SB series has terrible design/ build quality issues

I just came back from a retail shop in Australia, after checking out the new SB series, i think i'm going to cancel my order from Sony now.

First, i noticed the fingerprint reader is NOT horizontally in line with trackpad, it looks tilted a bit, definitely a build quality issue. There is also a big gap between mouse keys, i could even see the inside component through that gap.

Second, mouse keys don't respond when i pressed close to the edge of the keys. they would only work properly if i press them really hard or press close to the centre. why design them so big if they only work on certain area?!

Third, DVD tray has a huge gap at the bottom. i have never seen a gap like that on any laptop. is this a design flaw? i think it is.

I have a VAIO C series which i bought 4 years ago, doesn't have any quality issues like these. I also have a Macbook Air, it has the best build quality on a laptop. Interestingly all these 3 laptops are made in China, but SB series is by far the worst of all. Overall was a really bad impression. will cancel my order tomorrow and wait for the SA series or the new Z.

Anyone whose SB series has similar issues please post in this thread, Sony needs to know about this and improve in the future.

 

A closer look of the fingerprint reader. This is from a different SB unit. both have same issue.

 

another photo from a SB user in China.

 

Cool. Great photos. Thanks for sharing the info. Appreciate it.

 

I, too, just came back from the Sony Style store (Canada) 10 mins ago. While I didn't observe the build quality very closely as you did, I can say that the overall quality of the SB isn't close to the Sony Z sitting beside it. I hope the SA will be better.

 

I was giving leyway to Sony because of the Japanese earthquake issue but now I can see Sony is doing a horrible job not just with build quality but with specifications (not including the SLC hybrid drives and changing the fingerprint reader option).

Sony is off my radar screen now. I doubt the SA will be any better since it will be assembled in the same factory.

The Lenovo Thinkpad and Toshiba Portege models look to me to be much better designed along with the Apple MacBook Pro models.

I really thought Sony had improved and was a really good player but now it just seems like it has the Sony name and good "Advertised" specs but does not deliver.

Apparently units which came in for review were solidly built but the actual production units are coming in with horrible quality. These units got excellent reviews but unfortunately the end product has proved to be inferior.

As usual I waited, but Sony couldn't deliver.

So Im moving on now and Sony is not in the running anymore.

I was under the impression that the VAIO's were ODM'ed in the Quanta plant which has time and time again built extremely solid models. But from the looks of it, this is not Quanta's quality.

Has Quanta gone downhill and started putting out crap for Sony? I wonder who is building these because its the fault of the ODM. It is not the fault of design specs that are poor.

I as a CEO of a company would never allow such crap to be peddled. In fact Quality control issues are found early up in the line.

Sony has lost my business right now but I do have sympathy because of the earthquake issues and the like.

One article I read said the Enterprise Thinkpad models are being built exclusively by Wistron now.

I need to look at them in the store when they are all out and see how the build quality is.

The build quality on the MacBook Pro has been amazing and everyone I know with them is really happy as well. The thing is the Sony was lighter and was more attractive on first glance.

Companies and brands control product quality but can specify some low grade parts to save money at times or play coy with specifications.

 

Yes, I noticed the thing about the fingerprint reader also on a display unit. On this unit the fingerprint reader was also moving quite badly in its space.
At first I thought it was because it's a display unit and everybody is touching it but is seems it's a generalized problem

 

All Sony made in China laptops are made by Foxconn in Yantai, China.

 

Very sharp eyes you have there. I just opened up my dad's SB and it DOES appear that the fingerprint sensor is misaligned. Also, I do notice the gap at the bottom of the DVD drive.

One horrific experience I had with the SB is that when I tried to install Microsoft Office 2010 via the DVD drive and try to transport the laptop during the process, it makes a VERY irritating squeaking noise, similar to something like boiling kettle. I immediately put the laptop down on the table and the noise stopped.

If you do own an SB, try inserting an installation DVD and hold the laptop with your hands (with one hand just below the DVD drive) and see if you hear any noise.

 

Apple Macs and Lenovos are made in China, are these poor quality? Dell also has manufacturing plants in China, the business line is of course more durable than the consumer range.

 

Absolutely wrong!!!

Vaio S (2010) is also (partially, as some CTO are from Taiwan) made in China but the Quality is even better than Vaio Z made in Japan!!

Country of origin plays absolutely no role! Don't be mislead!

About the design - I've been saying it since Jan that SA/SB have terrible, ugly design looking like an Apple/Toshiba hybrid
Pity the quality is poor too ;(

 

Well sorry guys I take back the last statement I just made. Maybe I was just too picky on stuff made in China (and the poor experiences I had with some of them).

That said, did anyone here actually have issues with the misaligned fingerprint sensor (like, practically using it). I haven't tried it out because its my dad's computer. The DVD drive though, is quite a bit of an issue.

 

Seems like a common problem with the first revision laptops, though I don't know if the author noticed these issues, maybe their not that bothersome. Hopefully they will fix it as the time passes.

Source

 

I can imagine that the DVD drive can be easily fixed - it is probably not well aligned with the metal things holding it OR it is a problem of the drive itself which can't be an universal problem...

 

Do these issues show up in CTO, prebuild or both?

 

That's a very good question as experience showed that Pre-configured Vaio S11/S12/S13 have much better quality than CTO!! 99% of all complains about quality were about CTOs! Interesting to find out if it is the same with SA/SB...

 

I have experienced this as well, the fingerprint reader is a little misaligned, the mouse keys aren't fully flat and the dvd drive has a gap on the underside of the laptop.

I probably return it just for the B2 chipset and the odd connected to the 4th port (very bad sony !). And there i was hoping i just got the perfect machine

 

I think these issues may well have a lot to do with the earthquake, hence their premium quality deteriorated.
I think we could just forgive them, but er, kind of sucks for the ones who got the first revision models...

 

What about the issues with the touchpad when typing?

 

Look at my comment, you can turn it off in settings.

 

guys i know a lil offtopic but man haven't seen many lappys with fingerprint readers that not aligned and messy as the sb. Before getting my z i did pop down to my local shop in aus to look at the sb felt very non durable and hated the big fat boarders around the lcd or led whatever screen. u'd gather that fingerprint reader is a premium faciliity on the better lappys, but just lookin at the pics geez...thank god i got what i got...

 

SB production started way before the earthquake, so that excuse is just lame. Sony must know about this, which is probably why they pushed back the SB release in Japan by a month. If the Japanese see this kind of quality from Sony, they would ditch this company for good.

 

maybe the SB is from division 2? and even though sony claimed that the consumer would not notice the difference between division 1 and 2, perhaps there is a noticeable difference?

 

definitely not from division 2. Japanese website had interview with the VAIO design team for SA/SB, all of those 5 people are from SONY HQ in Tokyo.

 

Has someone tried to open the laptop and verify the screws that connect the ODD to the chassis? Maybe the problem can be solved without the return of the machines.

The SB is getting day by day a poor choice for me.

 

The fingerprint reader has now become a non-issue because Sony silently removed it from the SB. I called them and they told me that only the Z comes with a fingerprint reader. I informed them that I had the original specs downloaded with pictures showing a fingerprint reader but they just responded "I don't know where you are getting your information from". I said it was from your own website. Looks like their representatives know very little about the product.

I also brought up the hybrid hard drive missing from many orders and they assured me I would get a hybrid hard drive. I had them make a note of it in the order so I can come back on them if my CTO (ordered a month ago) shows up with a regular drive.

Frankly, I don't trust them at this point to provide me with the laptop I am paying for. May be time to cancel and wait for that new Acer Timeline...that looks pretty good and much cheaper.

 

Do you have original downloaded specs for "VPCSB1AGX " which mentiones about fingerprint reader..just wanted to make my case more strong against sony before I call them up about the issues.

 

maybe they should remove the DVD drive too, lol

 

Vaio S has always been Division 1 just like Z.

 

I would have thought that despite being designed by Sony's Japanese engineers, the actual production is done overseas (ie, China). So basically, Sony designs and sends the blue-prints to a contractor / assembler in China.

I can't fathom how machines with such issues, which from looking at the photos are VISUALLY problematic, are getting through quality-checking from the factory floor.

And people, earthquake or not. If assembly-line workers can't see a misaligned fingerprint reader THAT OBVIOUS then the factory in question shouldn't even be open. That plus, we ain't talking about Japanese factories in the first place; aren't the SB assembled in China? Then what on earth is going on? Either way someone at the assembly plant passing off such quality is indicative of an UTTER lack of care for the end user. Or the sole though unlikely person responsible for quality checking the production line is asleep at the job...

@Gracy
I thought the S series were division 2 machines (ie, made in China if that is what the difference between division 1 and 2 is)? The only division 1 machines I'm absolutely sure of are / were the TT (and the TZ), VGN (and VPC) Z, X, and P series.

 

mine doesnt come with a fingerprint reader

 

Division 2 are the models manufactured by a subcontractor and being granted the Vaio name and specific "features" like the logo, the "Vaio" and "Assist" buttons and so on. No one ever said that they are all made in China neither that backwards - everything made in China is division 2.

The business lines of Sony as well as the unique (by design or feature-wise) models are all Div. 1. Until recently Z and S were the only 2 models considered business line, now a few Y models also belong to this group.
Other Div 1 models are as you mentioned TT, X and P.

If I am not mistaken F is also div. 1 but I'm not sure about that.

Nevertheless as I said - country of origin is meaningless - Z (2010) made in Japan has way more issues than S (2010) made in China.

 

Whichever ODM is making this Sony VAIO is of horrible quality. It looks more like a Sony Knockoff than the real deal.

From what I know the newest equipment factories in the world now are in China for assembly. Mainland Taiwan apparently uses older equipment. However you need quality employees and quality designers and Quality control to make sure the products at the end of the line come out as superior.

For a factory to pull out that flawed notebook like that and actually approve those for sale considering the checks that other factories do before they ship out is not a factory I would ever want to buy a laptop from and they dropped the ball immeasurably.

One can easily see those flaws in the Quality Control process to weed them out. In fact end consumers had to post them as they spotted them. In the factory they see the units just like the end consumer at the end of the line.

Apple MacBook Pro's for instance are far superior units and would never ever be allowed to ship out like that.

If another notebook PC vendor is using the same plant for production as Sony then they too will show signs of poor construction and I won't buy those either.

I have used products from around the world and in general Japan has been one of the best nations in the world to buy consumer goods that last from.

But now? Sony's chinese notebooks don't appear to be anything I am interested in.

 

regardless where it is from, def sub standard quality on some models, poor build should have been shaken out before release when sony was designing and testing the SA/SB.

I have a 1mm gap around my cd tray on my FW and its quite stable and does not wobble, and my mouse keys are clickable on the far edges, so either that SB is borked or its some poor parts being used on Sony's part.

I do wonder about that finger print reader and why it is like that. I always thought most if not all sony products go through a quality check before leaving the factory, especially for pre-built models.

all car companies check the cars before leaving the assembly line, electrical, mechanical and even how the seams between panels are, and its very stringent on the premium brands. And with Sony being a premium brand, I would hope they have such a quality control program as well.

I am curious if there are any issues with the new CA/CB models

 

The reasons why the sony sb series was on my list are it's the only 13 inch laptop w/ usb 3,blu-ray option, and especially a great graphics card.'
After reading about these quality issues, I'll wait for the SA and hopefully the quirks are resolved. If not I'll have to choose a different brand.

 

Just as a hint - you know USB 3.0 is just a matter of an Express-card, don't you? Isn't expensive either.
Blu-Ray on a 13" ?? Ok... if you find that useful...

 

That is why you have competition in the industry and forums like these to see how the products are before you put down 1 cent on the item.

http://tuxmobil.org/laptop_oem.html

Dmidecode will tell you who the actual ODM is without guessing.

 

most of those express card usb 3 adapters require another usb port for extra power. Tell me of one that doesn't.

Yes blu-ray on a 13 " laptop cause I will be using this laptop as my sole pc/laptop. When I'm home I'll attach to a larger led tv to watch movies. The amd 6630 perfect for light gaming

 

Good that you removed what you initially wrote about Apple - I was already hearing loud laughter in the hall...

Ah????

Amazon.com: STARTECH Port ExpressCard SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter ECUSB3S2: Electronics

USB 3.0 Expresscard

 

Let's just leave it at the fact that I prefer built in usb 3 rather than to have to buy an expresscard adapter. What I might buy buy as an expresscard add-on is esata rev. 3

 

Gee... what has happened to Sony ??

I'd much rather stay with Windows (to be honest) but I'm getting more and more tempted to at least try a Mac.

 

SATA3 won't give you any benefit over actual SATA controllers / drive when you have a PCIe 1x lane (Expresscard) in between as a bottleneck.

AKE USB3.0 Expresscard adapter: 10$, sits flush, doesn't require external power and features a Fresco Logic FL1000 chipset. Works like a charm for me.

 

The Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420s has AMD 6630M at 4.1lb. It doesn't have USB 3.0 but as others have said it can be added should you need it with a seperate expresscard.

With the Sony issues, it looks like I'll be looking at Lenovo, Toshiba, even Apple, and possibly Asus and even Samsung will be in the running.

So 5 brands left to go. No product or limited product out right now.

Will see how the full comparison reviews are after all is ready.

 

I like lenovo, but thinkpad is too boring.....
SB is sexy

 

Apple is sexier. Uses a high grade precision aluminum finish.

Sony looks like cheap plastic finish. Not only is it not being built well, it doesn't look like it will hold up either.

Initially the design was nice but the materials and fit and finish were not. You can't make a nice style if the sum of the pieces are subpar.

 

Perhaps the SA will be better built...

 

Apple is not sexy... apple has a boring, standard body... The alu finish is just as "high grade" as my oven - it has alu finish too. Inoxcrom/alu look is not modern anymore... it looks kitchen-y. I don't like SA/SB either (maybe because it more and more looks like a Macbook), but sorry - Macbook is just a board. How long since it hasn't been changed now? 5 years? Not even a facelift... But now comes with the nice "feature" of overheating and running warm - awesome! Another step towards the oven...

 

FWIW, SB lacks an express card slot.

 

Really?? Why am I surprised actually... having in mind that all ports are on one side

 

The models with expresscard slot can have usb 3.0 added so the lack of USB 3.0 on models with expresscard is a totally moot point.

Sony is out of the running. Looked good initially but expresscard is more configurable.

<The More you know, the more you don't want the Sony>

Would be nice if more sandy bridge 13-14" models were out so i can compare them in a roundup and then choose which 2 get.