| Home : September 23 2013 Computer News : Sony VAIO Pro 13 review: This audacious Ultrabook is guaranteed to get you noticed |
|
Sony VAIO Pro 13 review: This audacious Ultrabook is guaranteed to get you noticed |
September 23, 2013
Mix one part fashion sense with two parts high-tech wizardry, and you get Sony’s VAIO Pro 13. If you’re looking for a notebook that will turn heads when your manicured fingers slide it out of your Gucci messenger bag, this is the Ultrabook to buy.
In all seriousness, you needn’t worry that the VAIO Pro is all style and no substance. This amazingly light machine can handle just about any task other than hard-core games (due to its reliance on integrated graphics). Although the configuration Sony sent us for review has only a Core i5-4200U processor and 4GB of DDR3/1600 memory (just as Lenovo uses in its much-cheaper IdeaPad U430 Touch), the VAIO Pro also has a 128GB solid-state drive to help level the playing field. And whereas Lenovo provides a 1600-by-900-pixel panel, Sony goes for the full monty with a gorgeous 1920-by-1080-pixel display that benefits from the company’s expertise in designing and manufacturing HDTVs.
ROBERT CARDINThe downside to the VAIO Pro 13's razer-thin profile is that it has only enough real estate for two USB 3.0 ports. (Click to enlarge.)
The VAIO Pro’s chassis is enveloped in carbon fiber and looks sharp enough to slice a roast. Sony’s VAIO logo, rendered in chrome, is embedded in the lid, and a chrome accent strip decorates its back edge. When the machine is fully open, the bottom of the lid nicely elevates the rear of the computer, putting the keyboard at the perfect typing angle.
The Sony VAIO Pro 13 produced a very respectable Notebook WorldBench 8.1 score for a machine that’s outfitted with a Core i5 (as opposed to a Core i7) processor. (Click to enlarge.)
The backlit, island-style keyboard has well-spaced keys that are completely flat. Touch-typists might need some time to get used to them, as well as to the half-size arrow keys beneath the Shift key. Press the Assist button at the top of the keyboard, and you’re greeted with Sony’s VAIO Care utility, which offers helpful, if basic, troubleshooting advice.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2049120/sony-vaio-pro-13-review-this-audacious-ultrabook-is-guaranteed-to-get-you-noticed.html#tk.rss_reviews
|
|
|
|
|
