Sony VAIO Z Series Laptop Review

The Sony VAIO Z series of laptops was not on my radar when I started looking for a replacement laptop. As a fan of the discontinued TT series, I first looked at the Sony VAIO X series laptop. Though equivalent in size to the withdrawn TT line, the Sony VAIO X series lacked in computing power.

The Sony VAIO X series dropped off the list of contenders and the Sony VAIO Z series made it onto the list, even though the Sony VAIO Z series was a serious compromise on size.

In the box, were the laptop, power cable, and instruction manuals-certainly nothing to indicate that the laptop is Sony's premium business product. The first thing to no note is that the power cord is short. Shorter than my existing Thinkpad's anyway. Second notable fact is a lack of recovery discs. You will need to create them yourself.

The laptop was easy to get operating through a Sony wizard. Curiously, the wizard asked me to rate my likelihood to recommend the product. Given I'd installed a battery, pushed the power button and worked through a handful of set-up wizard screens, I gave the product a 5 out of 10. Seriously Sony, who would recommend a product after such limited experience?

Below are my observations of the Sony VAIO Z Series laptop after complete set-up and use of the system.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Design

Even Sony's worst design still out styles the standard business laptop makers best offerings. Compared to my current Thinkpad, the Sony VAIO Z series laptop is decidedly more chic.

The Sony VAIO Z series laptop, though larger than the X series, is still a small, lightweight laptop. Its dimensions are 8.3"x12.4"x1.3".and it weighs at about 3.3 lbs. Though definitely on the chunky side, when compared to the flood of cake cutter laptops to hit the market in recent years, the overall design compares favorably with business category ultraportable laptops.

One detractor from the laptops design however is the abundance of product stickers placed on the laptop.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Battery

One of the many stickers on the Sony VAIO Z Series laptop boasts up to 6 hours battery life with the usual qualifiers (depends on usage, settings etc). The reported battery life, in real world conditions, of the Sony VAIO Z series is a paltry 2 ½ hours. Switching to integrated graphics (more on that below), or purchasing an extended life battery, extends the battery runtime.

Actual runtime for business functions-email, word processing, spread sheeting and internet browsing scored a short 2 hours, with wireless turned off, and screen brightness reduced. The extended life battery is on my shopping list. Sony's extended life batteries sit under Z series like a wedge, tilting the keyboard.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Disk Storage

The Sony VAIO Z Series comes in a number of models. The model tested has a 320 GB 7200 rpm hard drive. Something to get used to is the constant running of the fan. Though not loud, there is a vibration felt through the keyboard, which can be distracting. In comparison, my Thinkpad's fan barely ever ran.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Screen

Again, Sony excels in this area. The Sony VAIO Z Series notebook does not disappoint. The 13.1" LED backlit 1600 x 900 display is crisp and clear, and comes with three font size settings.

Hulu streamed clearly and crisply giving a great viewing experience. High quality video playback capabilities are a must for me, and is the key reason I did not purchase a netbook.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Multimedia

As disappointing as the Sony VAIO X series netbook is in this category, the Sony VAIO Z Series laptop is impressive.

The Sony VAIO Z series laptop has hybrid (dual) graphics capabilities. There is a performance oriented discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9300 GM chipset, as well as Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, which can be switched without system restart. Both are HD video capable.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Keyboard

The Sony Z Series has a full sized widely spaced chicklet style keyboard. Simply, there is nothing I don't like about this keyboard.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Processing Speed

The Sony VAIO Z Series comes with an Intel Core 2 duo processor P8700 and 4GB DDR3 ram. Compared to the netbooks and Sony VAIO X Series I test drove, the Sony VAIO Z Series laptop is fast.

The system performed beyond expectation for computing and internet browsing tasks, and streamed Hulu without jumping or stuttering using either graphics option.

One note for IT users though. Some models of the Sony VAIO Z series laptops are not VM (virtual machine) enabled. It has been disabled in the BIOS. A key selling feature of Windows 7 is the ability to run software supported only on Windows XP in Windows 7 XP mode. This is not available on some models of the Sony VAIO Z series laptop without hacking the system. This may be a serious drawback for some business users.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Connections and Networking

The Sony VAIO Z Series sports 2 USB ports, a VGA and HDMI out port and headphone jack, SD card reader, an Ethernet port and comes with built in Verizon mobile broadband.

Sony VAIO Z Series - Price

Whether you like it or not, Sony laptops command a price premium. In any pro/con list of a Sony product, price is invariable listed as a con. The Sony VAIO Z series is no exception. It is a pricey machine. Considering the style and functionality it's a price I was willing to pay. Prices start from $1600 US.

Conclusion:

The Sony VAIO X Series netbook is a super sexy show pony, whereas the Sony VAIO Z series laptop falls more into the attractive workhorse camp.

If you're looking for a fashion statement and limited computing power, go the flashy Sony X series netbook. If your laptop will be used for more than coffee shop surfing, get hands on with the Sony Z Series laptop. What you are compromising in form, you will make up in computing power and functionality many times over.

After a week of business usage and video playback, if Sony were to again ask me the likelihood of me recommending the Sony VAIO Z series laptop, I'd give it a much higher score.

Sources:

Personal experience

www.Sony.com

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