New Z model with Intel Core i5 CPU

While the impress.jp website had the 330 nvidia in it, do we have any better evidence that this is true?

 

Thx for sharing the good news. Now I'll probably end up spending too much money...

 

Where can we pre-order the new Z?

 

No, not for the Z-series. They state that pre-order can begin by early February for the signature collection but might be a bit early for the non-signature models.

 

Do we know what the base price will start at?

 

More like a KEG than a beer.

Wow! I'm not too impressed with the design. I see it more as a beefed-up refresh than a redesign. As far as pros IMO:

1. The CW palmrest fixes the issues that the old Z had with screen marks from the palm rest. Con: Makes it bulky and not streamlined as I had hoped as well as cheapens the look of it. It looks like they used an aluminum material for the keyboard and magnesium for the palm rest. Am I wrong?

2. I like that Sony fused the barrel hinge to the keyboard.

3. I like that they offered two colors.

4. So the SPEED, STAMINA, AUTO Switch is 3-Directional.
Meaning, From Speed to Stamina, it moves up and down. From Stamina to Auto, it moves up in an angle. And from Speed to Auto, it moves across.

What's AUTO for?

 

http://presscentre.sony.eu/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=5461&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=1

Seems like the S is stuck with the 310M.

 

This Christmas, we picked up the Z, TZ and TT so we have some basis for comparison between the various Sony Designs. It's interesting to note that the TT is thicker than the older TZ. It feels considerably thicker. So apparently newer models can be thicker.

What I like about the new Z - new processor and graphic chip. Lighter due to lack of conventional hard drive.

What I don't like - headphone jacks is in the front. TZ had it in front. TT had it on the side. Side is better for the times when you want to plug in a desktop speaker as the protuding cables towards your body can get in the way. Also, don't like only SSD solution - would not mind the extra weight with a

What I'd like to know: Do all units have built in GPS?

UL

 

Auto is for their new intelligent sensing system which will switch the graphics chips being used based on graphic intensity required

 

FYI, I haven't seen this posted to the thread yet so here goes. Quick video presentation of the new Z, straight from the Sony CES booth. Not much new to learn though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltS4PcM0ok8&feature=player_embedded

Enjoy

 

Assuming they're sticking with the Qualcomm Gobi module they've had lately (even though it is limited to Verizon unless you do some surgery to it), it should have GPS built in by default.

 

What the hell! Not available until Spring?? It's not even that amazing of an update...

 

About the design, what I do like is, they eliminated the plastic hinge and mainly the cheap plastic frame between aluminum palmrest and carbon chase (!). I also love the new switch for hybrid graphics.

What I strongly dislike is the new part of palmrest, which doesn't seems to be from aluminum. Also it seems it doesn't have button on the Blu-ray drive (!). And the up-part of the screen looks like old Lenovo...especially the Motion Eye looks very ugly to me.

Around and around...with very similar weight, battery life, screen resolution...I'm happy I didn't sell my current Z. Will look for another Vaio for my second nb. I love the design of new Y, but maybe F will be more reasonable choice.

 

It's funny how Sony can produce a laptop that's well ahead of everything else out there on the market. Well done Sony.

I wonder if Apple will make up for some lost ground with the new 13" MBP.

 

There are many improvements. The biggest ones being the 330M graphics card.

I'm not so sure about the palmrest. I would have preferred if it was integrated more into the main body of the laptop. I said this before but the TT does not have this issue and the palmrest is more integrated into the body. So may be now this will resolve the keyboard marking the display but may be they could have done a slightly better job with it.
The palmrest also looks slightly smaller.

I think though as well may be it will be something that you get used to and it might look better in real life. The more i look at it the more i am getting used to it.

Space wise this looks slightly bigger than the Z series but i haven't seen the measurements to compare. It does also though look clearly thinner which is a plus.

I think i prefer the black one to the silver one but again i need to see them both in real life. I am not such a fan of all black laptops as i find them boring after a while but the silver one looks a bit cheaper looking going by the pictures.

Surely this will come to the EU it will not be a good move if they don't sell this in the EU. It is a little odd the way Sony are selling some models in the EU and not in North America and vice versa.

To the forum member that asked whether this has a firewire port, yes it does have one.

 

Well, according to pcmag.com, the new vaio z has only geforce 310m, not the GT 330m: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2357773,00.asp.

 

^
That was already discussed in this thread. Go back a few pages to post 192.

Ok, Sony has never done this before in this line and i would have never expected it but may be there actually will be a model with a 310 and one with a 330 or may be PCMag just got it wrong.

Edited to add:
They will most likely both have the 330m because they have the silver model there and the black one will probably be the higher end one but we shall see.

 

Oh you are right, but we will see after the official announcement.
Don't get me wrong; I personally hope it comes with GT330m lol.

 

Is the GT310M that bad ?
Seeing the new Z will only be released a little while I think I will sell my Z11VN, return my SR59VG and instead buy a S series which has everything I need I think.
I noticed that this time Sony is clearly pushing the fact that the S (and SR I think) is built with magnesium alloy, I so wished they did the same with the new Z.

 

Then it would weigh 2kg and it would kill all the fun.

Maybe you should wait for the new Macbook Pro, half the features of the Z and 500 grams heavier but man they're strong

 

Yes 3lbs weight, 1600x900, wwan, express card slot, dvd drive, full powered processor and a relatively powerful GPU. It is nice to see in a market dominated with ULV processors and no dvds drives in the 13" space. Yes, well done Sony.

So, does it have a slot loading drive, if so queue the complaints about stuck drives lol. They do look a little better but how that will work with bluray drives i'm not sure.

Apple are slightly limited with what they can do as they sell some models based on battery life. It will be interesting to see what they do. The 13" MBP is a lot cheaper than the Z and they are not quite in the same market unless Apple really ups their game. As for the materials being stronger, the user reports don't seem that far apart.
If you want tough then best to go for a Toughbook or a Lenovo.

 

That Japanese screenshot. Hmm... A quadcore i5 and a 330GM.
Anyone got any references from CES participants regarding realtime (not quoted) exhaust heat / battery life? Anything whether the i5 downclocks itself and goes at full speed only for short bursts like the T9800 / T9900 CPUs???
Apart from that, the new Z's specs are tempting for heavy duty video work on the move like meself provided it doesn't keep downclocking...

The design though - the LCD panel looks more like Apple now (which to me ain't favourable). I'm quite ok with the current Z having the aluminium palmrest / keyboard which is seperate from the (crappy) plastic silver hinge. But the new design with its fusing - again, makes it look more like an Apple. And finally, the new palm rest.... Ok - it apparently solves the marks on the LCD, but personally looks horrendous. We have screen protectors for a reason (and rightly so for machines of the Z's magnitude).

The backlit keyboard - that ain't backlit, that's edge-lit!!!

Moving on...
It does have some shortcut keys on the top right - Optics eject (yeah - it's there, and it ain't a slot load drive), some window key which I guess is for external output or window resizing, a VAIO button and something in red. No idea what the last two do, but would be happy to see AV Mode introduced...

Other than that, I'd love to see the new Z dismantled. Quite curious how Sony (hopefully) overhauled their current Z's mobo design to accomodate the heat flow through the insides.

 

This is not meant disrespectful Rachel but that statement always makes me giggle. Just because some people dent their MBP it's now in the same build quality league as the Sony Z?

You're probably never going to admit it, but I'll say this to the other people that want to research this: refer to any professional reviewer or just ask people that have owned both.

I owned both, I'm a much bigger Sony fan than Apple, but the MBP is a in different league for build quality.

It's obvious as Sony wanted to make the lightest full powered 13", they did not want to make the toughest.

My advice: if you can't handle a notebook with care don't buy the Z.

 

Very true indeed and that's the conclusion I came too as well.
Although, I have to comment that producing a premium laptop such as the Z which, for some users such as myself and others, doesn't seem to handle very well careful day to day handling (it's not as if I'm throwing it or anything..) could become rather costly to the manufacturer.

How can Sony prove that one has badly handled their laptop ? Twice Sony replaced my display without asking what I did to it, there aren't any marks/dents anywhere to prove it was dropped.
If anything, I'm happy with Sony customer service for having replaced the display.

Regarding the new chassis of the Z and pretty much of the new lineup, I think the new hinge is much better, the one on the Z doesn't inspire much confidence so I think it's definitely an improvement there.

 

Everyone whether they have owned both will have their own point of view.
Some people perceive flex to be a good thing for strength/durability etc and some don't. Lets not forget that durability and build are slightly different.
That argument will never end.
At the end of the day you have to look at user reports in accessing durability. I'm not actually talking about marks on the display etc but i do take that into consideration.
The Z has its flaws but then so also does the MBP.
Anyway, it looks like Sony slightly upped their game with the Z1.

 

Seems not.


Though I really don't much care whether or not it has a tray/slot load drive. One thing that is nice is that the old Z's DVD tray made an awkward cutout from the side of the palmrest trim. On the new one it tucks underneath in the black underbody.


Also, with respect to the comments about the separate palmrest thing- just a guess here but I suspect that the keyboad is diecast from magnesium rather than stamped from sheet as with the old z seris. This would be necessary because the face wraps around the hinge in one piece as opposed to cliping onto the plastic bits on the old one. So diecasting doesn't work well for large thin surfaces because it's difficult to get the material flow in there before it solidifies (fine around the keys because there are many possible injection points. Thus a separate piece of aluminium sheet for the palmrest. Anyway, just a guess from my old manufacturing engineering days, please no crazy-people responses picking apart my paragraph.

 

Rachel, if you want to look at user reports as a basis of determining which one is has the higher build quality or durability, you'll have to do it in a completely different manner then you are doing now.

You could do it, for example, by setting up polls in an appropriate way.

I won't be doing it because it's quite clear to me which one has the higher build quality.

 

I could may be agree that the MBP has better build possibly, there has not been much reports about imprints on the display and the 13" MBP didn't suffer the same hinge problems as the MBA. Whether it is more durable (and all the other adjectives) or not that is not what i cannot agree on.

Drvec, thank you for that picture.


Edited to add:
I've owned about 5 Macs and am interested what Apple do next because well i do prefer 13.3 laptops to 13.1" right now as i own a 11.1 TT that i plan on keeping. I loved the design but knew that strength was not as good as some lines but i had no problems. The unibody design did improve on the durability, at least i think so but not all will not agree. I've already stated what i think in my third post today.

 

It's a good question whether Apple will use comparable GPU in their 13.3" or not. What I'm really worried about is heat. Does anybody know exact power consumption of GT 330M compared to 9600M GT or any other old mobile videocard?

Previous Z had only one tiny fan a relatively small heatsink that's barely enough for 9300GS + 35W Core2Duo.

How did Sony fit 330M inside of new Z without overheating problems?

While unibody enclosure dents after fall, it's torsional rigidity is unquestionable. It feels (escpecially 13.3" model) like a solid piece of metal with no squeaking.

 

Actually I'm going to correct myself, seeing this picture it is obvious that the keyboard/palmrest fascia is actually CNC machined out of a single large custom keyhole-shaped aluminium extrusion. Very clever indeed. This will make the new Z possess a similarly rigid feel to the tank-like MBPs.

 

That's a great picture you've got comparing the sides of the old and new Z series.
It's clear the new one will have much better overall rigidity compared to the second one, this coupled with a new hinge design that seems more robust I think this will make the Z feel much more premium.

 

I have to say the construction of this seems very interesting. It actually looks rather sturdy, and it's definitely thinner than the original Z (although some of that might be reclaimed, in specs at least, with that "bulge" pictured on the bottom).

I have no problem with a plastic palm rest as long as it is solid feeling, properly attached, and isn't coated in some cheap paint that's going to quickly wear off. The aluminum one on my SZ gets a bit on the warm side, and if you go waaaay back you can read all about the electrical "tingling" sensation it delivers (which mine still does).

I hope the black chassis isn't religated to the $4,500 "signature" model.

 

What's funny is the carbon fiber roll on the left. Would be so nice if the actual chase would be made from that.

btw...I've owned MBP for a short period and my co has it till now and I did feel the MBP is much more rigid, but the Z is much more solid to everyday use. My Z looks like new still while his MBP looks awful. All the connector holes have different shapes than they used to have and scratches are all around...

 

It doesn't offer enough to make me want to replace my current Z series. I am also disappointed how chunky the machine is. I presume the new CPU's still require a lot of cooling and the integrated DVD drive doesn't help.

I'd like to have seen the DVD drive removed completely...

 

Looks like cooling system has been improved considerably (otherwise it'll have some very serious problems with dissipating heat generated by GT 330M)

 

So is a redesign!

Great specs, but the design doesn't convince me...seems the style of the TT in the part of the switch. Also, in the led what is this near the motion eye?? For sure, the new Z will be more resistant in the led, though.
I will stuck with my Z, as well.

 

I appreciate that the cheap plastic cover of the power button is now protected inside the machined body. It might look pretty on the current Z but it didn't feel worth of a premium machine.
Fingers crossed the hinge design is more rigid too.

 

I am totally impressed! Is like Sony heard all the compalins for the old Z and made an already great laptop to a perfect laptop. Look how the led is quite the double thicker, blacklit keyboard, great gpu and in the same chassis. The switch is nice, and the palmrest as well. Really tempted to replace my first generation Z11! Can't wait for early reviews, especially battery life and if it becomes warm.

 

I think it looks great, and if I were looking for a new PC this year, I would definitely consider it. It's faster, lighter and (it looks like) sturdier, even though the roll of carbon fibre on that picture is just window dressing and not part of the actual product.
The new short-range BT-replacement seems interesting too -- hopefully not in the Chinese sense.

What I'm not too fond of with the new model is the proliferation of buttons. K.I.S.S. Using custom buttons will only lead to users who get used to these buttons, and who find themselves lost when they get a new machine where the buttons aren't there or do something else. Or worse, a generation of users who have to actually look at the keys before they press them.
I'm also a little worried about heat -- with the 320M and an i7m CPU, this thing has the potential to produce some serious heat at max load. Will it get scorching hot, or will it throttle?

My main wish for the next generation of Z would be a more colour correct screen, though. From what I can tell, this one still has the way-too-saturated still-six-bits-and-dithering screen of the old Z. Which precludes it from being good for serious photo work, among other things.
I'd also like for Sony to start publishing their APIs and BIOS/EFI tables, so others can write hardware accessing software for it. The current crop of Zs is one of the worst PCs to use for Linux because of the custom hardware and firmware combined with a lack of information.

 

From a post in Engadget.

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/event/20100107_340889.html
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/img/pcw/docs/340/889/html/04.jpg.html

It says, the GPU is the Nvidia 330M with a WEI score of 5.9.

 

I watched a clip where i heard a Sony person say it will be "Avaliable end of Spring". Is this correct? I was hoping early Febuary. Also is there any mention of this coming to Europe?

 

Yes, i7 is the high end CPU, but the base model is much lower. So I am not sure how much Sony will charge for upgrading the CPU on the base model.

The F is too big for me, I am looking for a light portable machine.

 

I think the sony press release confirms a late spring availability:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/06/sony-bumps-out-vaio-z-f-w-and-y-series-laptops/

At the bottom it says
"The VAIO Z Series will retail for about $1,900 and be available in late spring. For more information on the Z Series log on to www.sony.com/pr/zseries."

 

Hey guys,

Just one question. Is possible that Sony announce something more in the next days of the CES, or everything must be revealed in the press conference?

 

It lists 4 cores... but I assume it really is just 2 cores with hyperthreading.

 

The base model starting at $1900 is not available until spring is what he said. If you go to their website they say February for the signature models.

Argh! I am so torn on what to do, because I doubt they are going to announce what processor upgrades are going to cost and all the features in the base model before you can order them. So not sure whether to wait or buy now. Plus, now I can't have the red PC

 

Agreed that the F is nowhere close to being as portable as the Z-series. They have released the new S-series (13.3" laptop) in Europe, which means that the release in the US should happen shortly.

The key downside about the current SR-series was the fact that it came with DDR2-800 RAM but that issue has been remedied in the new version (S-series) released in Europe, since they have moved to DDR3 memory.

It too comes with the new Intel i5 chips etc. and also weighs in at around 4 lbs or so and comes with other things like a built-in Bluray drive, Harddrive options like 500gb 7200, magnesium alloy body etc. It is also a LOT cheaper than the Z....maybe worthwhile to check it out.

If you don't want to go with the max-specced version of the Z-series, I believe S-series would be the better bet.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49304619,00.htm
http://www.dvhardware.net/article40201.html
http://www.pclaunches.com/notebooks/sony_vaio_s_series_and_y_series_laptops_introduced.php

 

The new Z is due to start shipping towards the end of February. Looking forward to it.

 

+1

I am also interested in this. Is there something else except press release for Sony in the CES? Waiting as you exetlaios for a refresh of the P series.

 

Looking at this picture, there is no way there is a flush battery alternative. You can see the rear rubber feet match the profile of the bump and are fixed/screwed to the undercarriage at either end of the removable battery.


Also, a better photo showing the piece of extruded aluminium for the upper chassis: