Recently I was given a Sony Vaio X Series to have a go with and review for your pleasure. So after digging through a big box to find what looks like a serious contender for world’s smallest laptop, I’ve been using it regularly for the past fortnight. Here’s my thoughts.
Review
First off, it’s a very beautiful little laptop. Little being the operative word. It’s 13.9mm thick which is by far the slimmest I’ve seen. It’s also so slim you could probably fit it into even the most over crowded backpack (although don’t do that without a case obviously since that would harm your laptop!) It’s incredibly light weight too, weighing just 780 grams due its carbon fibre and aluminium case, so very easy to carry around.
I do feel like I’m going to snap this thing in half though…
The thing that I like most design wise (apart from the fact I could successfully balance it on its corner in the palm of my hand like they do in adverts. Not that I tried of course because that would just be irresponsible… *shifty eyes*) is the well spaced keyboard. My big issue with laptops is that they’re a devil to type on, but this one genuinely does accommodate fat fingers and overly eager typers!
Plus, ok it’s very sleek and sexy and I did have a girly ‘ooh’ moment over the shineyness. But this is a serious review, so I won’t tell you that.
Right let’s stop the beauty contest and actually turn the Vaio on shall we?
The X Series comes with Windows 7 preinstalled, which as far as I can tell is a huge improvement on Windows Vista, running much more smoothly and making use of picture icons rather than the usual bars along the bottom of your screen. Amusingly, the hardware also includes a downgrade disc so you can go back to Windows XP. Lotta faith there Microsoft…
Actually Windows 7 is really good. I like the icons idea – much tidier than the old bar system. Other than that it looks just like Vista, except for a few new features such as sticky notes which are addictive! (But Windows 7 is a whole other review…).
So how usable is the Vaio X Series then? Well my first thought is that everything is very slick. Literally – I keep slipping off the mouse mat!
As I mentioned the keyboard was the big design point for me, and I’m happy to report that it’s really easy to type on to say it’s very small. Much better than the last netbook I had which you practically needed a stylus for. However, a common problem with every Vaio I’ve ever touched is the location of the shift key . Even on full sized laptops it’s a stupidly small size, so I constantly hit the up arrow instead, which is really annoying when you’re typing as your curser jumps up the paragraph when you wanted it to go down. I’d love to see that changed in future models, but I think it’s realistically something I’d have to get used to in the long run.
One thing I will say for the Vaio’s is that they always have really good speakers, and the X series is no exception. For its size it’s surprising how much volume you can get out of it. And it’s got great clarity, which is also reflected when it plays videos. I did have to fiddle with the zoom on the screen to make everything look a decent size, but after a while you forget that you’re not looking at a DVD playing on a 17” screen and 11” seems more than enough. So it’s true that size doesn’t matter then… The screen is also reduced reflection and uses LED technology to give a crisp picture.
Extra features include a build in SD card reader, and a built in Motion Eye webcam. I’d love to tell you all about the webcam, but unfortunately I haven’t managed to use it. There’s no built in programme to just use it on your own (otherwise it’s be a bloggers dream) and I haven’t happened across a friend on MSN during the trial period who had a webcam.
While I was playing about, one of the things that really stood out for me was how good battery life is – I had mine on for just over three hours on its standard battery. The website says it could do eight, but I would guess that is really only obtainable if you’re not using much, whereas I’m that person who tends to have a million and one things open at once. But my three hours included not only an intense session on word and the internet, but also playing videos, photo editing and listening to music, so I really did hammer the laptop into the ground. Would be nice to get eight hours, but three is still impressive. And if you do want more, you can buy an addition which promises to give you up to 16 hours of battery life. Now that would be impressive!
The Gaj-It Verdict:
Design: 9/10
Usability: 9/10
Features: 8/10
Value: 7/10
We Say
Overall I love the Vaio X Series. Perfect for the jet setter, but just as usable in the home, and a really nice little laptop. Now here’s the catch. The model I’m using, which has the 256GB SSD Flash Drive, will cost you £1800. Very pricey. You can also get a 128GB version for £1300.
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