Sony's Vaio SVT1311M1ES
The ultrabook market is currently experiencing a run. Virtually every reputable notebook manufacturer has introduced at least one model in the past months. In contrast to notebooks, which are also designed to cover the mobile sector, ultrabooks feature a much higher computing power and have a much higher build quality. Sony now also presents an ultrabook with a 13.3 inch screen with the Vaio SVT1311M1ES. The ultrabook is made completely of aluminum. However, not only its looks are to excel, but also its inner values. A new Intel Core i3 processor in ULV version as well as a hybrid hard disk is to ensure that. The ultrabook's weight of 1.6 kilograms is also impressive.
Sony's Vaio SVT1311M1ES looks make an excellent first impression. The surfaces of (partly brushed) aluminum look very high-end and elegant. The feel also conveys this impression. Moreover, the aluminum case fits well to the ultrabook's design and can be best described with the word "elegant". The notebook's low build height underlines this even more. The screen can be opened comfortably using one hand and without the base unit lifting at the same time. You will notice how little weight the delicate display has when opening it. This however also has an impact on the screen's stability. The slightest pressure is enough to let the display warp. It seems that a few components in the display bezel exert pressure against the screen. We noticed a few marks here. The ultrabook's screen is also slightly elevated at the rear. Two small plastic feet serve as a tray for the ultrabook and the device's rear hovers in the air. This is to make typing more comfortable and improve the ultrabook's cooling. The user sees more aluminum when the device is opened. Our pressure tests show that the base unit is more rigid than the display. The wrist rest hardly yields under pressure and the frame around the keyboard is also very solid. The surface can only be depressed slightly in the keyboard's center. That is however still within acceptable limits and not noticed when typing.
Overall, the ultrabook's workmanship does not give reason for complaint. The aluminum case and good build let the user know that he is dealing with a high-end device. However, the screen should be treated with care because it is not exactly the stiffest due to its low thickness.
Connectivity
Ultrabooks usually do not score with their interface diversity and the Sony Vaio SVT1311M1ES is a small exception here. The user has to be satisfied with two USB ports, whereas one is a faster USB 3.0. Besides the power socket, that is all there is on the left. The other ports are on the right. In contrast to many other ultrabooks, there are two sockets for video signals - the one is an analog VGA out and the other a HDMI port. A network jack and a 2in1 card reader are also available. Thus, Sony's Vaio SVT1311M1ES's equipment is not bad for an ultrabook. The interfaces are limited to the laptop's sides. Therefore, you should take care when using big USB sticks or thicker plugs since they could lift the ultrabook here due to its low height.
Left: Power socket, USB 2.0, USB 3.0
Right: Audio jacks, card reader, HDMI, VGA, RJ45 (LAN)
Communication
Sony's Vaio SVT1311M1ES actually offers (almost) all communication options that you might want in a mobile device. Everything your heart desires is present, except for a UMTS modem. A network card from Realtek is available for cabled Internet access. It supports 1000BASE-T, 100BASE-TX and 10BASE-T speeds. An Atheros card is installed for wireless connections. It covers IEEE 802.11 b/g/n standards as well as Bluetooth version 4.0.
Maintenance
To access the ultrabook's hardware, you first have to remove the battery fastened with three screws. However, they are not the usual Phillips screws, but a special form. For example, the battery can be removed by simply using a coin. The battery is not built-in, like in many other ultrabooks and can be easily removed. The hardware is found underneath another cover.
Input Devices
Keyboard
A keyboard model with free-standing keys is used in Sony's ultrabook. The keys are not particularly big with a size of 14 x 13 millimeters. The gap between the keys is approximately 4 millimeters. Users with big hands could have problems and unintentionally hit two keys at the same time. Therefore, it is definitely advisable to try out the keyboard before buying the laptop.
When typing on the keyboard for the first time, you will immediately notice that the keys are very flat and hardly jut out of the base unit. That alongside the hard stop and short key drop can be irritating at first. It also seems like the keys do not provide enough feedback. After a while, you get used to it and you can type comfortably on the keyboard. In addition to the usual FN keys, marked in blue, Sony's Vaio SVT1311M1ES has three buttons above the keyboard. They are named "ASSIST", "WEB" and "VAIO". Software VAIO Care opens after pressing the "ASSIST" button. It lets you monitor your notebooks status. The key "WEB" opens the browser and the key "VAIO" either opens Media Gallery or PlayMemories Home software.
Touchpad
The touchpad in Sony's SVT1311M1ES is pretty wide but not very high. This again becomes obvious when looking at the touchpad's dimensions of 100 millimeters (width) x 56 millimeters (height) and a diagonal of 112 millimeters. No mouse keys are seen at first glance. Like Apple notebooks, the touchpad itself is the key and can be pressed at both lower edges. A clear click noise confirms triggering. This feature worked perfectly in the test. We were a bit unhappy with the touchpad's functions though. The touchpad often responded very sluggishly or jerkily. That gets very annoying and bothersome during use and does not really fit to a quality device like Sony's Vaio SVT1311M1ES. We however assume that the occasional jerks are due to the pre-series status and will be eliminated in the retail version. Multi-touch of course belongs to the touchpad's scope of functions. However, it also exhibits occasional jerks as in normal use.
Display
Sony builds a 13.3 inch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels into the Vaio SVT1311M1ES. The screen is equipped with a backlight and glare-type surface. The screen looks a lot smaller than 13.3 inches at first because it is enclosed by a pretty thick frame. We would have welcomed a somewhat thinner bezel and perhaps a bigger screen in return. As described in connectivity, there is a VGA out and HDMI port available to feed external monitors. The maximum resolution for external devices is 1920 x 1200 pixels.
Performance
Sony ultrabook Intel Core i3-2367M CPU with 1.4 GHz. It is supported by a 4 GB working memory and a 500 GB hard disk. The processor integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip takes care of video output. In addition to the 500 GB hard disk, the ultrabook has a 32 GB SSD memory (mini PCIe). However, the user cannot access it directly. It is managed automatically by the system. The SSD is clearly noticed during system booting or opening programs: it is extremely fast. This is also Sony's Vaio SVT1311M1ES main use - namely as a small, quickly available portable companion.
System information: Sony Vaio SVT1311M1ES
Processor
Intel's Core i3-2367M processor is installed in Sony's ultrabook. It is a so-called ULV (ultra low voltage) model with an exceptionally low consumption. However, that also affects performance. Both cores are not clocked particularly high with 1.4 GHz. Turbo Boost 2.0 is also not a feature of the ULV processor and thus it is not automatically overclocked during use. Nevertheless, multi-threading is possible and so it can process four threads simultaneously. Intel's HD Graphics 3000 is also integrated in the processor. Due to this limitation, the i3-2367M only has a TDP of 17 watts. "Normal" i3 processors are specified with a TDP of 35 watts.
So far, we have not had many 13.3 inch subnotebooks or ultrabooks in review. Comparisons with Sony's Vaio ultrabook are thus limited. Merely Toshiba's Portégé Z830-10N (2367M, HD 3000) features the same processor. Sony's Vaio ultrabook scores a bit better than Toshiba's Portégé in Cinebench R10's single rendering (64bit), so the test of only one core. Sony's Vaio accomplishes 2275.0 points while Toshiba's Portégé lags a bit behind with 2233.0 points.
In Cinebench R10 multi rendering (64bit), Sony's Vaio again lies in front of Toshiba's Portégé Z830-10N. The difference between both notebooks is very marginal. Sony's ultrabook leads with 5048.0 points to 4821.0 points for Toshiba's laptop. However, Sony's Vaio ultrabook is defeated when compared with the MacBook Air 13 inch 2011 (2557M, HD 3000) and 8266.0 points. But Sony's Vaio sooner belongs to the slower models when compared with other ultrabooks (comparison: Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH52B (2557M, HD 3000) 8349.0 points). Here it becomes evident that other ultrabooks are equipped with stronger processors.
System Performance
We used the PCMark 7 benchmark to assess Vaio ultrabook's system performance. Here, the ultrabook achieved 2371.0 points and places itself roughly in the midfield of similar notebooks. Toshiba's Portégé Z830-10N (2367M, HD 3000) scored slightly better with 2371.0 points and the MacBook Air 13 inch 2011 (2557M, HD 3000) is also clearly in the lead with 3561.0 points. These figures are however unimportant for everyday use. Sony's Vaio proves to be a solid work device for this field. Opening programs especially benefits from the 32 GB SSD drive.
Power Consumption
The ultrabook proves to be quite energy-efficient thanks to state-of-the-art energy saving technologies and hardware. It also has to be in order to achieve the run times Sony specifies. The idle consumption is 6.1 - 8.7 watts. When compared with other ultrabooks, the Sony fares quite well here. Apple's MacBook Air 13 (2557M, HD 3000) for example needs 6.0 - 14.0 watts. Sony's Vaio also does a fairly good job in load with 27.0 - 31.9 watts.
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Notebook specifications
Sony Vaio SVT1311M1ES
:: Processor
Intel Core i3-2367M 1.4 GHz
:: Mainboard
Intel HM77 (Panther Point)
:: Memory
4096 MB, DDR3-10600, 1333 MHz, max. 8 GB, 2 banks (1 free)
:: Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 3000, DDR3, 8.15.10.2626
:: Display
13.3 inch 16:9, 1366x768 pixel, N116BGE-LB1 , LED backlight, glossy: yes
:: Harddisk
Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380 , 500GB 5.400rpm additional hybrid hard disk, 32 GB SSD memory is managed by system (Samsung MZMPC032HBCD)
:: Soundcard
Intel Cougar Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
:: Connections
1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, Audio Connections: headphone out, Card Reader: 2in1 card reader (SD, MMC),
:: Networking
Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (10/100/1000MBit), Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter (bgn), 4.0 + H.S. Bluetooth
:: Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 17.8 x 323 x 226
:: Weight
1.6 kg
:: Battery
Lithium-Polymer, 19.5 volt
:: Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
:: Additional features
Webcam: 1.31 Megapixel, VAIO Gate, PlayMemories Home, Media Gallery, VAIO Care, VAIO Transfer Support, VAIO Update, VAIO Smart Network, Office 2010 preinstalled, Windows Live Essentials 2011, Adobe Acrobat X Standard, Adobe Reader 10,
sorce : notebook check
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