Display report on hicolor and Z-series

Sony called me yesterday to say that the Z-series I'd been waiting to see had come in. I went to the Sony Style store on the Plaza in Kansas City, MO this morning to check it out. I've been interested in it for the high color screen (branded DuraView) in combination with Centrino2 battery life characteristics.

Well, I can report with certainty that--in contrast to previous reports--it is not an IPS or S-PVA LCD screen. The color reproduction while looking directly at it is fantastic: clearly this display has been tuned to comply to some kind of gamma or sRGB standard. On this page, all of the color gradients are smooth and without any kind of banding artifacts:

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/all_tests.php

The gamma bars are all aligned at the same point for each of the color channels.

However, the screen utterly fails this test:

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/all_tests.php#angleGrey

While looking directly at it, the top half of that image is red text while the bottom half is blue text. So, it's certainly an TN style screen and not an improvement over any other laptop screen you can get anywhere else in that regard.

So, with a $2,300 price tagged as configured. It's hard to justify spending $1,000 more for this laptop when a same-configured Lenovo T400 is on sale for only $1,300 with a WSXGA+ LED screen. The lower resolution, 16:9 display is just not worth $1,000.

Also, there's no ethernet jack on the Z-series which is something I hadn't noticed before. But there is a RJ-11 port for a dial-up modem. Who uses dial up, these days? Especially on the road when every hotel in North America offers wireless or ethernet internet!

So, I'm getting a T400.

Update

It's really hard to see even when holding the laptop in your hands, but it really does have ethernet. The schematic on this page points to the location:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=8198552921644570897&parentCategoryId=16154

 

I don't know about any tests but the screen on the Z is incredible. Its way better than the t61 I have and even better than the sony TZ screen. Its the best LCD screen I've ever seen. However, I've never seen an IPS screen in person before.

And there is an ethernet jack. Its on the left side next to the power jack.

 

:\ my Z540 is on the way, and if it doesn't have an ethernet jack, I'm gonna need to find a way to return it...

 

It definitely does have an ethernet port. The OP was 100% incorrect on that point, don't worry.

 

1. Although I haven't seen a T400 in person, I'd say you can be 99.99999% certain that the Sony Z's screen will totally blow away the T400's screen.

2. You're not paying $1000 extra for just the screen. You're paying it for the screen, the excellent cooling, the extreme lightweight (3.3 pounds) and compact design. Compare any one of these to the Thinkpad T400 and you'll find that the Z is far superior.

The Ethernet port has a cover that snaps open / close to protect the port from dust / debris / etc., IIRC. The cover was probably closed when you looked at it.

BTW, if the Z is just too expensive for you, there are some really good deals on the Vaio SZ like (SZ691N/X for $1425) or (SZ750N/C for $1400).

But if you really think the T400 is the best choice for you, it's still a very nice laptop. It'll have a better keyboard, and a lot more sturdy, though less portable, and an inferior screen. I considered the T400 too, except it's just too heavy for me.

 

I'll update this thread when I get the T400 in my hands. I actually ordered it last week since I was tired of waiting for Z-series to show up knowing that I could cancel/return for no fee if the Z came out and I wanted that instead. So, I should be able to update some time this week since my new T400 shipped on Thursday.

Once I've seen both, I'll let you all know if the color gamut on the Z is really better than the T400 w/ LED. On two different specs, the T400 LED display is already known to be very high: 500:1 contrast ratio, 300 nits.

On the other stuff, we already know that the T400/T500 has excellent cooling from the NBR preview/review, even with discreet graphics.

What I can say is excellent about the Z-series model that I played with: it really is very light-weight with the standard battery. I guess that someone making a buying decision would have to decide if:

1. A hypothetical increased color gamut but not viewing angles
2. A 1.9 lbs advantage on weight
3. A unique 16:9 screen.
4. A decreased diagonal size of 1"

are really worth $1,000 over a otherwise identical T400.

 

Got my T400 in my hands! And tested the above tests.

The WXGA+ LED on the T400 is SO bright! However, it is NOT gamma calibrated. So, the Z-series 1600x900 display is better in that regard. Viewing angles are typical of a TN. I calibrated my display to gamma of 2.2 with a .1 gamma increase in the Intel graphics software for the red and green channels. Blue was calibrated correctly.

IMO, that .1 difference is just not worth $1,000 more. So, I'm keeping my T400.

 

I wouldn't compare the T400 with the Z, I would say the T400 and SR are the rivals. They come up nearly the same price with the same configuration. Still, the SR is superior as far as I can tell: Lighter, probably better LED screen, possibly cooler and quieter. Just assumptions.

 

Sounds like a great laptop. If I wanted a ~5.5 pound 14" laptop, I'd definitely buy the T400. It's hard to beat it's 10 hour battery life with the 9-cell.

But I hope you understand that the main benefit of the Z is it's weight (3.3 pounds), as well as the screen. If weight isn't as much of an issue, then it sounds like the T400 is perfect for you.

 

Even took me a day to find. The cover is right by the exhaust vent.

Yeah, that's the $1000 premium. A fine deal, compared to other models in its class.

EDIT: BTW, no laptop has anything except TN panels at the moment. The Thinkpad T60 came with a Flexview screen which was IPS, but that was the last of them. As you can see in the T400 review (I think?) the Flexview panel has great viewing angles but is very dim compared to the LED-backlit panels of today. The 15.4" LED-backlit Macbook Pro screen impressed me on the viewing angles (it doesn't wash out too much), but they had their own issues with the panels. Still TN.

 

Doesn't the T400 have "hybrid" graphics like the Z?