Sony Vaio Duo 13 Owners Thread

As far as i see on that short review, ATIV Q doesn't have any USB port or HDMI port. Is that correct? So if i am not wrong, desktop use with an external monitor and mouse is not possible in this case.

 

A 1080p screen is a deal breaker?? A year ago, that wouldn't be a problem on a 13 inch laptop. On a 13 inch, that resolution is pretty outstanding.

You also have to think about the color spectrum. Even though we don't currently have the information, I am willing to bet that the VAIO covers more of the color spectrum than the Q. So if graphics is what you are worried about, then you will be better off with the VAIO.

 

Looks like it's got 2 USB (3.0 & 2.0) and mini-HDMI ports.

Windows 8, Android combine in the amazing Samsung Ativ Q (pictures) image 8 - CNET Reviews

Spoiler

 

I am sure the ATIV Q will be shipped in a variety of configurations just the same as the Duo 13. I too would want 8GB of RAM (preferably 4X2) along with at least 256GB SSD storage and i7 4650. My only concern is that it might not come out for another 2 months or so. I wish I knew the release date.

 

The ATIV Q does seem to have USB 3 ports, HDMI as well as an SD Card slot from some of the videos I've seen. Port-wise I think it has everything you'd expect. I think Sony should reduce the price of the Vaio Duo 13 or at least make the options less expensive, especially given that it ships with only a 1080P display. With the ATIV Q and some of the other tablets on the horizon, the price-point no longer makes sense though I was ready to pay that before I knew about the ATIV Q.

 

Oh yes 1080P is a deal breaker for me. When I placed an order for the Duo 13 there were no options for a higher resolution display. Until they started dumbing down display resolutions about 4-5 years ago I was used to laptops with 1900X1200 resolution and 1080P has been a step backwards for me for years so I am glad that they are finally including higher resolution displays on laptops.

I work quite a bit with huge spreadsheets, large photos, sprawling mind-map diagrams, and development in Visual Studio so it is a really big deal for me to be able to fit more on the screen when needed. Other times the 3,200 X 1,800 display is going to produce absolutely flawless fonts and graphics on the screen with the higher DPI rating. The 3,200 X 1,800 resolution is going to look great at 13 inches.

I have a Nexus 10 Android tablet with the 2560 X 1400 display that is only 10 inches I really appreciate how photos and graphics look at that resolution. Windows 8.1 is going to have additional screen DPI adjustments so the new 3,200 X 1,800 screens are going to look amazing and I canceled my order today for the Duo 13 because I can't justify the ~2,400 price point for the duo I configured when I can get something with a much higher resolution screen.

 

The Duo 13 does have an excellent color gamut (slightly above sRGB, see the link I've provided a couple of posts ago.) The link is missing complete infos (contrast, deltaE, etc.) but from what they say it looks like the screen on the Duo 13 is really excellent (besides resolution which is still very good I think). I do think that sony should lower their price now that the competition is coming (even Apple reduced the price of the Air!) though I doubt this will happen soon as this isn't even out yet (let alone announced in Canada!!)

 

I agree with you about the Duo pricing. They need to bring it down by about 20% and in fact I probably would not have canceled my Duo 13 order if that was the case. I would have justified the purchase by assuming I'd just get the ATIV Q next year. But at ~2,300 it better be the best out there and it is no longer the case. The Duo 13 should be about $1,100 for a base model and about $1,500 for a higher end model. Anything more does not make sense with the ATIV Q available as an option. I bet the ATIV Q will be priced lower than what the Duo 13 is now selling for.

 

there are still advantages that the duo 13 has over the ativ Q. It think the duo 13 has a much better design/build than the ativ Q. The Q looks extremely generic and overloaded with plastic, while the duo 13 has a very innovative "floating" design with better finishes (carbon fiber and aluminum). the duo 13 also has better battery life 10 vs 9 hours. We could also argue that the duo 13 has a better color gamut with the Triluminous display (albeit lower resolution). Also a trackpad.

On the other hand, the Q obviously has a much better resolution (3,200 x 1800 vs 1080p); is thinner (.55 inches vs .75); weighs slightly less (2.84 vs 2.93); and has a better stylus (1024 vs 256 levels of pressure sensitivity).

But the question still remains what type of guts the Q will have and at what PRICE. The current display model only had a core i5 with HD 4400, which is much less than the maxed out duo 13 with a core i7 4650 + HD 5000. This is important because a 3,200 x 1800 will need a lot better processing to run as smoothly as a 1080p screen, and im not sure a core i5 model with HD4400 will run the display without any lag or performance issues. So unless the Q can come out with a i7 model with HD5000 at a comparable price to the DUO 13 with similar specs, i'd still be on the fence about it being superior to the duo 13.

 

I think the performance needed to drive a better than 1080P high resolution screen is not as much of a big deal as it may seem. My Nexus 10 has a much less powerful chip than a Haswell i5 and it has no issue whatsoever with powering the pixels of the 2560X1400 resolution display so I don't think the Haswell i5 will have any serious issues handling the display resolution.

You did bring up some other great points though.

When the ATIV Q is released I am almost certain it will be released in more than 1 configuration so they should offer a model with i7, 8GB, and >= 256 SSD. It would be idiotic of Samsung not to... So hopefully they are not a bunch of idiots

 

Maybe open a new Thread for the ATIV Q?

 

One other point to note is that in Europe, we can't get the hi-spec Duo, so the difference in spec for us between the Duo and Ativ Q is less.

 

My 15 rMBP with 2880*1800 lags noticeably on HD4000 graphics, and I have doubts that ativ Q will handle it better.
Personally, I hope they will offer a cheaper configuration with standard 1600*900 resolution - which will still be great for 13'3 inch screen.
Also, I hope they will not screw the cooling system as overheating could lower the performance significantly.

 

I think we are comparing the Duo 13 to the only other viable competing slider design that has some advantages over the Duo 13 so the discussion seems to be relevant as long as you are open to other options before spending around $2K

 

im wondering whether vaio duo 13 can be used as a alarm / news feeder when not in use. for example, putting in charge and leave the screen on for the whole night (so it can serve as alarm / multi purpose screen for news / email updates). does it affect screen life? vulnerable to dead pixel / vertical lines / poor brightness etc?

 

Hi Everybody! Cd You tell me pls does all model range of Vaio Duo 13 have a SIM CARD SLOT which is compatible with 3G MOBILE BROADBAND? I'm particularly interested in this model: SVD13215PXB (1899$ on Sony Store). As I understood all of them have preinstalled 3G modem which can be upgrated up to LTE, is it? Thanks.

 

I got the option to order 4G (3G was already standard)

I took this option for 40€... I hope it can also do 3G when the 4G option is installed ( 4G not covered here yet in Belgium)

 

Some samsung insider in Russia says that Ativ Q will be available at september and will cost around 1500€ for the base model. There are no information on different CPU or storage options, but RAM is not upgradable.

 

Ativ Q is also more thinner and lighter, isn't it?

 

did you actually ever used Windows with high resolution but small screen?

Interface does not scale properly in Windows and any kind of gaming at native resolution is not going to be possible. It has nothing to do with your tablet and has no relation to it.

For people working on graphics, higher resolution might be better but for rest of us, even 1080p is too much for 13" screen.

When I got my Elitebook I made sure to get 1600x900 due to scaling issues in Windows that I had with my previous Asus that had 1080p. And it is perfect.... at 15.4"! Once you introduce scaling then all of your program interfaces will end up looking worse actually because they are being blown up to display larger text, unlike on Android or iOS where it is actually rendered that way.

Vaio has backlighted keyboard as well as trackpad... For me big would be if Samsung would price it a lot less but not so sure about that... without trackpad and backlight keyboard, it might not be usable enough for me.

 

here is what I found in one of the reviews... they probably didnt want to turn on large dpi settings because it causes programs to look like crap and actually like they are much lower resolution because they are all rendered at same size as before but then magnified.

 

Having a hard time deciding between the Samsung & Sony.

Main pros for Samsung goes to the Wacom pen and thickness, it's also flat (which I prefer) compared to the Sony.

The extra resolution does not matter as much to me since 1080p on a 13" is more than good enough, the weak IGP
will be the limiting factor, other than for stills (pics) there's no more benefit the extra resolution brings.
It may also drain more power.

I do use an android phone and have bluestacks on my PC but I find no use for android on a PC at all.
If the android VM is always loaded in memory to make the switch quick, I'd have to find a way to get rid of it to
conserve the little RAM these hybrids come with.

There's also the trouble of needing to check that nothing is attached to the hinge before closing.
The CPU is located within the hinge, no idea if there's adequate cooling especially under load.


For the Sony, I like the way the ports are located, partly using in tablet mode and partly as my 2nd computer.
Since none of the manufacturers are willing to sell a dock, it's just so much easier to hook the Sony to external stuffs.

Samsung has the USB 3 and HDMI port hidden within the hinge so I won't be able to have it flat while it's hooked to
the external monitor (a Cintiq 13 that's also a PC).

The full size SD slot is a definite plus, I can pop the SD card off the camera and into the Sony (no need to flip the screen up)
for editing. I'm also much less likely to lose those mSD when I use it to transfer files between the Sony and other PCs.
I've lost both mSDs although thankfully found one back after a year, yet to lose any SD.

It's just sad that Sony continued to go with Ntrig, if all I lose is pressure sensitivity, it may still be ok but if the pen
doesn't function at all on the photo editing s/w then I might have to go with Samsung.

 

Automatic Desktop Scaling

Maybe this will be fixed with Windows 8.1:
The Windows 8 desktop display scaling issue should be fixed in 8.1, with the update offering auto scaling based on screen size and pixel density. A slider will let you adjust things to suit your tastes (and eyesight). You will of course still be able to adjust things manually.

source: Everything you need to know about Windows 8.1

 

Ativ Q to me seems to have some of advantages in design and have a wacom pen, and it seems like the price for the base model will match the sony duo price. But not upgradable ram... Is it actually possible to work with graphic and some casual 3d on 4 gigs of ram today?

 

to me that sounds like they will automatically adjust your DPI, however it will still work the same - this is improved in Win7 and Win8 already, Win XP didnt have this properly done at all. So 8.1 wont render things differently just auto adjust so you dont have it.


For instance, you know how iOS and Android games/apps have to support certain resolution to work in it? Well Windows does not work the same way... kind of good and bad at the same time... bad only for crazy resolutions.

I tested it in Windows 8 (set it to 150dpi, but Ativ will have to be set a lot bigger) and it magnifies all the windows, so everything looks blurry - like when you have 2 MP picture and you resize it to 8 MP for instance. In fact, it may be the issue with Sony as well, you will just not have to use that large dpi.

 

Hmmmm...I hoped on a little more.... but I'm not really afraid for the 1080p on 13,3"... but with the resolution of the Ativ will be challenging... I'm glad it's "only" 1080p....

 

You always could set 1600*900 on Ativ Q and it will look exactly like a native resolution on a 1600*900 screen. But I hope windows 8.1 will add 200% scaling like OSX has on retina displays.

 

no it wont, LCD's never look good in non native resolutions.

"Problem" is related to core of Windows, and interfaces it has... movies will be fine - games you wont be able to play in those resolutions anyway, but interfaces will look like crap.

You can have 200% scaling on Windows 8 right now. It just doesnt look good since it doesnt render things scaled.

 

That's a deal breaker on the Samsung, thanks for pointing that out. I use my Duo 11 closed extremely often when it is connected to an external monitor, so that I can draw, write, take notes on a video that's being played back on the external, etc. Additionally, when my Duo is connected to a TV or connected to a projector, I prefer tablet mode, so that the Duo is more so out of the way. Again, not being able to close the Duo in those situations would be a bother.

 

Samsung Premiere Live Event Ativ Q DUAL OS Hybrid Part 3 June 20, 2013 - YouTube


Presenting a device you don't know how to turn on? (confusion starts at 5m 10 sec if it doesn't go there automatically)

 

It will ) Ativ Q 3200*1800 is 1600*900 doubled on each side. So if you'll set ativ Q for 1600*900 4 pixels on it will work like a one pixel on 1600*900 panel. And also on HI DPI LCD's non native resolutions looks fine due to the extremely small pixel size. For instance 1680*1050 in windows 7 looks just fine on my retina macbook.

 

All in all, this is a thread about the Sony Vaio Duo 13, can we not get side-tracked. Keep the discussions about the Ativ in the Samsung section?

 

is there a negative review for vaio duo 13? i cant seem to find one.

 

I'm a bit concerned about screen sturdiness. It looks like it wobble if touched in notebook mode:
Sony Vaio Duo 13 review: a much improved Haswell slider - YouTube

I've tried several touchscreen ultrabooks and screen wobbliness was quite annoying.

 

is it made in china or japan?

 

It looks many orders of magnitude less wobbly then a touchscreen ultrabook.... but ultimately we'd need to try it first hand to gain a true to life sense of just how sturdy if feels in practice.

 

Contemplating a Duo 11 - wondering how much battery life I'd get from playing say Civ 5 with and without sheet on half brightness?

Secondly ive read many figures for video playback but what can it manage? Again on half brightness?

Much appreciated

 

japanese site spec shows that it has 18hours battery life. you should easily get 11hours of playtime with wifi and everything on.

 

Fellow Canadians, I've fot some Good and bad news for you!

Good : Sony Canada has now put the Duo 13 up to preorder on their website! It looks like the price is right (not much more than US) and availability is a week away (July 3 or 5 depending on options, though last time they gave a July 2 availability)

Bad : ARRGGGHH No i7-4650u options!!!!! Why Sony Canada why?? I was aiming for this model!! My guess (and I hope it's true) is that since this option even in USA is not available until mid to end of july, they will wait before giving the option here (like they just did with the basic model).

I will try to find out and keep you inform and in the mean time, I think I will order a 4500u model to see if it really fit my needs since I really need this ASAP and will return it within 30 days if I have news about the availability of the 4650u model as we will be in the end of july by then!

 

Do you want to say that 3G comes with all versions of Duo 13 and even with cheaper ones???

 

Hello Friends! Can anyone tell me is there a SimCard slot and internal 3Gmodem in SONY VAIO DUO 13 SVD13213CXW (1399$) and SVD13215PXB (1899$) ???????? PLEASE

 

I don't think so. I think it depends on the region. Here is my order from US and it says no mobile broadband:



Maybe this is one of the reasons why they are more expensive in other parts compared to price in US?

 

Here's what Sony Canada had to say about the availability of the Duo 13 with i7-4650u in Canada

"According to the information provided to us, the options available in Canada has been fully launched and there will be no further options introduced for the model."

 

Ok, without the sheet battery you will probably get 3.5 hours. With the sheet probably 8. I used Duo 11 for about a month before I returned it to buy 13.

 

In laptop mode it will not wobble. In fact this is the biggest strength and appeal of a slider form factor. When it will wobble is when you are trying to use the device in non-standard position (like lying on couch and trying to use it on your lap)

 

On gaming it uses quite a lot of power, so Ivy Bridge based Ultrabooks will use about 20W. Civ 5 probably falls in that category as its both CPU and GPU intensive. You are then looking about 1.5 hours on a Duo 11, maybe 2 if you are lucky with Balanced mode(which you'd want to do if you want playable frames). My XPS 12 with a 47WHr battery barely manages 2 hours on Starcraft 2, so you'd get lot less on a Duo 11.

On video playback, local video uses about 9W, and Youtube video a little more, maybe 10W. On Sony Vaio Duo 11's 36WHr battery, that means less than 4 hours and about 3.5 hours respectively(provided you drain the battery to near zero, which isn't desirable). Expect 3.5 hours in local video playback and 3 hours in Youtube.

TIP for Ivy Bridge Ultrabook based gamers: Try to install the latest drivers from Intel if you can. The 15.31.x drivers will lower gaming power use about 10%(and increase battery life) with better performance.

 

Thanks for answer. Actually, America offers quite cheap prices for all electronics (cheaper than in other countries i guess), but we should not forget about their internal taxes which are added to the base price before making payment. Usually, it is around 9%. But what do you think will USA version with mobile broadband connectivity work in other countries where we have 3 / 4G support? Let's say, I take a customizable version of Duo13 and upgrade it up to 3G model..

 

I respectfully beg to differ. Many members posting to this thread are contemplating a new purchase and the competitive offerings are entirely relevant to a discussion of the Duo 13. I do agree that going deep into specs and comparisons are more appropriate to the "Which Notebook Should I Buy" thread, but some questions and references to models like the Samsung with far greater resolution just don't seem inappropriate here, IMO.

 

tbh samsung ativ has better resolution and that so called s pen. who wants android on 1.3kg hybrid?

 

good news, i'll be getting my duo 13 4650u i7 on 5th july!!