Sony VAIO Z 2011 Review

The super-slim and super-light Sony VAIO Z wasnt just designed to take on ultraportables such as the MacBook Air and Samsung Series 9. This 2.6-pound wonder (starting at $2,000) attempts to take the entire category to the next level with a very unique dock thats powered by Intels blazing Light Peak technology. The bundled Power Media Dock adds a 1GB AMD graphics card, a Blu-ray drive, and the ability to support three external monitors simultaneously, making it a good choice for business users who need a lot of power.
Not that the VAIO Z isnt feature-rich on its own. Our top-of-the-line $2,749 configuration packs a fast Core i7 CPU, a full HD 13-inch display, backlit keyboard, and dual 128GB SSDs. An extra $150 gets you the optional sheet battery, doubling your endurance. Does the VAIO Zs versatility make it worth at least twice as much as the competition?

Design

The VAIO Z looks like the kind of laptop that would be at home on Christian Bales desk in American Psycho, and we mean that as a compliment. While the rounded edges on the MacBook Air and Samsung Series 9 give them more of a space-age vibe, this black machine is all about square edges and pointed corners, giving it more of a retro-80s look. (The front two corners are almost too sharp.)
Sony offers three color choices for the lid: Carbon black, carbon indigo, and premium carbon black. Ours came in Carbon black, which looks cool and classy.

The VAIO Z is made pretty tough, too, with a carbon-fiber back, lid, and bezel, as well as an aluminum deck and palm rest. We especially like the way the hinge drops down on this notebook, which, in combination with the metal stripe on the lids bottom, gives the VAIO Z a striking profile.
And what a thin profile this laptop cuts. The VAIO Z measures 0.65 inches thick, which is just a hair thicker than the 13-inch Samsung Series 9 (0.62-0.64 inches) and slightly thinner than the 13-inch MacBook Air at its thickest point (0.11-0.68 inches). At 2.6 pounds, the VAIO Z is also lighter than the Series 9 and MacBook Air (both 2.9 pounds). Still, the all-aluminum Apple and Duralumin-infused Samsung both feel sturdier. For example, when pushing back the lid on the VAIO Zs left side, we heard a slight pop.
The bottom of the VAIO Z houses a removable battery, though Sony says it prefers that customers have it replaced by Sony when the time comes. When you attach the optional sheet battery, the weight of this notebook increases to a still very manageable 3.6 pounds. Annoyingly, though, you have to screw, rather than snap, the battery into place.

Heat and Noise

Sonys engineers deserve credit for creating such a cool-running ultraportable with a full-power CPU. After playing a Hulu video for 15 minutes, the VAIO Zs touchpad measured 83 degrees, the area between the G and H keys reached 93 degrees, and the underside only registered 89 degrees. We consider anything under 95 degrees to be fairly comfortable. The only trouble spot was the bottom left side near the fan; this area hit 99 degrees.
Unfortunately, the VAIO Zs fan got pretty loud at times, especially when under a heavy workload. While installing a demo of the Homefront game with the Power Media Dock connected, the laptop sounded it like it was getting ready for takeoff.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Ergonomically, the VAIO Z doesnt impress as much as the competition. We appreciate the keyboards pale yellow backlight, which kicks in automatically. However, the flat keys on this chiclet-style layout dont offer much travel compared to the Samsung Series 9 or the MacBook Air. Worse, the right Shift key is tiny, and it sits right next to the up arrow. On several occasions, we went up a line in our document while attempting to capitalize a letter. Samsung made the better call by shrinking the arrow keys.
Above the keyboard youll find three capacitive buttons on the VAIO Z: Assist launches VAIO CARE software for troubleshooting; Web launches the browser; and the VAIO button launches Sonys Media Gallery software. When powered off, the Web button lets you get online without starting Windows.
Measuring 2.8 x 1.6 inches, the VAIO Zs touchpad is small but easy to find by feel, thanks to the textured oval pattern. Pinch-to-zoom, two-finger scrolling, and three-finger flicking all worked well on this touchpad; theres just not a lot surface area here. By contrast, the touchpads on the VAIO S (3.7 x 2 inches), 13-inch Air (4.3 x 3 inches), and the Samsung Series 9 (3.9 x 2.7 inches) offer a lot more room.
You can click on the center of the touchpad to make selections, or use the integrated buttons, which provided decent feedback.

Display and Audio

Bright, sharp, and sporting an anti-glare treatment, the VAIO Zs 13-inch display is one of the best weve seen on an ultraportable. The starting configuration of the VAIO Z features a display with a 1600 x 900 resolution, but our higher-end model came with a full HD (1920 x 1080) panel. Some might appreciate this level of detail, but we found it overkill for a 13-inch system; we had to zoom in on websites and documents constantly. In fact, we dialed down the resolution to 1600 x 900 to be more productive.
Nevertheless, a trailer of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows-Part II looked vibrant on this display. We could easily make out the reflections on a wood table as a snake slid over it.
The speakers on the VAIO Z underwhelmed. When streaming Florence and The Machines "Dog Days are Over" on Slacker, the audio was flat and tinny. Ironically, engaging the Dolby Home Theater enhancement technology (buried in the sound settings) resulted in harsher audio at maximum volume.

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