Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge (SVP13 2013)

The SonyStyle representative did state to me when I last visited that you had to have Windows 8 Pro to get TPM. I believe those base preconfigured models for $1249.99 U.S. are W8 Home Edition OS and would therefore not have TPM. It's probably all marketing and a way to get people to buy the top tier models like they're doing with (8GB) ram.

 

Where did you read this? I wonder if I should wait for the 2nd refresh to get the matte screen. I'm not liking the glossiness of the screen too - way too much refection.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...wners-lounge-svp13-2013-a-33.html#post9259831

I am guessing he looked into it, but checking the standard euro press release, there is no mention of PCIe, where as in the US release it is mentioned

https://blog.sony.com/press/sony-in...the-worlds-lightest-13-3-touch-ultrabook-unv/

I just hope sony europe forgot to mention it and not remove it all together.

 

When you go to configure a Vaio Pro 13 on the Sony UK store it states that it is SATA. I also have reason to believe that the non touch version does not have a IPS panel as it states under configuration: "All feature a real-wide display with 16:9 aspect ratio, high contrast and scratch resistance. Enhanced models include wide view and anti-reflection enabling you to use your VAIO in all conditions." I am hoping this is not the case. It's strange that it claims that enhanced models have anti-reflection with that glossy glass!

 

can someone share your experience of the fan noise and the heat concern?

Here is the review by laptopmag.com,

"The VAIO Pro 13 [i7] certainly isn't the coolest ultraportable we've tested. After playing a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, the middle of the underside registered 100 degrees. We consider anything above 95 degrees uncomfortable. The back edge of the notebook's bottom reached a more troubling 110 degrees. At least the touchpad (76 degrees) and the areas between the G and H keys (93 degrees) were cooler.

When performing routine tasks, such as using Word and streaming YouTube, we heard some fan noise coming from the left side of the VAIO Pro 13. It was definitely noticeable in a quiet room."

appreciate for any feedback.

 

It's not any official news. Sorry, if I gave you that impression. I'm simply saying that folks on this forum _seem_ to be interested in matte over gloss. I hope Sony does this in the refresh for the US market, and that it happens soon. I can't take the gloss, and neither I can withstand the touch... I simply don't see the point, especially when Sony has Duo convertible tablet as well. Anyhoooo... I hope Sony makes this offering quick lest they aren't bothered by their competitors swooping in with exactly what I want!

Btw, AllThingsD isn't recommending Vaio Pro 13 whole heartedly.

-TC

 

Any word on Linux compatibility? I was impressed by Dell's XPS 13 FHD, if it wasn't for my unfortunate experience. Linux compatibility is pretty obvious there as Dell sells an almost fully decked out config with Ubuntu officially on it. I wonder how it's with Sony laptops, with Vaio Pro 13 in particular.

 

they recommend the air, which if you ask me is not worth it, even if it is cheaper and more solid. Read the review, which was mediocre, they are nit picking if you ask me.

 

Hello. Mine's on order.

I have a couple of Targus universal chargers I would like to use with it. Does anyone know what Targus tip number is compatible?

From memory when I saw the Pro 13 in a store, the charger had a smaller tip than than my current Vaio S12. Thanks.

 

The left corner (under the ESC key) get very hot on my laptop as soon as I have it do something like a virus scan. Its so hot that its almost uncomfortable holding on the lap with shorts. The fan also howls pretty lod at times, even on the lowest thermal management setting.

 

I manually downloaded the latest drivers for the card from the Intel web page. Their driver search thingy will not find new drivers.
The new drivers work better. It seems that the BT on/off does not make a difference.
Wondering why SONY support was so totally clueless.....

 

hello, I am used to WWAN/3G from my Vaio X. I just realized: Could it be that *neither* the Pro *nor* the Zenbook Infinitity *nor* the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus feature LTE?! I mean, isn't that absurd? These are supposed to be mobile devices? I only did sloppy research, I'd be happy for any comments on this. I know the Duo has WAN.
How then do you go online on the go?! With a USB Stick? By connecting to your Smartphone, drainig its batteries, and with all the connectivity hassle USB/BT ..? That's unbelieveable.... I am confused. These are premium mobile lightweight machines in 2013/14...
Thanks...

huh..? the new ativ Q tablet: no WWAN/3G/4G?? isn't that insane? I have a very small portable wireless 3G->WLAN router, battery powered. So I will have to carry this around?! Can't believe all this.... :-(

edit: answer: http://forum.notebookreview.com/networking-wireless/706071-why-no-wwan-ultrabooks-2.html

so I think the wireless WLAN router is the way to go... esp. if you don't want to drain your phone batteries, or have your phone dangle from your usb. esp. if your phone has a non-replaceable battery. (yeah, or carry an additional battery rescue pack with you to charge your phone on the go... great..

 

Thanks for clarifying that. I'm more optimistic that Sony may offer an semi-gloss screen as on the Z series here in the U.S. than offer non-touch when the purpose of W8 is "touch".

 

1) Anyone at europe have already bought the Sony Vaio Pro without the touch screen? How is the black from a non-touch compared with carbon fiber black with touch?

2) Have you tried to install ubuntu?

3) i7 vs i5 about battery drain?

PS: Can anyone PM me a serial number so I can know how much will cost me to change the keyboard? (because I'll buy mine at spain but I want portuguese keyboard and they only tell me the price if I tell them the serial number buhh) Thanks

 

Just checked the specs of my Sony Vaio Pro 13 with 256GB SSD (ordered in the UK). The SSD is Toshiba THNSNH256G8NT. Can anyone confirm the type of SSD?

 

It looks to be a SATA drive: Toshiba THNSNH 256 GB SSD Review | techPowerUp

edit: I think I am wrong. The ending of the drive name is different in yours..

I'm very disappointed that us Europeans are getting short changed here whereas everywhere else in the world you get the PCIe. Did you order the touch screen or non touch screen version?

 

Looks like the PCIe drives are by Samsung:
Sony VAIO Pro 13 Ultrabook - reviews - Notebooks - Ultraportable - Good Gear Guide

Having specifically ordered from the UK rather than locally in Australia to get the 512gb drive, I'm seriously disappointed.

 

I have the UK Model (I7 / 8GB Ram / Touchscreen / 256GB SSD).

Crystalmark shows 392MB/s read and 292MB/s write (sequential mode)

In fairness the disk is still quick, but it amazes me how many variations Sony are shipping on this model (still annoyed I am lacking a TPM chip!)

 

Does anyone know when PCIe SSDs will be available in Europe? I would like to buy PRO 13 but not with a SATA SSD. It is a big disappointment that Sony does not offer PCIe in Europe. To add insult to injury, look how Sony advertises PCIe in PRO series on their Japanese web site:



I am also disappointed that I cannot get the English keyboard here in Italy. Sony has a very rigid sales model. I do not think I am the only one in Europe who does not want the local keyboard. Apple offers two types of English keyboards (on top of the local one) with their laptops, so why Sony cannot do the same? All their laptops are made in the same place (China), so why it is a problem to put the keyboard of customers’ choice?

Total let down, Sony is just forcing me to buy new Air which I do not like as much as PRO 13.

 

In HK the Pro 13 comes with PCIe SSD's but the Pro 11 comes with SATA SSD's.

 

I've ordered the touch screen version.

 

The SSD in my Duo 11 is a mSATA "TOSHIBA THNSNS256GMCP"

Crystalmark 3.02 x64 sequential read 487.9 MB/s write 242.6 MB/s

 

Received my Vaio Pro 13 yesterday and had a few hours to toy with it.

Some very quick first impressions - with a special focus on the screen (as this seems to be what a lot of people are most curious about):

Screen:

• Best glossy screen I have seen so far in a laptop. Period.
• Colour reproduction (and accuracy) is absolutely off the charts (see comparison pictures vs. my old Vaio TZ below - the latter one's display quality is actually pretty good - which makes the Pro's IPS screen even more impressive). Just look at the perfect white point in the greyscale piano pic - it's unbelievably good for a laptop screen. Both screens at highest possible brightness, btw.
  
• Brightness is OK (not great, but sufficient), viewing angles are good, and resolution is perfect for this screen size.
• The glossy screen isn’t nearly as much of a problem as I feared it would be. In everyday use, it doesn't bother me at all. Working against direct light is a little difficult - but by no means significantly more troublesome than with the TZ's semi-glossy screen. I did my best to take some worst-case reflection pictures below for those still pondering over this. First one is indoors with direct daylight hitting the screens from a big window across the room; second one is outdoors with direct sunlight on a cloudy day).Rember this is pretty much worst case. Reflections will be less obtrusive when looking straight at the screen and/or adjusting the tilt of the lid to minimize visible reflections.
  
• Didn’t think I’d care about the touch functionality, but it’s surprisingly helpful and intuitive. Actually makes Windows 8 a little more bearable.
• There's a faint, but perceivable high-pitched noise originating from the LCD when a lot of bright surfaces are on screen (e.g. when viewing a blank Word document). The noise disappears with darker (or black) screen content. Did anybody else notice this? Hardly perceivable when the fan is running - but in a quiet room with hardly any stress on the machine (and hence no fan noise) it's definitely there and a little irritating.

Finish:

• The Carbon Black finish is everything I hoped for. Great look and feel.
• Never thought I’d say this, but the silver „paint“ lid of my old Vaio TZ looks really cheap in comparison.

Build quality:

• The slight flex is there – but it doesn’t bother me at all.
• The Pro's lid is way more sturdy than the old TZ's.
• Absolutely happy with the build quality.

CPU:

• Lowest Voltage is 0.673V, usually sits at 0.680V, though.
• Bottoms out under 3W when idle (according to BatteryBar Pro; Wifi activated, lowest screen brightness). Really impressive. Lowest reading I managed to pull off with my TZ was slightly under 5W.

SATA SSD controversy:

• I can confirm my Vaio Pro (bought in the German SONY online store) came with an SATA interface SSD (not PCIe).
• Windows experience index sits @8.1 (compared to the 8.4 the PCIe review unit managed in mobiletechreview's test; max. sequential read tops out at around 500MB/s).
• It's indisputably disappointing and a truly bad decision to treat Europeans as second-class customers in this respect - but to be honest, it's no deal-breaker for me. Performance is still very, very responsive.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the Pro so far - and you can tell by some of my impressions that I tend to be rather picky

 

is your version i5 or i7?

 

It's the i5 model. 256GB SSD. 8GB RAM.

In the windows experience index, my values for RAM and graphics are higher than the ones measured für the 4GB i5 128GB SSD review unit @MobilieTechReview, btw.

So the 8GB RAM version seems to be dual channel - which apparently helps graphics, too:

Processor: 6.9 (Pro@MobileTechReview: 6.9)
RAM: 7.9 (Pro@MobileTechReview: 5.9)
Graphics (for desktop): 5.9 (Pro@MobileTechReview: 5.6)
Gaming (games) 6.4 (Pro@MobileTechReview: 6.2)
HDD: 8.1 (Pro@MobileTechReview: 8.4)

My SSD is made by TOSHIBA, btw. (the PCIe SSDs seem to be made by SAMSUNG).

 

I have ordered mine today (sony shop germany) and i hoped it would be with the pcie ssd...unfortunately not.
but i m looking forward to finally get my hands on it in 2 weeks

 

@Anmipe: hey, thank you for this very useful user review and pictures! Although I haven't ordered my Vaio Pro yet, this is pretty much what I was expecting it to be - a stunningly lightweight and super compact 13 inch notebook with a gorgeous IPS display.

So, I will order mine - core i5, touch, carbon black, 256 gigs, SATA (!) - in the swiss Sony shop before july 1st - you get the 8 GB extra "for free" until that date.

 

The SSD not being pci s a deal breaker for me, Sony please take us Europeans seriously.

 

Same problem. So I am ordering from:

Laptops | B&H Photo Video

they have international delivery .

 

But Europeans are among first class customers when it comes to having an option for a matte non touch screen. Wait... but not for the 11" model. You need to be Japanese if you want it all.

At least, Sony, you are fair not giving anybody WWAN.

 

Great, thanks zakeen!

By the way, if anyone wonders how come PRO 13 costs the same in the US and Europe (because computers are usually more expensive in Europe) here is your answer: the US version comes with PCIe while for the same money you only get SATA in Europe.

 

Just writing to let you know that I did a quick and simple battery test - and I can fully confirm what boltjames posted earlier concerning battery runtime in light use scenarios.

I basically wanted to get a rough idea of how long the battery could last me while just typing in Word (which is what I do 70% of the day at the moment - writing my thesis). So I set the display brightness to minimum, deactivated Wifi and bluetooth via flight mode, opened a word document and started typing away. The display is really dark at minimum brightness, but it's still just bright enough to be useable at nighttime.

After exactly one hour of typing (and just typing), I stopped to check my battery stats - and this is what I got:



1 hour of light typing use with no more than ~ 7% of a full battery charge.

Discharge rate bottomed out @ a little more than 2,5W.

More than 14 hours of estimated full battery runtime. And that's with that small 37.500mWh battery!

I don't know what kind of power efficiency wizardry Intel did with Haswell and SONY did with their Triluminous display technology - but this is nothing short of breathtaking. It’s roughly the same amount of battery time I got out of my 9 cell 93.960mWh battery in my old Vaio TZ in a similar use scenario … I'm honestly in awe.

Won't need that extra sheet battery after all

 

Nice to know I'm not crazy

I'm on Day 10 of my heavy business trip to Hong Kong and China and I haven't had to bring my charger with me at all, stays back at the hotel room where it belongs. I'm using my Pro 13 10+ hours a day for Word, Excel, Outlook, Web on battery only and at the end of the day I've still got 20% left. It's crazy.

My notebook gets better battery life than my iPad or my iPhone. Huh? What?

BJ

 

Is it easy to upgrade the hard drive or ssd on this by yourself?

 

There aren't any M.2 SSD's on the retail market yet (to be fair, my last check was a week or so ago), so it's kind've moot right now.

 

Here are my thoughts after using the Sony Vaio Pro 13 for 3 days:

Pros:

1) Very light and beautifully made. Quite sturdy. It flexes a bit, but that's what carbon fibre is meant to do, making it more resistant to cracking if dropped.

2) Keyboad is superb, the best I've come across. Even better than my MacBook Pro's.

3) Touch screen is very good. Quite responsive. It adds to the Windows 8 experience.

4) Full HD display is gorgeous. Eye popping picture, and wide viewing angles.

5) Start up time is amazing. Takes only 3 secs to switch on, and 1-2 secs to wake up from sleep. I never imagined Windows to ever beat Mac's start up times, but it's happened.

6) SSD is quiet.

7) Battery life is amazing. I've used it for 5 hours at a stretch (including downloading music from the cloud), and about 20% was still remaining.

8 ) Sound is pretty good for an ultrabook of this size. OF course, for music purposes, you'll need an external speaker.

9) NFC works well, in transferring webpages, pictures etc. from the ultrabook to my phone. I'm yet to figure out how can I do vice versa.



Cons:

1) Track pad is a bit frustating to use. It's invisibly divided into left & right mouse button, which takes a little getting used to. When I'm swiping across the trackpad, it sometimes annoyingly goes to the next open window. Sometimes, it doesn't register your input. I'm told an update will come from Sony soon.

2) Because of the full HD display, the windows are effectively "upscaled", which looks like SD on an HD screen. The apps display well though.

3) During installation of updates, the fan noise was quite loud. Thankfully it's quiet during normal operation.

 

Did you notice any improvement to your battery life as you said that you got "only" around 6 hours with the old notebook?

 

Do you know just unscrew it at the back? Easy job?

 

Learn something new again today.

Oh no! Another new format of SSD. I thought mSATA is good enough and now this?

We have SIM, MicroSIM and NanoSIM.

Yet another SSD format.

 

Since you got a higher Graphics Performance rating in windows 8 due to the 8GB of RAM, could you run a benchmark like 3D Mark (06, 11, vantage). So we can see if it realy improves

 

Can any of the owners of PRO 13 try to plug an external monitor and check what is the highest resolution of the HDMI port? Everyone's guess here was that it tops at 1920 x 1080 but if I am not mistaken no one actually tried to connect PRO 13 to an external high-resolution monitor. Thanks.

 

There is a video already showing how to open the Vaio Pro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpDOSZSRYrY

The same guy also uploaded a video showing it's internals:
Upgrade the Sony Vaio Pro 2013 Haswell Ultrabook with PCIe SSD - YouTube

I would be really interested in how the SATA version looks inside. Did anyone from Europe already receive the 128GB version and can confirm that there's only a S-ATA SSD inside? This German review guesses that just the 256GB SSD is just slower than the 128GB version. I can't really imagine that Sony really developed a different design for the European market...
I will receive mine in 2 or 3 weeks (though I ordered just the day preorders started, Sony somehow messed up my order because they had no Windows licenses left...), will post here then.

 

Thanks for your experience report.

About the screen - my concern is outdoor use - I work mainly outdoors. I use an old 2008 Vaio VGN-Z which had 276 cd/m2 - one of the 1st machines I could use well outside.
According to Sony Vaio Pro 13 Review - Ultrabook Reviews by MobileTechReview the Pro only has 250 nits, and this behind a glossy screen.

Have you used the machine outdoors - in bright sunlight?

Other questions I'd have -
1 .How big/heavy is the power brick - Sony's are always massive compared to Apple (maybe I missed the answer on this thread already)
2. For me quite important, how far back can you tilt the screen. See e.g. Opening angle :: Main. The VGN-Z has at least 135 degrees - more I think.

 

I hear the noise from LCD as well. I found out that that is coming from Bluetooth, not from LCD, because when I turn BT, the noise is gone. Because of this, I replaced my unit, but it is not gone.

 

(I decided I'm out of the Sony camp due to low resolution (I want 220ppi +).This will be my last post here - in case you are still unsure, here's the threads of the 220ppi+ 13,3" ultrabooks (none of which is currently available):


Overview: http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...lightweight-high-res-options.html#post9263634
Notebooks:
1. Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus Thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/722548-samsung-ativ-book-9-plus-haswell-new-6.html
2. Zenbook Infinity Thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...finity-ux301la-just-announced-computex-2.html
3. Acer Aspire: http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...s7-preview-best-new-ultrabook-discussion.html
(Be careful not to confuse the old S7 with the new S7.)
4. Kirabook: No Haswell upgrade annouced yet, so not thread so far.

I loved the community over at Vaio X owners' thread, in fact that might be what I'll be missing most due to not choosing a Sony: This thread (on the Pro) would have felt like home
Bye!

 

For what it's worth, my 8GB version seems to score significantly higher than the 4GB review unit @MobileTechReview in 3DMark11.

It's still a slide show, of course and most people won't play games on their ultrabooks anyway - so I'm not sure whether it actually matters

Be that as it may, 3DMark11 scores compare as follows:

4GB Ram i5 Vaio Pro 13 @ MobileTechReview: P636 (performance, 720p test setting) 556 graphics, 2711 physics
8GB Ram i5 Vaio Pro 13 @my desk: P826 (performance, 720p test setting) 732 graphics, 3014 physics (just one quick run; balanced profile).

 

I've had my VAIO Pro 13 Touch Ultrabook (model SVP1321BPXB; the most 'tricked out' version available - i7, 512GB SSD) for about a week now and unfortunately I think it is going to go back to Sony.

I've never returned a laptop however I think this one is going back because:
1) The fan is really loud (and yes, it is still loud even after unplugging, changing the fan settings, etc).
2) The touchpad buttons don't respond well. (and yes I've tired to update the driver however the left and right "click" function simply isn't very responsive. Fair balance, I had one of the first high-end Asus Zenbooks with a similar touchpad however I never got quite used to it and simply prefer responsive physical buttons similar to what can be found on a Dell, ThinkPad, etc.
3) The performance/speed is good but not great. At the same time I received this i7 laptop I received a Dell XPS One with the Haswell Chip (i5) and while I know a notebook to desktop comparison isn't fair, the desktop was quite a bit quicker.


While there isn't much that can be done about #3 at this point, I'm curious if any owners of a similar rig have found a way for #1 or #2 to perform better.

 

Wow, that is a nice improvement with 8 gigs and dual channel RAM. Though as you noted, it still won't turn the machine into a gaming rig

 

Has anyone tried the Pro with the Windows 8.1 preview?

I'm running it on my non-touch desktop and it seems to be a little smoother/faster boots (seems to have gone from a 8 second bootup to maybe a 6-7 sec).

 

I came upon this program "classic shell" which restores the start up menu back to classic start up menu W7 from touch menu W8. I'm not sure if it looses the touch functionality though. Does anyone know?