Sony SA Series Discussion Sony's next new 13.3 laptop

Totally untrue. Bioses on PCs today are mostly Phoenix or Award but at times certain OEMs like Dell for instance scale down their bios and remove features which are found stock on others.

Adding branding is not the same as a custom bios and most BIOSes just use their own branding.

The argument was over bios tweaks and the Lenovo doesn't sound like anything I want at all. Making a system boot faster without providing a FASTER SSD means you are removing features from the OS itself. If Windows 7 has features which you dont need loaded you can shut themselves down yourself inside the OS Directly.

Lenovo's small SSD + HD and custom bios tweaks aren't something I want. I want a MICRON C400 or faster SSD along with a quality well built system like the Sony's for instance to get best of breed performance and quality.

I dont wanted any special scripts or modified bioses like on the Lenovo at all.

Nothing mentioned here can in any way be perceived as a special feature set, in fact, its not. Firms like Acer also added features which claimed power enhancements and all they did was disable certain features in the OS itself.

What counts is engineering quality and design and LED display and the like.

Waiting for the VAIO SA to come out. Am going to compare this one to other models but based on what others are saying and based on initial specs of the Lenovo's on here, these do not appear to be anything I want at all and I have ruled these models out.

Sony is taking their time on this model and has not released anything about it and it is still in the developmental stage apparently working with others in secret stealth mode since noone seems to have any pics on it that have been released to the public. They seem to be going by strict NDA's. However I guarantee its out there and someone is testing it in various places. But unlike that IPHONE 4 episode the VAIO laptop hasn't been lost.

CPUs are due out Feb 20th, in one month. So all VAIO SA's would be based on sample chips. One month from today should be more on this model and hopefully Sony has a winner.

 

You dont take into account that for SB chips and some arrandales the BIOS has been replaced with the EFI, and those are all custom made.

just like the BIOS in every laptop is custom made

 

Sorry if this has been covered before; I'm just trying to decrypt the tentative release schedule.

We can expect the SA in the first week of March, with the true Z successor coming early summer. However, will there be another notebook with the SA/Z form factor in the summer?

My major concerns are graphics performance, battery life, and screen quality... Would beaups be able to comment on how the upcoming notebooks compare in these areas? I know you hard specs are probably out of the question, but just a rough idea of better/worse would be very helpful.

 

Sony announced the imminent launch of their 3D capable Vaio notebooks in SA, providing expected launch dates and pricing

Looks like the press is saying Vaio SA will have 3D. While I don't care about 3D, Im hoping the panel is quality for 2D images and is better than the previous displays on the S models. Considering the panel has 3D, it seems like its an upgraded panel from the S series so I hope this is good news for the display quality.

The launch dates and pricing should be out soon, I don't see them just the fact that they will be providing this information soon.

 

SA doesn't have 3D.

 

Hi beaups, has there been any comment on whether the SA UK release will be around the same time or much later? My ULV isn't pulling it anymore and the SA looks like the performance, quality and 13" mix I'm looking for at lowend Z-series cost.

 

^Sorry, I don't know about UK. I would assume it would be the same time, but that's just a guess.

 

Would there be another follow-up to the first SA or Z releases this year? In other words, would there be another similar notebook released after the Z's debut in early summer?

Thanks for all the info.

 

well I'm hyped for this - was browsing Sager / Alienware releases but seeing potential specs (13.3", SB whether it's dual or quad?, 6630 & Intel switchable graphics, 900p resolution) if they can bring it to the market in a reasonable timeframe they have my money.

A quick query - if this can store SSD in raid setup, is it possible to get a HDD & SSD setup or is this proprietary odd SSD's they've got in there...

 

Old 01-07-2011, 05:09 PM

01-10-2011, 10:22 AM

 

Hey guys, I saw this thread back when there were about 5 pages. I really don't have the time to read through all 46 pages. Can someone quickly catch me up to speed on what we know about SA?

1) When will SA become available?
2) What's the deal with this Vaio Z replacement?
3) What's the battery life of SA?
4) Any rumors going around?

 

The Ivy Bridge 22nm story gets even better. The new chip is socket LGA 1155 and it is socket compatible with the existing Sandy Bridge processors and Sugar Bay 2011 platform. Unfortunately we are quite sure that Cougar point PCH chipset of Sandy Bridge won’t support the new 22nm Ivy Bridge.

Hmmm. Guess I'll be waiting for Ivy Bridge and the updated SA or its replacement model if they change the SA to something else. Jan 2012 it is.

 

I wouldnt bet on anything related to the ivy bridge, the tock is much more about performance so if you are going to wait, haswell is a better choice

 

No Ivy Bridge is the best choice. After Ivy Bridge and the new gen of SSD, the enhancements are all irrelevant unless you are doing specialized work which requires the lastest computing power and can afford the cap ex expenditures required for such to upgrade all the time.

My upgrades are on a 4 year basis and Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge will fit the bill, but I am quite concerned about the lack of the better IGP for Sandy Bridge. One would need to get the discrete video which will also consume more energy and the chip requires more juice to begin with.

The Ivy Bridge will have a really fast integrated with lower energy consumption. The new Haswell may have performance increases but unlike SandyBridge where all applications benefit, the net benefit of performance increases from Hawell won't matter to the user.

A fast SSD + processor like Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge will be very powerful even after Haswell and others are released.

Intel does make good processors but the continual advancements are overkill since its usually around the 4 year mark when Ive found that I would benefit.

For me, the faster SSD drives with higher capacity, as well as Sandy or Ivy will give me significant advantages over my current Desktop E4400 CPU system in a Notebook version that is light and ultraportable for every day usage. Haswell may be even faster but not enough in performance gains for me to delay purchase.

After Haswell there will be other computing platforms available that will be tempting to upgrade should the advancements be huge down in the future.

 

You dont know any of those things, you dont even know how much performance increase and lowered power consumption those chips would have. What we do know, you and I, is that the tock is all about performance, and the tick is about die shrunk.

You dont know how programs are going to be in 2012, you dont know how the SSD tech will be by then, you can only know how is the process of tick tock.

So unless you work at the R&D dept of a major OEM, any chip maker or any controller maker, you dont have access to any credible info about anything that is to come.

 

Further discussion about may be Haswell may be better suited in the hardware forum.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...468017-forget-intel-haswell-rockwell-way.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...et-arrandale-sb-huron-river-platform-way.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...3-forget-huron-river-22nm-ivy-bridge-way.html

 

i´m not gonna wait a single day more after SA release, either it will be it or the classic vaio Z. I preffer SA, more robust VGA, sandy bridge, better cooling probably, lower price. It´s all good.

 

Someone posted that there was info. on the SA on youtube. Can't locate it. Can someone post a link, please. Thanks.

 

This is the link Geeee

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/545391-sa-discussion-next-generation-vaio-z-5.html

I'm only at page 5 out of 48 in this thread, and want to say two things:

1. People who find links to announcements that may get pulled down, please make a mirror of them using a web archiving service like WebCite.

2. This thread has 48 pages. That is over 470 messages. That is a lot to go through, and there's a lot of information that got obsoleted by updates. I think a wiki summarizing the current state of knowledge on the laptop would be a great addition to this forum thread. I'm not sure if Notebookreview has such a feature; if not, gdgt.com has one - Sony VAIO SA - gdgt

 

^First off, the picture of the white VAIO is not the SA.

 

To my eyes it looks like Sony is splitting its high performance line in two in order to better satisfy its customers.
The Z looks like it may shift to a thinner form factor with a slightly lower performance. Im speculating here but the current Z is probably the smallest form factor that could include a powerful discrete card and maintain thermal efficiency.

The SA looks like a slightly larger form factor and increased performance.

I think this may be a wise decision on the part of Sony, different people have different needs. Sony would not be doing this if they thought that it would reduce business, they don't want to alienate customers. The big pluses for the current Z is its brilliant lcd display, excellent ssd options and discrete graphics, all in a light package. I don't see the SA or next generation Z deviating from this path. This is a great niche market that was generated because other laptop manufacturers abandoned it in order to offer lower cost laptops that the market has demanded. People look at me like im an idiot for paying $2000 for a laptop because they think a $500 laptop is pretty much the same.
You get what you pay for really.

 

The VAIO SR was nice, the Z was nice. The new S released was a step backwards. I am hoping the new SA is a step forward.

I saw the S at Bestbuy and its an okay unit but others compete more favorably against them.

Lots of user interest in the SA at this time.

 

SonyStyle has the new S Series in this cool white pattern design, silver keyboard, and white keys. They also had the Black on display. I guess the S is no longer exclusive to Best Buy.

With all this talk of the SA, I wonder what the new Z redesign will look like.

 

If the SA isn't the Z replacement, when will the Z replacement be out?

 

^early summer, if I got it right.

 

SA is a newer SR.

Z could remain at Z or be Zsomething in my honest opinion.

I would be looking for CPU options on the SA as the sandybridge replacements of those on the S models.

 

Thanks, I flagged it and uploaded a real one.

Second off?

 

Z could become ZA?

 

if you follow logic of new F series F12, F13 -> F21, I guess new Z will be called Z21, although some forums mention ZR name...

 

That's likely a result of Chinese/Japanese/Korean tetraphobia

No, I'm not kidding - even modern Japanese companies will go to great lengths to avoid the number 4 in their products, and Sony appears to be one of the most superstitious of them all. (Which is why the only thing that's certain about the successor to the PS3 is that it won't be called PS4)

 

Then isn't it odd that the newly released Z14 is sold in Japan only? (I'm not doubting you, I just find it strange that there's a Z14)

 

It is odd. I have read the same thing in the past where in Asia it seem to be the number 4 is bad luck or at least something along those lines. I have noticed it more in camera lines(like the Panasonic LX3 ---> LX5).

 

I agree of your assessment on the Z14.

The further I read the posts in this thread, I'm thinking the SA will be the higher-end version for the S Series and the new Z, which will be released this summer, will continue on with its Z Series legacy and be labeled Z? or ZR as someone just speculated. I guess, Sony plans is to market two high-end notebooks with two different screen ratios/specs. - no complaints here.

The SA reminds me of the SZ. I do miss the 13.3 screen. I may go for it. Unless of course, the new Z's design is more appealing. I hope the design takes some DNA ques from the F-Series. I really like the way the F looks, except for that glossy finish.

 

yeah, "4" sounds like "die/death" in Mandarin

 

I had to think so many times before I bought the number 13

 

Me too -- I was expecting it to be called Z15.
I'm pretty sure that If it gets exported to China/Taiwan/HK, it will get a different name.

 

A bit unrelated, but beaups or anyone here have more info on that 14in model shown of at ces next to the SA?

 

It seems that these will be a couple of model numbers in the EU anyway. No specs are listed though.

VPCSA1A7E

VPCSA1B7E

A VPC SB as well?

VPCSB1A7E
VPCSB1B7E

 

Here are some specs for the European models:

Sony SA1X9E/XI

VPCSA1X9E/XI.CEK

VPCSB1V9E/B.CEK

SB1V9E/B

VPC-SA1Z9E 13.3"/i7-2620M/8GB/256GB SSD/HD663M 1GB/WIN7PRO/1.46KG zwart, 2.799,00 (Euro)

VPC-SB1X9E 13.3"/i5-2410M/4GB/500GB/HD6470M 512MB/WIN7PRO/1.69KG zwart, 1.099,00 (Euro)

 

^
Quite reasonably priced.
Technical Description: Sony SA1X9E/XI Intel Core i7-2620M Processor, Windows 7 Professional 64bit, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory, 128GB Dual SSD (RAID 0), 13.3" WXGA++ (1600x900) VAIO Display Plus, AMD Radeon HD 6630M + Intel HD Graphics 1GB, DVD SuperMulti Drive, HDMI, 802.11a/b/g/n, Buil - VPCSA1X9E/XI.CEK (Laptops Notebooks)
£1,570.97

Technical Description: Sony SB1V9E/B Intel Core i5-2410M Processor, Windows 7 Professional 64bit, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory, 500GB 5400rpm Hard Drive, 13.3" 1366x768 WXGA, AMD Radeon HD 6470M + Intel HD Graphics 512MB, DVD SuperMulti Drive, HDMI, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, WebCam, Backlit K - VPCSB1V9E/B.CEK (Laptops Notebooks)
£945.41

I can envisage Sony pulling the S series after SB has been released. If £995 is the rrp for the base model it will be sold under that and i see no need in having the S1X series.
RAID drives for the SA models, i was hoping they wouldn't use these. SA will be lighter and use a better graphics card and display so i wouldn't opt for the SB HD model.

 

Awww. Thats the crud screen.

 

^
For that sort of money that's a shame. Well, i hope we can customise it and go for a premium display CTO. Being allowed to opt for an SA with a standard drive would be a very welcome CTO also.

Most of our models feature LED technology which means slimmer and lighter screen and superior battery life.

On selected entertainment notebooks, VAIO Display Plus adds anti-reflection and wider viewing angles to your viewing pleasure.

On professional-level VAIO notebooks, VAIO Display Premium adds extreme brightness and high colour saturation.

http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/discover-vaio

 

thanks for the info!

The SA becomes more interesting everyday

 

1.46KG that´s all I wanted. Now let´s hope they release it sooner than expected!

 

Maybe beaups or somebody who has seen the SA can comment on the screen quality and how it compares to the Z.

 

@ Rachel: I also, see it replacing the current S. The SA is possibly a redesign for the S Series. Sony can't seem to part from that 128SSD. Now, the wait for this summer's new Z..... Amazed though that the new Z wasn't first introduced with Sandy Bridge before the SA.

 

I'm probably not going to buy the SA (waiting for the new Z...), but I would also have been happier with a single standard 2.5" SSD.

 

Looking at the top end model prices seem pretty similar to the z13 on sinus uk website. In terms if performance would I be right in thinking the current z13 with i7 and ssd drive would be better than a similar spec'd SA but with the regulars hard drive?

 

So, then the SB is just a lower spec SA? I hope we get the SB, or at least its lower priced specs here in North America. I'd probably upgrade to that if the battery life can come close to my TT(6.5 or so hours) with a screen quality better than the S(matte or anti-glare would really seal it).