Physical impressions of a few subnotebooks (Acer 4820/ Vaio Z|EA/ Lenovo Y460)

I wasn't entirely sure where to put this, but since I've been visiting the Acer forums lately I thought I'd put this post here.

As of late I've been shopping in the subnotebook market segment (13"-14"); specifically of interest were the
Acer 4820
Vaio Z and EA16
Lenovo Y460
All are similarly sized, configured, and priced (except maybe the Vaio Z)

I know many of you shop online in the US and do not have the luxury of comparing all the notebooks side by side even at a Best Buy. Specifications are easy to grasp since you all have access to benchmarks. So hopefully I can provide my subjective experience below to aid you in your decisions since you've all been so helpful in guiding me.

Notes about keyboard flex from my perspective: I am 5'7" (not a big person) and type with a light hand where I do not leave a lot of my weight in my palms when I type, and do not punch the keys for God's sake.

Sony Vaio Z
- The laptop is small (13") with an extremely thin screen lid. The lid flexes substantially when you attempt to close the lid while applying force to only one corner of the screen. The lid flexes the most out of all the laptops viewed.
- The palm rest dips under weight. If you are light handed it will not, but if you are a 200 lb man who rests his weight on his hands when typing it will dip.
- The entire base of the laptop is very sturdy and well built and contrasts from the flex in the lid.
- The keyboard does not flex and is well spaced and designed. No troubles for people with big hands.
- The display is beautiful at 1600x900.
- The laptop is the lightest of the pack at 1.5kg. The light lid probably contributes to the weight.

Sony EA16
- The touchpad is unfavorably plasticky with a textured surface. Navigating the cursor across it is not quite as comfortable as the other laptops especially the Z and Acers.
- The lid construction is sturdy, exhibiting small screen flex.
- The construction is somewhat bulky where the laptop is sized larger than the constituent components.
- The keyboard is nicely sized much like the Vaio Z and does not flex under typing (unless you are an ape).
- The display is unremarkable to bad. I looked at 3 EA16s at 3 different stores, and in one store the display was extremely washed out - white in color.
- The weight is decent to favorable given the appearance of its size.

Lenovo Y460
- The Y460 has a very sturdy lid construction that exhibits slight screen flex, less than the EA 16.
- The keyboard exhibits slight keyboard flex under applied pressure, but is fine if I just type normally.
- The keyboard layout is a bit crowded and compact using the old style keys; whereas the Vaio and Acers use raised keys with spacing. This may prove to be a problem if you have big hands. I was able to type normally without punching the wrong keys, but it just felt "old".
- The Y460 was the heaviest of the bunch at 5lb+, yet did not feel substantially better in construction quality. It felt as if it were on the heavy side of the subnotebook market.
- The screen was unremarkable at 1366x768.
- The touchpad was a similar textured plastic dip in the palm rest similar to but better than the EA16.

Acer 4820
- The 4820 exhibited slight palm rest flex under applied pressure.
- The keyboard is nicely spaced, and the raised keys are nice but may cause you to slip off the key if you are not accustomed to the style. The keyboard itself flexed more at the edges than in the middle. While typing it did not flex noticeably.
- The screen does not flex as much as the Vaio Z but more than the EA16.
- With the absence of the battery, the area above the battery at the top of the keyboard dips easily under light pressure.
- The laptop is incredibly light for its appearance and size.
- The display is yet another unremarkable 1366x768. Colors seem fine and brightness is good.
- The touchpad is really smooth and comfortable to use.

End notes:
In earlier posts I noted the available 4820 model only had 2gB RAM, but I asked the clerk and said it was 1 DIMM so he could add an extra 2gB in the 2nd DiMM slot for $50.

I looked at a MacBook Pro and it was by far the sturdiest machine I touched. In reference I would rank "sturdiness" in lid flex below. I don't think I spent enough time to give an overall ranking of build quality except that the MacBook was the best.

Lid flex:
MacBook Pro < Y460 < Vaio EA16 < 4820 < Vaio Z

I also picked up an ENVY 15 which was the hottest thing I touched. All the machines are left idle in the stores. None of the laptops were noticeably heated while idle. Obviously heavy load will produce different results, but you should know better than to game on your lap.

Final Thoughts:
Going through and trying out all the laptops while taking notes put things into better perspective for me. The construction of the 4820 is not nearly as alarming when put into perspective. While it could be much better, it was acceptable.

I seriously considered the Y460 but it felt bulky like the EA16 in terms of being larger than it should be. The Y460 definitely offered more in terms of hardware specifications (due to the lack of models here in HKG). I am also not a fan of the keyboard. One can also tell that it is better constructed than the 4820, but not anywhere near ThinkPad/MacBook quality.

The EA16 seemed like a typical consumer laptop. Unremarkable in most regards compared to the other machines which had unique qualities in either weight or design. The EA16 does however come in the most case colors, and does have a better style than the Y460 (subjective).

I hope this helps someone; remember this has been super subjective observations on my part so take it with a grain of salt. Feel free to ask questions!