S13A1 or S 15"?

Since I am torn between 2 Sony's I decided to ask this question here. I am particularly a sucker for good displays. Then I like cool and quiet notebooks. Which of these two would you get for work/entertainment?

 

I love the 13" form factor, and with the Sony S you don't have to sacrifice desktop space to get that size with its 1600x900 option.

That said, after I modded my Dell with an IPS screen, I simply can't go back to a "regular" screen. The IPS 1080P screen on the s15 is beautiful. I don't care about the supposed red/orange issue as I'm weak on red/orange/green colors - some shades of those colors look the same to me ignorance really is bliss. With the same specs the 15" chassis will likely run cooler.

If you care for display quality, I highly recommend the S15 for its IPS display.

 

I too am having quite the dilema between the two. I really want a 13" for lightness and portability (I fly a lot) and a small light notebook with great batterylife and some horsepower for games is a must.

Problem is, the 13" screen is nowhere near the 15" quality. And I must say, being a little bit more overweight then the 13", the 15" is defininlty trying to pull me. Gee, perfect screen? or perfect size? Why Sony did you have to do this to me? Just put the perfect screen on all your laptops!

 

The 15" really isn't too bad. I used to have a 13" laptop, then I swapped to a 14", then finally a 15", and while I feel as though 14.6" is the perfect compromise of workspace, power, and portability, 15" really isn't a problem portability-wise. It's also cheaper to get the 15" kitted out with nice things, and I bet the fan noise won't be as bad.
Personally, I'm buying a 15". Mostly for the screen, though.

My requirements for a notebook are about the same as yours=D

 

^ i had a 15" laptop for many years, and i thought it's too big and bought a very light 12" ( not a netbook), which turned out to be too small. i have also used my friend's 14" laptop for some time. my conclusion was that for me, 13.3" is the perfect size/weight for a laptop. YMMV.

the display on the current SA is really not that bad. people like to hype things up or thrash other things. i'm using it everyday, even for gaming, and it's just fine. it's not superb, but it's fine.

wait for a week or two for S13A to be reviewed/benchmarked.

 

There have been reviews/comments suggesting that the screen on the S13A1 is a substantial upgrade from the lamented one on the 2011 SA, so if you would prefer the smaller form factor, the advice to wait for full reviews and measurements of the new S13's screen - and fan noise, equally critical from last year's model - and you'll be able to make a better informed decision.

Or, if you have the cash to lay out, order one of each and play with them and look at the screens side by side and return the one you like less! Sony gives you a generous 30 days for a full refund.

 

See the link in my sig to see the IPS difference side by side. I saw the Sandy s13 1600x900 and the S15 IPS side by side. It's the same difference.

Like I said earlier I love the 13" 1600x900 size but I'm willing to "sacrifice" and take the S15 for the screen and light 4.5lbs for a 15.5" chassis.

 

Your point about the superiority of IPS displays is beyond reproach, but I don't think your comparison of the Sandy Bridge SA screen to the SE's IPS is valid, pending those reviews and benchmarks of the new S13's display. I use as an example the fact that the Z's screens, while TN, have more than enough virtues to overlook their inferior technology. From one comment by a respected tech editor, the new S13's 900p screen may even be lifted from the Z1 and Z2, as it seems the 2012 SVZ will only use 1080ps.

That and, well, I'm personally very partial to the color red, and I might accept some tradeoffs vs. the SE's IPS if it remains "color blind!"

 

Hey Lovelaptops, where did you see reviews and comments about the new screen? anything you got would be great.

As I have a sony and a Frys next to me with the new models I have seen the lower res 13" (not the 16x9) next to the 15" and man oh man the 13 pales in comparison.

I am still eagerly awaiting the reviews though so i can hopefully make a final decision.

 

With Apple not introducing better displays for their lower end selection, it seems like the S series is my best option for a new laptop. I'm torn between the different sizes and have been playing around with different setups, and let's see if I got this right:

Both the S13 and S13A seem to be configurable for the 1600x900 Vaio Display Premium
For the S15, only option is the 1920x1080 Vaio Display Plus

Now according to the site Vaio Display < Vaio Display Plus < Vaio Display Premium, yet what I'm reading here is that the S15 has an IPS panel and the 13" models have a lower quality (TN?) panel? Is it really so?

 

wrong thread

 

Actually people are comparing 2011 13" 1600x900 panel with 2011 15" 1080p IPS panel (both Vaio Display Plus)

Apparently some countries are getting 1600x900 Vaio Display Premium screen which indicates probably Sony is using the Z1/Z2 1600x900 panel for the S13A this year. If that is the case then S13A Vaio Display Premium Screen > S15 IPS Vaio Display Plus

 

Do all S13A in the US have the Permium display used in prior Z series?

 

Wasn't the Z2 a 13.1" screen laptop compared to the 13.3" of the S13A? Sure it is the same display?

 

hmm indeed the Z is 13.1, so maybe it is just an improved panel for the SA

 

That or they're comparing the lower-level/tier SA without the Vaio Display Premium and claiming there's no improvement. Has any one actually seen or used a S13A in the wild to see if it's really an IPS on par with the Z?

 

I have one [and quite a few other people in the owner's lounge thread]. I don't know how to check, but I could if you told me.

 

I believe it was Lisa, esteemed editor of Mobile Tech Review (want to know the answer to every question you have about a device you're considering? want to see for yourself, in 10, 15 minutes or more of a bright, sharp color-correct 1080p video which shows everything you want to see up close, and even gives you a sense of how the actual screen looks - as long as you have a Sony Z 1080p 92% color gamut, or equivalent? There's your review site!) Except that, uh, er, I look on the site and, no S13 review to be found; full-throated, videoed reviews of the new SVZ and SVT, but no SVS13. Good reads, but not the answer you're looking for. Still, I know it was she who has seen it and commented that it had "very good color saturation," which means it cannot possibly be the screen from the 2011 SA13. I'm thinking she said it in a post right here on good 'ole NBR, where she occasionally pops in.

Confused, annoyed? read on...

It is somewhere between funny and maddening when a new product is at the stage of the new S13, where it's out in the marketplace but nobody you know - or share forums with - has one, and no one has reviewed one, yet it is more than rumor driving the speculation. It was exactly this way for the first couple of months the 2011 SE was out; Sony chose not to state that the 15.5" display was IPS, but it was, and still is, apparently, the same fine, red-less IPS display on this year's as last year's (see also, screens, IPS, 15.6" HP Envy)! As for the Z having a 13.1" and the S13 being 13.3, I brought up the very same incongruity in a forum here about the SE 15.5" being the same orange-lovin IPS as on the 15.6" HP Envy 15 (see also, screens, red-lovin IPS, 15.5" Sony SE). I believe our Sony-maven Beaups offered an explanation of the slight variations of published screen size. Probably had something to do with bezels and, well, the fact that you can't see the difference of 0.1" or 0.2" diagonally so there's at least that much latitude afforded the Sony's of the world, who seem to want people to think that their 13.1" and 15.5" screens are unique in all the world. Has anyone here ever measured their screen diagonally?

Go away and come back in a week or two; the mystery of the S13 screen will be solved.

 

I can tell that Z1 13.1" screen is too small physically for SA 13.3" because I thought about putting one in and even tried. There definitely is enough difference even though it's mere .2" Imagine 13.1" full HD in SA ...

 

Yes, that makes sense. But it doesn't change the fact that they are calling the screen in some, but not all, of the SVS13 models "premium," and comments have been made suggesting the screen may be different than the washed out SA13 of last year.

 

Is the screen of new S13A not the same as the one that equipped older Vaio Z series ?
I've got a VGN-Z51XG from 2009-2010 and the screen seems to be the same :
anti-glare, 1600x900 13 inch and something ?

I'm really concerned with that question of S13 screen, because I'm looking for a laptop for photo editing. It will be plugged on a large IPS or VA screen at home but when I'll be out I still want to be sure the color are globally ok.

If somebody has more info. !

 

The only reliable person I've heard opine on the new vs. old S screen is Lisa from Mobile Tech Review and she has now confirmed (post #31) that she has seen the old and new side by side and the new is better, with deeper blacks.

 

I also can't decide between the 13" and 15" but it's not because of the screen quality. I think the 13" 1600x900 will be fine. I'm worried about the 13" screen being too small for gaming. But on the 15" I'm worried about the added weight, orange reds, and the keyboard feeling more cramped. But does the 15" really run cooler and quieter? Anyone want to help me decide?

 

I downloaded Speedfan on my 15". When browsing the temps are as follows: GPU: 45C
HD: 39C
Temp 1: 53C
Core 0: 33C
Core 1: 34C

My reds are red...at least to my eyes. I also find it brilliant to have a 15" full HD notebook that is only 2 kilos.

 

I have the 1600 x 900 13.3" in front of me right now, and it is indeed TN. And for those of you who've been enthusiastically asking for a review, my video review of the 13" S with 1600 x 900 panel should be out on Monday

 

can you spoil us;

is the S premium, everything we dreamed off? all of us who preferred when the Z had integrated graphics!

Also, how do you see it against the only ultrabook with discrete graphics, the Asus ux32?

 

With full mobile CPUs, I see the Vaio S as trouncing Ultrabooks for those who need more processing power, irrespective of GPU.

After using the Vaio Z for 3 weeks I though the 13" Vaio S just wouldn't hold much charm for me, but guess what-- it does. This is a very, very nice ultaportable: strong CPU, upgradable parts and a pretty decent GPU given power and heat constraints. I'm impressed so far!

 

i saw the vaio s in store today, it wasn't the premium and i noticed the screen was grainy... it wasn't as nice as my Z11 when i had it. that screen was freaking gorgeous

is it different on the S premium? i hope so, i really wanted to get this laptop

 

The standard S 13 is 1366 x 768 vs 1600 x 900 on the S Premium models, so there's a noticeable difference.

 

Lisa, the 1600x9 screen - I've looked at in the store and it looks like it has a pixelation type to it. It makes my eyes kind of crosseyed. kind of like you can see inbetween the pixels. Is this a characteristic of a TN? Or is this something else. It drives me crazy. Please comment. BTW: eagerly awaiting your review.

Thanks!

 

I think it's a TN thing, because the viewing angle can make text seem to scintillate if not viewed head on. To my eyes 100% dpi scaling makes for more jaggy look Windows fonts vs 125% dpi scaling on the S. On the Vaio Z, 100% scaling looks fine (though too tiny for my eyes' comfort). So you're not getting a Z calibre display on the S premium 13".

 

Yikes, pretty complicated. So your saying that because it is a TN screen then I just have to live with the pixely text and colors (seen easily in the start menu)? Do peoples eyes eventually adjust and no longer see this? Or since this drives me crazy at this point I am forever doomed to seeing it? What then is the point or advantage of the TN? I've noticed it on many other (wannabe) ultrabooks as well, why is this on so many models?

 

blahhh, makes me want to get another Z, but i really hate that there is no graphics card inside it... the screen quality of the Z is just so amazing

 

Zenbook Prime 1080p IPS Display Bests MacBook Pro 1800p Display in Contrast Ratio « Ultrabook News and the Ultrabook Database

Are there data/reviews around comparing the screen quality of the Z2/Z3 or S13/S13A in comparison to other top quality screens out there?

I mean the Z screen looks gorgeous to the human eye, but I'm looking for more of a benchmark