Quality of Sony Notebooks?

I have had an IBM Thinkpad for several years. Fairly happy with it. I had a Sony at one point years ago which I liked. Best Buy has an E series for under $700. I need something with a good quality 15 inch screen. For me $700 is actually pretty cheap, maybe too cheap. I saw some threads expressing concerns about Sony quality. What do people think, generally of Sony quality these days?

 

Well, under $700 isn't going to get you anything but 1366x768. Hate to say it, but the screen quality on Sony's nowadays isn't what it used to be, unless you order one from SonyStyle with an upgraded panel. The 1600x900 and 1920x1080 options are pretty good screens though, with pretty decent color quality/brightness.

 

if you like you lenovo please don't change to sony...
i changed to sony because acer isn't reliable...
and now i found sony not very good, but still can't say bad...

 

Oh yes, Sony makes wonderful notebooks.... if you're looking for the more expensive models. Sony has something that no other manufacturer can pull off in the Z-series. Sony's niche is expensive notebooks, there I said it. There are much better brands for sub-$1000, like the Lenovo's and SOME of the HP's. Although I have to say, I've been putting orders in for a LOT of Dell Latitudes here lately, and my Latitude has been through a MAJOR car accident with me with battle scars to prove it, so I'd recommend you try looking at Dell's business notebooks. A good bargain can be had there if you dig.

 

I totally agree, I often tell people the only Sony worth really buying is the high end, ultra light, ultra thin models like the Z and SZ.

I wouldn't say their other models are bad, but those are their forte and how they made a name for themselves in the industry. Right now, other than the Z series, I would be looking at Asus first and foremost.

 

With Sony you pay for the styling and thats always been the way with Sony. If you are ok with that then its no biggie but if its not something you care about then you can mostly find better and cheaper alternatives elsewhere except for stuff like Z series which is a miniaturization marvel and which has no real equivalent.

In recent years Apple has taken a big slice out of Sony's style and exclusivity pie so Sony has become more competitive at the affordable end of the market with the likes of E and F series which can be specced out for less than equivalent Dells (with coupons!) but what you get can vary alot depending on localisation and what upgrade options are available to you.

For instance, in the E series thread, there were alot of folks that couldn't seem to get the HD5650s in their country which makes it decidedly less of a bargain compared to Dell's Studio 15/17.

Also there has been much talked about issues over the variance in F series TFT panels where it has become evident that the really good panels are the matte EU Premium ones and if you live in the US you are likely to get an inferior glossy screen.

If you do your research though you can avoid getting trapped by stuff like that.

 

In Sweden Sony is on of the best brands with best quality.

 

Got my Z in April, pretty good so far. I wish Lenovo has an X-series with FHD, SSD, and discrete GPU. I'm spoilt by Sony

I suppose, if I intend to keep the laptop for a while, I should be concerned about the quality of the service personnel. In an earlier thread, I found that BBB rated Sony an 'F', while Lenovo got an 'A'.

 

I don't know about quality, i've ordered my Sony recently and will find out how good they are but in the UK it's different.

I mean find me a laptop in the UK that can provide the same specs in the Sony E series (i5 450m, 5650 1gb, 4gb Ram, Blu-Ray write, full HD 1080p screen) for £716. I can't find other laptops that come close to it so this is my reason for choosing.

Their a well known brand so i'm gambling that they won't let their laptops slide down too much in quality.

 

Vaio's tend to be well built and well designed, often with some innovate feature and always neat accessories. If the spec is good for you and it's good value, then yes, I would reccomend the build quality.

If you want a higher spec vaio machine then it will be more expensive than it's competition and probably on a par with apple.

 

Aside from the Vaio Z, I wouldn't class any of Sony's machines as on par with Apple.

 

^jailbreak your iphone and download ifile.

 

...Answering the OP's question.
The BUILD quality on VAIOs compared to other brands; I'd consider VAIOs to be rather 'flimsy' compared to other manufacturers. But then, that's expected on, say a Z since they are so darn small and portable. And as long as you treat your wee baby with respect, it will last you a decent while.

I bought my VGN-Z2 (in 2008, as soon as it came out) because it was the only laptop which had a semi-matt screen and a completely matt lid; I would've bought the piano-finish glossy carbon fibre Z only if it didn't cost an extra US$1k...

 

The Sony Z series is the Vaio regarded as having the best build quality. Certainly Sony designs the majority of notebooks quite well but some of the manufacturing, like some of its competitors, can be a little dodgy. I would like to add that you should really hope that nothing goes wrong with your Sony notebooks as not only to do you pay a premium when you buy it but you also pay a premium if you get it repaired officially.

 

Is that BBB like in Better Business Bureau or ?? Do you have a link? I'm torn between Sony and Lenovo right now, so this kind of difference in support would for sure sway my decision.

Thanks

 

I looked it up. Seems it is the Better Business Bureau. But the part of Sony they rated F is the gaming part, like PS3's. The part of Sony that makes pretty much all the other consumer electronics has an A+ rating. Lenovo has an A rating. So not much difference there.

 

the quality of sony product especially VAIO somehow unpredictable. theres always pros and cons for each new product launch. just like the Z. the old one have inferior gpu and also issue on mark on screen and so the flex screen. the new one however overcome those weaknesses but theres another thing coming out which the palmrest wear out over time issue. can they make a perfect product by maintaining thing which already good and upgrade thing which not?

and another thing, about the consumer lineup, like E, F, CW etc, since sony already have two division built the VAIO, the quality on those lineup just mediocre. its like sitting the same level which other manufacture like dell, acer, toshiba but price is the only thing that distinguish them.

just my 2cent from my observation

 

Like Miyabi says, but in a different way.
It's like a raffle (or buying cars). Some laptops are perfectly fine, some are just complete lemons / pain in the backsides. You read this forum and you'll see it littered with people having their individual problems. Some (the lucky ones) don't.

As the owner of the VGN-Z, I have a few things against it. The diagonal line issue is one. Actually, that's my only problem (aside from a fan issue which I'm getting replaced under warranty sometime this year). Some VGN-Z's have a more noticable diagonal line issue than others; it's completely random.

That said, there are global issues like the battery drainage problem and marks on the screen when pressed too hard.

For every problem Sony fixes, two more will take its place. Though you can't expect the 'perfect' machine in one go; if that were the case people would just simply stop buying new products altogether. An example is the VPC-Z; the headphone jack is useless with the extended battery; a coincedence or maybe a purposeful error...? You decide.

 

Here's the thread where some of us went to look for Sony's rating on BBB. I posted the link to Lenovo's report there:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/507411-bad-experience-sony-site-support.html

So far I've heard only horror stories, especially with regards to Sony's on-site service.

(Later) You're right about the part on laptops versus entertainment, it looks like Sony gets an A+ for its electronics division: http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/bu...ny-corporation-of-america-in-new-york-ny-446/

How odd

 

This is the BBB link to the branch of Sony that makes computers. I agree it seems kind of odd that they get an A+ given what I read here and elsewhere, but it seems it's a rating given overall for TV's, computers, etc, etc. So maybe the (apparently) bad computer service part gets washed out a bit?

 

That makes sense Perhaps that's why Sony doesn't pay too much attention to their poor laptop service, it became insignificant

 

onsite techs arent the brightest.

 

Hello, everyone, I am new to this forum, which I discovered by accident while doing a google search for something else.

My first experience with a Sony PC was when I bought a Sony VAIO desktop for Xmas of 1997. Three days later, Sunday afternoon, my CDROM drive started spinning as fast as it could go. I clicked the Sony Help Icon on my Win95 desktop and after a brief pause to make a connection a lovely voice, coming right out of my display side speakers, asked how she could help me! I explained my problem and she asked me to wait and not touch my computer for a few minutes. I saw some msgs flash by on the screen and then the CDROM began making noises. After a few moments she confirmed that my CDROM was defective. She said a technician would be by Wednesday with a new CDROM replacement. No charge. He showed up, replaced the CDROM and that computer worked perfectly for the next five years.

I gave myself a Sony VAIO FW-140E as a retirement gift two and 1/2 years ago. Its performance has been faultless and its durability has been almost faultless. The only problem I have is that the letters on the "M" & "N" keys are about worn off, but I touch type so it doesn't matter. I was a teacher for 18 years, had my own computer consulting business for 15 (doing criminal forensics too), and regardless of what else I was doing I've been writing software since I took Fortran IV in grad school in 1968. My last client gave me an offer my wife wouldn't let me refuse, because it kept me home on evenings and weekends. My son followed me to work there one year later and we worked together at various times for the next 11 years, until I retired. He was recently promoted to the head of the dept we were in.

I spend an average of eight hours a day on my Sony, so you know it gets heavy use. I have used Linux since 1998 and this laptop is running Kubuntu 10.4 with the KDE 4.5.1 desktop. I am a global moderator for the KubuntuForm.org website. My Sony's display is gorgeous, the sound is magnificent, and the fan and HD are as quiet as mice. Core1 is 118F, and is flat line, so I suspect it is showing the beginning of thermal paste degradation there. Core0 fluctuates with the fan and varies between 100F and 109F. The only port I have not used on this box is the "MagicGate", so I have no clue as to how well it works. My Wacom Bamboo tablet works great, as does the USB external HD, and every device I've plugged into it over the last two years.

The two other boxes here at home are Acer Aspire 3004Li laptops, both are working flawlessly with Kubuntu. I bought them on special 4 or 5 years ago from Circuit City for $500 with no OS, (regularly $1,100 with XP and AV tools).

So, if I were in the market for another laptop I would definitely put Sony's high end offerings at the top of my list.

 

Lovely story, most of it has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of sony products though lol OK, you have ONE encounter with Sony support, and apparently it was over 10 years ago, in the past 10 years a lot have changed and now Sony's support is at the bottom of the barrel, unfortunately.

 

My vaio Z screen failed twice and now the extended warranty won't cover it. I was extremely unimpressed with the quality of my Vaio Z. The screen contacts the keyboard when transported in a sleeve and the FPC cables that connect the LCD electronics to the LCD panel itself are very easily damaged on the unit. The computer fan also becomes dirty and requires cleaning if used in less then perfect conditions.

I know many people are happy with the unit and they might say I abused it but I had a thinkpad T41p for 6 years with only a minor hinge crack when it was exposed to -25C temps for a day. I used them both the same way.

Overall the unit is nice but the screen is very sensitive to damage (the optical drive and smart card reader also stopped working on it).

 

Also, the onsite tech cracked the bezel on my LCD and disconnected the webcam.

 

Just got a Sony Y, things seems pretty damn solid. Haven't had any issues with it so far.

 

I had a 13 in macbook pro before this and i love it but wanted to go back to windows. i loved the metal construction of the macbook pro, the portability, and a laptop with a dvd drive so I went with the Z. Although right now I've changed my mind and would rather have extra room for a regular SSD rather than the smaller SSD and sacrifice the DVD drive.

 

Yes this is about right. The Z is a superbly built unit. On par for quality with he best ultraportables I have owned over the years, only exception being the Panasonic Y series, which for me is still the best build quality of all time in a laptop. Much is made of the Apple Macbook pros and the Air but the Panasonic ultralights make them feel like overweight flimsy clunkers.

In fact I would just flat out say that basically you only want the Japanese made Sonys, which is the Z series and I think maybe the X.

The rest of the Sonys are Chinese contract built units and at that point you are paying extra for the Sony brand there. For 700 buck you can only expect so much - and in any case, for those type of cheap units you might as well get an Acer or Asus and cut out the middleman, so that more of your money is going into product quality and not brand premium.

 

In response to the OP, I had a Sony VAIO E series laptop given by my workplace along with my personal ThinkPad (I think that makes two of us). The Sony E series is OK considering the price and is fairly well built, though main areas of concern is the strength of the LED screen lid. It's quite thin which is nice for aesthetics but I don't think the screen will cope under serious pressure so you got to be careful on that part.

 

SZ series are known to have issues with noisy CPU fan after 1-2 year of use.
CPU fan replacement didn't solve the problem.