Sony Haswell Ultra-Polar Pro Reviews

Would you like to buy a laptop? then MacBook Air. Many people would advise people to buy Apple's MacBook Air. Because it is Apple's cheapest and thinnest laptop, and fast enough, there is a comfortable keyboard and responsive touchpad, plus battery life is more durable. These advantages are enough to make MacBook Air the best choice for people.

This year, however, every computer maker seems to be trying to change the situation. Toshiba Kirabook offers parameter specifications, sizes, and even Apple's best service. Almost all computer manufacturers focus on the quality of their products. Windows devices are creeping forward, chasing Apple's footsteps, and Apple is no longer the only product that stands at the top.

"We are going to declare war on Apple's MacBook Air. "VAIO product manager Travis first told me. So what is Sony's weapon? The 11-inch and 13-inch Vaio Pro ultra-polar pc. They are lighter in weight than MacBook Air, have higher resolution than MacBook Air, have better parameter configurations, and have almost the same price tag. The 11-inch Vaio Pro is priced at $1149 (about 7050 yuan) and the 13-inch model is priced at $1249 (about 7664 yuan).

Exterior design

If it weren't for the crazy light and thin, you wouldn't be able to beat the MacBook Air, but two points Sony did. The 13-inch Vaio Pro pc weighs 2.34 lbs (approx. 1.06kg) and is only 0.68 inches (approx. 17mm) thick and can be compared to the MacBook Air, but weighs about half a pound lighter than the MacBook Air. The 11 inch Vaio Pro Ultra-slim computer is quite thin and weighs only 1.92 lbs (about 870g). The advantages of VAIO Pro are very obvious, from the touch screen to the impressive configuration of the parameters, these laptops are an incredible engineering feat.

However, the price of light is to pay, these two VAIO Pro ultra-computer looks so fragile and fragile. Every time I hold a corner of it, I feel it has some bent carbon-fiber fuselage. When tapping the screen, the lid will move backwards, and when typing, the entire pallet will move down. In particular, the 11-inch model is more pronounced. The 13-inch model has some bends. Apple's MacBook Air, by contrast, is much more robust and Toshiba's Kirabook can also be the enemy of Sony Vaio Pro's hyper-computer.

Sony VAIO Pro Extreme This computer has two exterior colors, silver and black, in each size. I prefer black, especially if it can cover up scratches and feel easier to hold in hand. It has a more fashionable and cool design, and the Vaio's large logo design sparkles in the central location. The matte keyboard and metal drawing process palmrest form a unique double tone that I like very much. The models I tested put blue stickers on the palmrest, but Sony said they would provide the user with a black or silver palmrest to match the computer's appearance color. I think so too, so that they will be more matched.

Sony VAIO Pro Extreme This computer corner of the wedge-shaped design, but the end of the place compared to the side, not mellow, in the hands of some uncomfortable. When you put Vaio Pro on your lap, you'll feel the same, sharp corners with some legs, or a pair of jeans. There is a solution to this problem and the excellent configuration of the parameters, which is to put the computer on the table and use it so that there is no such problem.

Keyboards and touch panels

The two colors and sizes of the VAIO Pro super-computer features are mostly the same, the advantages and disadvantages are basically the same, but they are also very different between the difference: keyboard. That means the 13-inch keyboard is decent, but the 11-inch keyboard is really bad. Although the 13-inch keyboard has some bending when typing the input, but the key is large enough, and the bond distance is also possible, although the function keys are not perfect, but the most basic things are still there. Overall, it's a good physical keyboard.

However, the 11-inch model of the keyboard is not very good. First, the screen size is limited, the layout is compact, the button is small. The point is that the model has a backlit keyboard, especially the silver version of the backlight is not good. The backlight is bright and can be disclosed from both sides of the button and can be made through some translucent silver buttons (13-inch keys are black and opaque).

When the backlight is turned on, it's hard to see the letters on the keys. Not just because it doesn't look good, but because it gives you the feeling that you're typing on a keyboard that doesn't have a letter mark. This is not only related to aesthetics, when the backlight is open, the 11-inch model of the keyboard can hardly be used, this disadvantage is fatal. I can't say here, you'd better just buy a black Vaio pro.

Two models of the touchpad are very similar-in the middle position, some of the sunken, the mouse button feel good, but not accurate. Overall good, smooth operation, responsive. There are some inconsistencies in the edge gestures, a little work, a while, the cursor will stop moving every now and then, and then it will appear on the screen somewhere else, sometimes at a standstill, when you need to restart your computer (this happens three or four times in one weeks). I just want to say that I prefer to switch to keyboard shortcuts, and I don't want to use this edge gesture anymore.

I found myself having a lot to learn on the touchpad-but it also had its own problems.

Screens and speakers

Sony's two VAIO Pro ultra-Extreme PCs feature a high-resolution HD screen with 1920x1080 resolutions, which are all two screens that are good, visible, bright, and well-contrasted. Things on the screen look good until Microsoft makes Windows browse to better fit the high-resolution screen, pixel density is not the universal key to crack everything.

First of all, the 11-inch VAIO Pro super-computer, most of the Web site on the screen is very good, small to most of the font is not visible, but the two sides left a lot of blank. Take the Verge website for example, its width is 1020 pixels, which means that unless you zoom in, otherwise the screen will leave 450 pixels blank, our site will only occupy half of the screen. The text is clear, sharp, and pixel density is high, but the icons on the website look very small. Even a 1080p video on a 11.6-inch screen can look small, and many details are not visible. You can adjust the DPI to 150% (in the Control Panel). I can't even believe I'm here to say this, I'd rather have a 1440x900 resolution screen, or a MacBook Pro 1680x1050 resolution. Both Apple and Google have told everyone how to browse the operating system on high-resolution screens, why is it so hard for Microsoft?

However, these problems can be avoided on a 13-inch model. It has enough space to operate. The VAIO Pro screen is great here. The touch response is very sensitive and the viewing angle is very good.

The voice of VAIO Pro appears to be coming from under the keyboard, a place where Sony is suspected of copying Apple designs: There is nothing to write about the speakers. Not loud enough, nor very clear-they are not necessarily worse than most laptop speakers, but there is nothing to be proud of.

Windows effects

Sony's two VAIO Pro laptops are running the Windows 8 operating system. The 11-inch base model features an Intel 1.6GHz Core I5-4200U processor, built-in 4GB memory, a 13-inch model with an Intel 1.8GHz Core I7-4500U processor, and 4GB memory, two of which are selected from Intel's newest Haswell platform. The 13-inch model is also equipped with a PCIe SSD that runs at a faster rate than a standard SSD. The 11-inch model can handle most of the issues, and there will be occasional small stagnation, which will not occur on a 13-inch model. You may want a better model than the basic model, after all, 1080p HD screen needs enough power to drive. 8GB of memory is better for multitasking-it's a valuable upgrade.

There are some disturbing factors in these two models. WiFi connection is bad: I can't see the network when I connect, and I see the "Restrict connection" icon many times. I don't know what's going on, especially the touchpad is sometimes fickle, and it's annoying to use these devices.

The expansion software on the two Vaio Pro models is the same, similar to most Windows laptops. There are many pre-installed applications, such as Sony's music, albums, and some Microsoft games. Only two I would really use, one is a social network and the other is the Sony artrage Studio drawing application. Kaspersky Internet Security and Intel's anti-theft software always pop up from time to time, and if you want, you can unload them and not spend too much effort.

Haswell, Intel's latest generation of computer processors, promises a significant boost in graphics and battery life. In terms of graphics performance, I've noticed only a little bit of improvement-you still don't expect to play games on Vaio Pro, such as BioShock Infinite or Call of Duty:modern Warfare 3 completely. And the battery life is a very good improvement. In the Verge Battery test, the screen brightness is adjusted to 65%, 11-inch Pro provides 6 hours and 30 minutes of battery life, and the 13-inch model offers a 6-hour 53-minute battery. Sony also provided a backup battery for each model, which is said to extend the battery life by one time, unfortunately I did not get the battery, so I could not test.

Summarize:

Advantages:

Ultra-light, ultra-thin;

The screen is good;

Excellent battery life.

Insufficient:

The fuselage has some bends;

The touchpad and WiFi are behaving poorly.

If I were to buy a Windows 8 super-computer Now, I would not choose any products with hinges or deformed designs. I would choose a 1249-dollar 13-inch Sony VAIO pro--but more importantly, the entire Windows 8 ecosystem, not the recommended Vaio Pro.

Sony has finally found a way to combine features such as high-resolution screens, impressive performance, excellent battery life, and ultra-light, ultra-thin designs. Although it's done well, I don't think it's enough. For $1249, I want a product that's not so fragile and the touchpad won't wander from time to time. Apple's MacBook Air is a success because every part of it is functioning properly, though it has no earth-shattering feats, even flawless. Sony is working in this direction, and the 13-inch Vaio Pro is less delicate than the MacBook Air.

The 11-inch model sucks, it's lighter and thinner, and it's the thinner body design that makes the product itself a quality problem. Small screen size, but the resolution of the touchscreen is particularly high, very impractical. Battery life is also possible, but in terms of performance than a 13-inch product lag-especially the 13-inch model is also very thin, it is difficult to find a reason to save the $100 to buy this bad 11-inch model. Of course, you can have a better choice and save $150 to buy a 11-inch MacBook Air.