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone combo jack When playing music, though, some bass notes sounded distorted.Ī 1,280x1,024 HD Webcam had good light sensitivity in a dim office, but exhibited a grainy quality using the included ArcSoft WebCam Companion software. They're surprisingly noisy when playing games or watching movies and have some excellent treble for spoken word - sound effects in an episode of "Breaking Bad" actually had pop.
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Stereo speakers, heralded by Sony for having Dolby definition, sound louder than expected. Just make sure you look at it straight on. Unfortunately, the screen has terrible off-axis viewing angles, as compared with a superior display like the one on the Samsung Series 9. The 13.3-inch matte display does a good job of keeping glare away in an office the screen's 1,600x900-pixel resolution is a step up from the average 1,366x768-pixel resolution of most 13-inch laptops, and colors and text alike pop vividly. Most of these programs can be launched via a pop-up Vaio Gate toolbar that hovers from the top of the screen. They're an alternative to Apple's suite of iLife software.
Sony vaio s series 13 movie#
Sony's preinstalled software includes a whole suite of video and music tools: Imagination Studio Vaio Edition includes DVD Architect Studio, Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum, Sound Forge Audio Studio and ACID Music Studio, and Sony's PlayMemories and Media Gallery. It's an odd location for the button (usually it makes sense somewhere near the touch pad), but Sony includes a tool set for using the reader to consolidate log-in and account passwords.
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A more useful inclusion is the fingerprint reader located next to the Assist key at the top. You could adjust these settings on your own. Flipping it activates one of two power/graphics modes, but it's really unnecessary. Next to that is the odd Speed/Stamina toggle that persists from Sony's last-gen Vaios. A few dedicated buttons above the keyboard launch Web (a browser hot key), Vaio (Sony's photo/media software), and Assist (customer service help and diagnostics).