Official Vaio Pro 11 Owners Lounge (SVP11 2013)

Sony introduces their first 11" Haswell notebook as part of the Pro Series. The device is available in both glossy touch and matte non-touch version (varies by country).


Power your life on the go with tough, light VAIO® Pro : : Sony Press Centre

Processor	Up to Intel® Core™ i7-4500U with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Graphics	Integrated Intel® HD Graphics 4400
OS	Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro
Memory	4GB DDR3 1600MHz SDRAM
Storage	Up to 256GB SSD
Screen	29.4cm (11.6”) Full HD (1920x1080) wide (16:9) TRILUMINOS® Display for mobile X-Reality™ for mobile
Others	WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n Bluetooth® Ver. 4.0 + H USB 3.0 (x1), USB 3.0 with USB charge (x1) HDMI out SD memory card slot Stereo speakers with ClearAudio+ mode Front facing web camera with powered by ‘Exmor R for PC’ Backlit keyboard TCG ver1.2 Security chip (on Windows 8 Pro) NFC WiDi HDMI to VGA adapter AC powered Ethernet to Wi-Fi Router Optional sheet battery
Chassis	Uni-direction carbon fibre
Dimensions	Approx. 285 x 197 x 15.8 (non touch) / 17.2 mm (touch) (11.22" x 0.68" x 7.76")
Weight	Approx. 770g (non touch) / 870g (1.92 lbs) (touch) (with internal battery)

 

Just read through a review Engadget did on the Pro 11:

Sony VAIO Pro 11 review: finally, a new flagship ultraportable to replace the Z

Pretty strong recommendation there and excellent battery life. The keyboard and stiff touchpad seem to be the only major complaints.

 

And, very unfortunately, also too much fan noise, which is a shame. Sony must fix this!

 

Browsing Sony Japan I just stumbled upon a matte non touch version

770g

 

By George!
Sony will really get their act together on their website in the UK!
I tried to order one yesterday, but the prices were all jumbled up and way too high. Couldn't even order one the phone.
The problem was to be fixed today, but instead the website now lists the 13" model as being cheaper than the 11" model, so I still can't order. Not even over the phone.
I know that in a couple of days all this will be fixed and we'll laugh about it, but it just goes to show what a disorganised bunch Sony are at the moment.
If they ever want their "war on the Macbook Air" to be successful they'll need to do a lot better than this amateurish effort.

 

Is there really not enough space for 8GB RAM and 512MB SSD or is Sony just keeping the specs artificially low for whatever reason?

 

My guess is they wanted to differentiate somehow. Otherwise why offer two models so close in spec and weight despite screen difference? If they were going to do that IMO they should have offered the 4550 or 4650 as options on the 13, and have the 4500 as low end. Oh well.

 

Yea, RAM limit of 4GB is a concern. 4GB isn't enough. I wonder if this will change later on and they will offer 8GB option.

 

View attachment 97570
11" & 13"

It looks like both WiFi & SSD are M.2 devices!?

 

Anyone knows the pixelshader and opengl capabilities of this laptop?......and in my opinion this laptop is more like the x series than a replacement of a Z (which I wanted to get, kinda late now)

 

Hi

I'm from Singapore. As we will only get the Pro 13 on end June 2013 and the Pro 11 on Mid July 2013.

I'm lost to get the 13 or 11. But i like to confirm. the SSD on the 11 and 13 are they the same? 13 is using the PCIe connector so its faster? Or both are on PCie?

Can someone confirm?

Thank you.

 

As a writer (who also really needs the Pro 11's footprint and light weight) I am very pleased that Sony this time created a good keyboard with special regard to the size and location of the shift keys and arrow keys. For instance, in contrast to the bad Duo 11 keyboard, the Pro 11 has a big enough and well located right shift key, which strongly reduces the risk or tendency to perform too many mis-typings. (Also, the otherwise good VAIO P has the same bad keyboard solution with regard to the very important (at least for writers) right shift key, squeezed in as it is between the arrow keys, and that is too bad, considering that the VAIO P otherwise had many good qualities.)

Regarding the keyboard, I have one question that I hope can be answered by someone who has tried the keyboard "in real person": In some reviews it has been mentioned in a critical way that it is too flexible, "gives in" too much when the keys are touched. I think that this flexibility of the keyboard rather may be a quality of the keyboard, but I may be wrong: Someone who has a good or not good experience with the keyboard in this regard?

Regarding the new Pro 11, I am curious about the contrast between the letters/characters on the keys: Is there a difference between the black and the silver model regarding this? I am thinking both in normal day light and in a dimmer environment, where the backlit is on. Has someone experienced both models and their keyboards, so that they can bring their evaluation here to this forum?


One final thing that is important to me: How about the fan noise? Provided that actual period I am now asking about is a period when one only uses not heavy programmes (for instance only Word, and some browsing), how often will the fan(s) kick in? And if there is fan activity: Is it possible to say something about how much noise there is. (I will often be using the Pro 11 in a very quiet room with a couple of other quiet people around, translating a book.) I can mention that I now use the very old VAIO TZ, and its fan noise doesn't bother me (or us).

 

Hello,

Unfortunately, this thread isn't very active -- it doesn't seem like many people have the Pro 11 yet. I have ordered one, but it is being shipped from Japan (non-touch matte screen); I can try to answer some of your questions once I receive mine, but it may be a couple of weeks away.

The Pro 13 thread is much more active, and some of your questions may also apply to the Pro 13.

 

Thanks a lot for your willingness to reply after you have got some experience with your new VAIO. (And I certainly agree: It's very unfortunate that this thread has so little activity. I hope this will change after more people get the new VAIO Pros (11).

 

Given the massive similiarities of the Pro 13 and the Pro 11, owners of either 11 or 13 will be reading both threads anyway, in their own interest. I am much more interested in the 11 than the 13, yet the 13's thread has had a better start, hence is getting more attention that is being reinforced because the 13's thread now is where I myself and others interested in the 11 will be reading - and posting. Questions applying to both devices will hence likely be found in the 13 thread, whilst those that *only* apply to the 11, in here. In fact one might consider putting a sticky to both threads pointing users to the "sister" thread.

 

I received my Pro 11 earlier this week. The key travel is quite good for such a small thin laptop, and I did not detect any keyboard flex, so you need not worry. By the way, I would've expected a decent keyboard at a minimum, given Sony's decision to slightly taper the thickness of the unit toward the back, providing additional room (compared to my old Vaio X, which was equally thin from front to back, which I would otherwise have preferred). I would note, however, that the keys are quite small and may be difficult for touch typing for some hands. The overall keyboard size is I would guess about 80% of a full size, similar to my old Vaio X, a bit smaller than a Macbook Air 11 (from what I remember), and perhaps smaller than it needed to be (as there's some empty space on the sides, but perhaps there in order to help reinforce the frame). I'm absolutely satisfied with the keyboard, but I thought I should point out the sizing for anyone needing to touchtype extensively (in which case, perhaps the Pro 13 might be better).

 

bear in mind that you should not judge a keyboard before having typed on it for at least a couple of hours. --> after that time, some (typically those who have relatively slim fingers/fingertips - and practically all women, btw) are likely to *prefer* a keyboard exactly of the size of the pro 11 / vaio x, because you will have to move your fingers less / won't have to unnaturally spread your fingers. I have large hands (larger than average for a man), but slim fingers and I very much prefer the "cramped" keyboard size of 11" models to standard sized keyboards. in fact this is one of the reasons I prefer 11" notebooks (though I really can't understand why manufacturers don't do frameless. I think toshiba used to have frameless laptops years ago, in that laptop size. it is possible and we would get a ~12,7" screen without sacrificing compact dimensions.
moreover, reviews always complain about key travel. note how at the same time people are using touch (!) keyboards with obviously ZERO key travel. I HATE to much keytravel. same applies as above: type for a couple of hours on a keyboard like the vaio X's (not much keytravel, not much effort required to push down a key yet you clearly notice when a key has been hit) -> you will not want to go back. I have a high quality lenovo full size laptop keyboard for comparison and I hate having to type on that one. reason:I can type much LESS fast, and it is FAR more exhausting (due to more travel and larger distance between keys). I am always annoyed when I read reviews that complain about little-travel, little-resistance, "cramped" keyboards as if this were a disadvantage for everyone when in fact it an ergonomic advantage for many (in particular women, kids/teens, and I guess 30% of men - cumulated arguably half of the user base. reviewers should point out that much of keyboard ergonomics comes down to individual parameters and is by no means absolute. I encourage everyone who opts for a 13" model mainly because of the keyboard to reconsider / do some test typing.

 

Received my Vaio Pro 11 yesterday and posted some tips/thoughts about running Ubuntu on it here.

There's a small amount of keyboard flex but it seems less than the videos of pre-production units showed. Function keys are a little wobbly but nothing awful. The regular sized keys have a good feeling and level of travel. The texture to the touch pad is pretty good, but the left/right mouse button detection is a little weird. Partially a consequence of running a generic Linux driver for it. I'm pretty satisfied with the keyboard but I wish the touchpad behaviour were better or a trackpoint style pointer replaced it.

Somewhat annoying, the screen is marred by a bit of rainbow grain due to the touch sensor over the panel. Common issue with some kinds of touch screens, and this isn't the worst case of it, but if you value perfect screen quality there's some negative to the touch screen.

My battery life has been in the 4-5 hour range after fixing basic power management running Ubuntu. There's probably quite a few Haswell optimizations yet to appear for Linux and I'm running Ubuntu 13.10's development release which is going to generally be less power efficient than finished releases. This is slightly less battery life than I got on my 2012 MacBook Air running Ubuntu 13.04.

Build quality seems better than my Vaio Z11 was, so I'm fairly optimistic it'll hold up well but time will tell. It's about as light as my old Panasonic R6 - great to have something that size that actually feels like a powerful modern computer. At 1080p, I can run Starcraft II at ~35FPS on the lowest settings and Team Fortress 2 with medium settings runs at vsync (60 FPS).

 

I hoped that it would work without rebuilding the kernel, i use opensuse because it is easy and usually works everything, i will wait then, maybe in opensuse i can install it in uefi and dual boot, (it is supposed to do it) but without wifi it is a deal breaker for me, thx for your review using ubuntu

 

Yeah, Haswell support is just a bit behind. The kernel changes are tiny, distros will probably have this stuff fixed and included in a few weeks.

 

Hi all, got my Pro11 i5 128GB matt screen yesterday from Dubai
So far its an amazing laptop! but i have a question: any one notice the SSD write speed is around 130mb/sec using crystal or AS SSD ?

 

Can you please check in the device manager for manufacturer and model number of the SSD?
Also can you confirm the matte screen has an IPS panel (viewing angles). It would be great if you could post some pictures of the device too Thanks!

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

cant say if it is IPS! but if not, its a high quality screen on bar or better than my NP900X3C samsung the viewing angle is excellent and the colors are well saturated!

 

Just wanted to share this with you guy's: I was wondering if the SD slot in the SVP11 is a full insertion one, it turns out that it is !
the reason is that its the easiest way to increase the storage inside the SVP11, you can get a 128GB SDXC card from amazon for $80 with a read/write speed of around 40 mb/sec

 

dart22, I've ordered the matte Pro 13 and there aren't any photos of it online. Please may you post some pictures of the matte screen of the Pro 11 at different angles?

 

i live in India and have been using the Vaio X for over 2 years and absolutely love the small size. Now in its last legs, have been waiting for a new one from Sony to replace it. Though, here in India you only get the matte screen, non-touch, pure black (exactly like the vaio x). I am thinking of importing the touch screen carbon black pro 11 from the US, and am wondering why so many are lusting after the non-touch version? Will the touch screen not really be used by most? And the colour isnt it better? i usually have to have the lightest laptop out there and the non touch is actually 100g lighter, but for some reason i really want the touch screen (and carbon black) so it seems like an upgrade from the vaio x (not just the speed). Any thoughts?

 

Herr dark wolf & varuntuli: The Matte pro looks thinner than the touch screen so its supposedly lighter because of the lack of glass used for the touch, it also has less reflection and less finger stains. IMHO the touch screen is practical only with a tablet or a convertible like the vaio duo 11 (almost twice the wight!) or the lenovo yoga 11S (still heavier than the pro 11)
Ill try to post pics for my PRO 11 tomorrow
Cheers

 

Some pics i took for my PRO11 with matte non touch LCD...

 

dart22, what's the fan noise like when you set it to silent and do every day browsing/typing?

 

Thanks for the pictures Dart22. I like the look of the matte screen version, a lot more understated than the flashy touchscreen version. Glad I ordered it! Sorry, but would you mind taking pictures with the laptop on? I wanted to see what the viewing angles are like. Thanks

 

The fan noise is there, in a silent room, but its not that loud! You can easily tune it out... When there is average noise: tv, ac or outside traffi, you'll not hear it in silent setting

 

I have received my VaioPro 11 on Friday. Its a fantastic Notebook but the noise from the fan is there the whole time even when I only browse the www.

I cannot find a point in the Vaio Control Center. I cannot adjust a silent setting. I have used Vaio Update but it doesn't find a new version.

So how do you set a silent mode?

If Sony doesn't offer a update I will send my notebook back.

 

@axld go to Sony support and update the bios this might have something to do with the constant fan whine..
I'll try post later regarding the the control center

 

@axld control center link:
VAIO Control Center Update version 6.2.2.05100 : Download : Sony Asia Pacific
go to power and battery > CPU and power

 

The VAIO Pro 11 matte screen from various angles!

 

Thank you for the fast help.
Why did Vaio Update don't find this Control Center Update?
I have downloaded and updated the Vaio Control Center from your link but still there isn't an entry "CPU and power" inside "Power and battery".
Do you have the Vaio Pro 11 too? If so why do you have more possebilities in the Vaio Control Center?

Why do you think there is an bios update available? I have contacted Sony via mail and Phone. They say there isn't a fix so far. But perhaps there will be an Control Center update.

 

@axld ... yes I'm typing this post from my PRO11. I really have no Idea have the setting , Try to look further and make sure to update the bios

 

A tip that I posted in the pro 13 forum
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...wners-lounge-svp13-2013-a-44.html#post9266173

 

New Vaio Pro 11 owner here. Got mine here in Japan last week (custom order from Sony Store).

First impressions are very good. Build quality has improved over my Z2. Screen is beautiful, clear, and detailed. Keyboard has a surprisingly large amount of travel for what you'd expect from such a thin laptop. Keyboard flex seems to be a non-issue: there is far more travel in the keys than flex in the keyboard for it to be noticeable. Speakers are also surprisingly loud; not enough to fill a room of any size, but better than the next-to-useless speakers on the Z2 (I suspect the new speaker placement really helps).

Fan can get loud, but only during processor-intensive tasks (e.g.: initial Windows Update). Still, it's a rather neutral fan sound, no particularly annoying high pitch or whine.

Having had it for only a week, I still haven't put it through all of its paces. I'm still working mostly from my Z2. That said, I don't see this as a replacement for my Z2. It has a lot of design elements taken from the Z2, but I see it (at least the Pro 11) as more the spiritual successor to the Vaio X -- which was amazing for just how far you could take it because of its portability. Great for being able to carry a full computer around everywhere, without feeling like you're carrying a computer around everywhere.

Some glamour photos:



View all photos here.

Edit:
If anyone's interested, I came across this post that shows the Pro 11/13 capable of 4K output via HDMI (requires a monitor/TV that supports 4K over HDMI):
http://sonyshop-ones.blog.so-net.ne.jp/_pages/user/iphone/article?name=2013-06-24-1

 

I have the BIOS version R0270V7. Is it identical to yours?

 

correct its the latest

 

This seems to be a black one with a matte non-touch screen:

NFC Sony VAIO Pro, przesy

Only available in Europe.

 

I have made an image of the hard disk and installed win pro 8 and all the drivers listed at Sony : SVP1121C5E Updates | Updates für SVP1121C5E herunterladen + Vaio Control Center update at Sony eSupport - SVP13215PXB - Drivers & Software.

I have problems with wifi -> after a few minutes nothing is transfered anymore. After a reconnect all wors fine till the next disconnect after a few minutes again.

The power and cpu setting for silent isn't available in the Vaio Control Center.

Now I tried to restore my disk image. Unfortunately my external harddisk is corrupt since I made the image. Easy Recovery doesn't find the image. A recovery disk would be the solution. Do you think the support can send one. I don't think so.

 

Ok, I had contact to the support. They offer a disc but it isn't cheap.
I have told them that vaio update doesn't find updates. So there must be a problem. But the don't have a solution. They even don't find my serial number in their system. So the laptop is too new.

Meanwhile I had a look into the manual. You can read that you can create a recovery media with vaio care. first But Vaio Update should make the system stable with up to date drivers. So creating recovery media dosn't make sense because of the unstable drivers (Wlan and bluetooth issues and no cooler fan setting)

I will give a try with this link:
ARK | Intel® Dual Band Wireless-N 7260
which was posted in the Vaio Pro 13 Owners lounge.

 

Has anyone tried a different touchpad driver? Like with the PRO 13, my PRO 11 misses some taps.

 

I just received mine (i5, touchscreen) today and I'm a little annoyed with the fan noise. There is a slight 'whir' even when the laptop is idle. Now I might be spoiled by my MacBook Pro, but according to reviews the fans should only be audible when it's actually doing something. Does everyone hear this whir (it's like a very fast ticking noise that blends into noise when it spins up)? Sony online support was less than helpful and I might give them a call on Monday. I had chosen the VAIO over the MacBook Air, but I'm somewhat disappointed as the Air is actually dead silent when idle.

 

Hi all..Just an update regarding my Bluetooth error, I uded to get an error every day once or twice, it would result in my Bluetooth stopping altogether and cannot be restarted unless i uninstall and restart the machine! upgrading the driver did not solve it, after reading the forums I followed a suggested solution in which I have to go to the device manager>Bluetooth>Intel Bluetooth>power management and uncheck "allow computer to turn off device"
I actually unchecked both boxes and for the first its been more than 2 days without an error (knock on wood!!)

 

Mine's the same. Strangely, I find that the fan is actually not that loud at full load, compared to other laptops, but it's always on, even under low load, and then rather than just a "woosh" sound, it has as mechanical sound quality to it. I don't think Apple's laptops have been beaten by anything in fan noise yet.
Also, the keyboard is VERY noisy to type on. I'm fine with key size and travel, but typing fast makes a hell of a racket!

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I guess there is no point in sending it in then. I'm still somewhat puzzled as to why it needs to make that noise though. I have two other laptops that just make a 'woosh' sound when on the lowest setting. Fair enough, they're not as thin, but one is a Razer Blade that, considering, I would call more quiet than the Pro 11 and it's a heck of a lot more powerful in a thin package. I could definitely live with a persistent flow of air sound, as opposed to this whir that just bugs me...

 

I know. It's very, very annoying. But as we know, with Sony they always leave something to be desired for. Often their products are superior in a number of areas, but also sub-standard in others. Guess we have the same here.