13' Sony Z..Built Like A Tank??

Hey guys...could someone Please tell me the build quality of the Sony Z? does the palmrest flex alot, does it feel flimsy when moving it around??? Is the lid made of aluminum like the keyboard??

 

the screen is flexible. i believe the lid is carbon fiber. there is no flex whatsever on palm rest and it does not feel flimsy. Although the screen is flexible there are videos on you tube going through extreme tests

 

I agree with what Zcar Zcomp had said. I personally think that the Z is built like a tank.

 

I dont think its built like a tank. I've recently switched from a MacBook Air to the Z and the build quality is like nowhere close to the Air. Granted I have yet to see anything on the Z mess up, but I feel that I have to be a lot more cautious with it that my Air which I've literally dropped on couches, beds etc. without a worry.

Yes, it much better than Dell and HPs that I tested but no, I wont say its built like a tank.

 

Here are some tests of the Vaio Z, carbon fiber in action:

http://www.sony.com.sg/microsite/vaio/products/vaio_z/f5.html

 

the Z is built like a ferrari
lenovos are built like tanks, look like tanks too

a lot of people think the Z is not durable, but that is because it is so light.. a ferrari is also made of carbon fiber, and if i had to crash in a ferrari made of carbon fiber and a ferrari made of aluminum (like a macbook air), i would choose the carbon

 

This thread has prompted me to learn more about carbon fiber.

"In fact, Formula One race cars are all carbon fiber, something that's a safety -- not performance -- regulation. "

"Carbon fiber is a super strong material that's also extremely lightweight. Engineers and designers love it because it's five times as strong as steel, two times as stiff, yet weighs about two-thirds less."

Interesting things I never knew before.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/carbon-fiber-oil-crisis1.htm
You can read more about carbon fiber or just google "what is carbon fiber?"

Pros: Very strong material, lightweight.
Cons: Expensive, $100,000++ cars use it.

 

This lid shows that the lid is pretty flexible.

This picture came from this thread
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3840126&postcount=51

Also these two posts further backs up Sony's claim. Now the Z might not be as durable as a toughbook but it is a pretty durable laptop.

 

If the Z is built similar to the TZ, only the outer shell of the lid is carbon fibre; the bezel area is plastic. Which is fine, because the shell provides enough rigidity.

Comparing the Z to the Air isnt helpful. One is a high performance, ultraportable with a full compliments of ports and features.. the other is not. When the Air comes with a 9xxx series CPU, discrete graphics, drive bay, etc.. then you can compare.

 

One thing you could compare is how well the Air holds up if dropped from 3 feet or held by the screen like the Z. Regardless of how sturdy they "feel", this would be a true comparison of durability.

 

The thing is... Who doesn't want to crash in a Ferrari? Just wish I could win the lottery or something so that I can even think about affording one!

 

exactly, im tired of everyone talking about the "solid" feel, which just means that it has less flex, which has been proven to be less durable than something with more flex

 

hahaha just wait a couple decades, the price will go down ;]

 

Don't worry about all these comments/views.

Everyone have different opinions about the definition of solid & which laptops are "solid." All these views about whether the Vaio Z or the MB Air is more "solid" than the other are subjective, including my own comments. As long as you, the owner of your laptop (be it the Vaio Z or the MB Air), feel that your laptop is "solid," that is all that matters IMO.

 

No, actually I think I don't need to wait for a couple of decades. Why? I know it is disappointing not to be able to afford one, but I can always go to my local Toys 'R' Us to buy the largest available remote control Ferrari that they sell!

 

The better solution is to compare tests, to see which one holds more strength.

 

Of course you can do that. But is it worth all the trouble? The question then becomes...... Do those stubborn or (what I call) "hardcore" people want to believe it & change their views about something they just don't like?

 

All im saying is that the functional requirements of a laptop will in many ways dictate its form factor and how it is put together. The Z packs a lot of power and features in a small, light weight form factor; there isnt another laptop that is comparable in specs AND form factor.. the MBA clearly isnt it.

 

Thats alot of Flex...build quality is a big thing for me..maybe i should stay away!?!?

 

The Z has some nice features, but also some flaws when it comes to sturdiness:

- Carbon fiber is very tough, although not stiff. It will protect better against some things than others.
- Carbon fiber is very light, and makes the whole notebook lighter. This means less inertia when it hits something, which is good.
- Some of the front and side panel connection area is rather flimsy. Especially around the card slots in front. Whack it there, and I don't think things will go too well.
- The flex of the carbon fibre lid also means that when the notebook is closed, you can easily depress the screen so it rubs against the keys. Many people have reported key scratches on their screen. Not good.
- The power connector plug has flex, which is good.
- However, the travel adapter has such a short cable from the adapter to the laptop that it's bound to get snagged or even hit the case. Sony, saving 2 cents on shortening the cable is not good for building image.
- All usb ports are on the side, i.e. they're prone to get snagged. An additional USB port on the front would have been nice. An additional USB port with a pull-out cable would have been even better.

 

I'm not trying to convince the owners of any of the laptops of anything. I don't own either one yet of course, but for those who don't have a pre-inclination to one being better than the other "just because I like it," it would be more convincing to hear which one holds stronger in reality, rather than "personal preference."

Anyway, I don't really care much for comparisons personally, as I don't post about it anyways. As mentioned by someone before, the laptops have different specs and components so it can't be necessarily comparable anyway. Just answering the question, is the Vaio Z built strong, which would be yes.

 

I think there are a few different types of build quality / durability:

- Tactile durability (rigid)
- Impact durability (flexible)

These are two extremes of two totally different but equally high quality build styles. The MacBook Air and Sony Vaio Z don't qualify as extremes of either, but are relatively good examples for each category.

Laptops like the MacBook Air have "tactile durability" - they're sturdy, very rigid, and in usual conditions will be very durable, tough, and shouldn't deteriorate in quality over time. Unfortunately, if you drop these, due to the rigidity, they will shatter/dent/crack.

Laptops like the Vaio Z have "impact durability" - it's very sturdy, yet flexible in some areas. Due to the flexibility, it should resist damage from minor impacts, etc., and some times as much as 3-foot drops onto hard surfaces. Unfortunately, anything that flexes/moves under normal use creates the risk of wearing over time (like the screen flexing and being scratched by the keys), and sometimes doesn't feel as "sturdy" when held.

 

We're NOT comparing features. We're comparing build quality and I use both the Z and Air on a daily basis. After using the Air for a year I gave it to my Wife and am using the Z myself purely because of its features and performance.

However, I'm not too happy on the Z's build quality. The battery at the bottom rattles a bit and the dock connector seems to slide down all the time. Also when I open the lid with one finger, the entire base comes up with the lid and then falls down.

I've dropped the Air a couple of times and the dents on the top and scratches on the side show that, but let me tell you- its build quality is incredible. Best I've ever used in a laptop.

 

How can you compare build quality without considering specs / function?

eg: the battery is removable because the market demands a user replaceable and expandable battery; anyone can seal the battery in place for a sturdier base.

eg: what do you think would happen if they put a 9xxx Core2Duo, DDR3 and discrete graphics in an MBA chassis? yea, it would melt your pants

The Z is the best specs and form factor on the market.. whereas the MBA is form over function. Something like that ASUS just reviewed is all/mostly function.

 

ImakE: The thing is, in laptops, form and function are often interrelated.

Here's how I think about it logically:

Every laptop has a certain amount of "functional" usefulness to you. The best laptop for you is the one that is the most "functional".

"Function" is defined as the combination of "form" and "features", where form refers to the size, shape, weight, human interface, and style, and features refers to ports, speed, battery life, and capabilities.

What is considered as good "form" is almost universal: light weight, small external size, large screen size. However, "features" are much more subjective: some people need an optical drive, others don't. Some people need 5+ hours of battery life, others don't. Some people need to be able to run Crysis at 40+ FPS, others don't, etc., etc.

Often what you gain in form, you lose in features. For example, my gaming desktop is totally packed with features (speed, ports, etc.), but it gets no "form" points as a portable computer (since it's not portable). On the other extreme, the MacBook Air or Toshiba R500 laptops are extremely lightweight and portable, but lack many "features".

It all comes down to what features you need, and what's the best "form" available for those features. That said, the Vaio Z has an incredible feature:form ratio, definitely better than the MBA overall. However the MBA is still a better choice for some people, where the extra features really aren't needed.

 

I understand what you mean.

To everyone else. I personally feel that even for those demonstrations that you see showing certain laptops can withstand this, withstand that kinda thingy. My advise is to always take those with a grain of salt. You'll have to remember that most of the time, those tests are carried out in a controlled environment. I'm not saying that it will happen to you, (this could happen to any other laptop regardless of brand or model) but if your Vaio Z is to accidentally perform one of those "stunts" that Sony shows, do you still think that it will always come away unscathered? It may or may not. This will also depend on the point/force of impact & how lucky you are.

Of course, the demonstrations by Sony for their Zs (in this case) looks good & convincing but that's what their marketing department (with some help from the technical department, of course) are being paid to do. I would say that they did a great job!

 

actually i don't think the Z is rugged at all..
1. they use aluminium, which will easily bend / scratch when dropped
2. when i accidentally knocked my Z against a cupboard, the benzel cover for the screen split open, and i have to snap it back... and the knock is of light - medium strength
3. let's just say that i know someone, who dropped his Z from a table height @ a slant angle, and it went back to the svc centre, as the hinge of the laptop got destroyed...

 

From the test video, it seem the bezel/hinge would probably get high damage if the notebook is drop. You can see the round thingy at hinge went out when the laptop hit the surface from the video.

 

No offense but u r being extremely picky, while i agree about the dock connector door it isn't a deal breaker. Almost every battery in every laptop i have every seen/used rattles a little bit, from an engineering/safety standpoint i think they have to and the converse to the bottom not coming up with be a much weaker hinge mechanism which would make the screen much more "floppy" when using it.

I haved owned a lot of thinkpads and i now own 2 sony's; i wouldn't say Sony's are thinkpad type durabilty but they are definately durable.

 

Sure, its not a deal breaker but we were talking about Build Quality and I was simply comparing it to my previous notebook. Before Air, I had the MacBook Pro which did not have the battery issue and before that I had the iBook- again no battery rattling. Going back further, I had the Acer Ferrari and before that the Thinkpad and none of them had their batteries rattling. The Z is my first laptop that does that and yes, it bothers me.

@

 

I have a VAIO TR which is now 5 years old, and it's working like the first day.
Yes, the webcam seemed flimsy, but never broke.
Yes, the port covers feels like they are going to brake with use, but hey, 5 years after they are still ok.
And yes, the battery always rattled. 5 years and 2 batteries later, never had a problem -aside from losing capacity-. No loosening, no disconecting, of course not detaching itself from the laptop. Nada.

And the laptop suffered a lot: a lot of travels to several countries... and it also fell off to the ground (from about 4 feet) at least 3 times that I remember. All it got is a hairline crack in a side and two little plastic hinge stoppers (the small lines below the hinges in this photo ) broken cause it fell with the lid open. I replaced them for a few euros, and just for cosmetic purpose, because their only function is to prevent the lid from opening too much.

VAIO laptops may not feel sturdy enough, but that doesn't mean they aren't.

Edit: I don't want to start a flame war, but my brother's Macbook (old model) feels more solid in hand, no rattling, etc... but it has been serviced 4 times in 2 years: 1 screen, 1 logic board and 2 palmrest/shells. All of it without dropping or hitting it.