Sony SA Series Discussion Sony's next new 13.3 laptop

If the SB is the successor to the S, I just hope Sony prices it as they're doing with the S. Best Buy has a decently configured S13 for $999, was $899 before Christmas. A decently configured SB for the same amount would be fair.

Has any photos of the new Z surface......?

 

lol I know what it means, I'm polish, the drive is part of the laptop, so it is not something one normally removes from the computer, I just said it includes the AC adapter since normally that is not part of the laptop physically, it can be detached.

 

then i really don't understand why they're not advertising it as 1.6Kg or something instead?

 

who knows, its best to wait for a press release if it even arrives.

 

beaups - do you know if the new Z would have normal HDD options?

 

from my intuition, i really doubt it, especially now that apple is introducing ssd-only laptops

having hdd as an option will make the laptop larger and i think sony is going to keep it a no-compromise laptop

furthermore, ssds are going down in price, there's not much use for hdds anymore in the premium market

 

If the new Z doesn't have normal HDD options, it means the SSD in it is of a smaller form factor than standard drives. Which must mean the drives do not have the casings that standard drives have. Which in turn means the drives must be proprietary since Sony will not get an off-the-shelf drive, remove its casing, before putting it in the Z.

 

Well, it looks like I'm waiting for the new Sony Z series... I was going to buy a Thinkpad x120e and just use that for a year and then when Ivy Bridge comes out sell the x120e in Britain and not lose that much since everything is more expensive in Britain and then buy the quad-core Sony Z... but I am just tired of Lenovo postponing the release and the video driver issues associated with the x120e.

So here is what I hope to get in the Sony Vaio Z in June:

Newly designed, slimmer
13.1" 1920x1080 LED Screen
Backlit keyboard
Intel Sandy Bridge i7 Processor
Intel GMA HD 3000 Graphics when on the go
4 GBs of RAM (upgradeable to 8)
512 GB SSD raid
AMD Radeon 6770 HD - built into the dock
Dock included
10-11 Hours of realistic battery life
I would pay up to $2499 for this... the HD Screen would make it so I wouldn't need to buy an external I think.

 

TSE, good guess! The only two amendments: the latest mobile NVIDIA graphics instead of AMD and (128)256 GB SSD on the entry level. Then the price you suggest is more realistic.

 

That was the version I want, I'd guess the entry level model would be:

13.1" 1600x900 LED Screen (1080p screen, +$99)
Backlit Keyboard
Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 Processor (i7, +$149)
Intel GMA HD 3000
4 GBs of RAM
128 GB SSD (512 GB SSD, +$399)
10-11 Hours of battery life
No dock included (Dock, $+399)
$1599 Starting price - essentially just a Z with the newer Intel parts and no graphics card, more battery life

So maybe I would pay a LITTLE more than $2499 for all of that.

 

^ i dont understand why you'd want the dedicated gpu to be included in the dock instead of the laptop, that is a big part of what makes the z in a class of its own and why it can have such a high price. it wouldn't save battery life since you can switch from dedicated to integrated and back whenever you want

and what's the point of having an amd 6770 gpu in the dock when you can just attach a desktop gpu of your choice externally by vidock or some other adapter and still have it a lot more portable? not to mention most people wouldn't want to use a dock even if they got it for free

in all seriousness though, it's certain that the z will include both a dedicated nvidia gpu and use intel's integrated gpu, just like in the past

from what i believe is the current market trend, nvidia is still offering better performance and less heat, for this market segment at least, so most likely, just like in the past, sony and other notebook manufacturers in general will opt for nvidia for their more expensive models, and amd for their less costly models
(there is also still a stigma surrounding amd/ati gpus, so people with more to spend will probably try to stay away from them, which would cost notebook manufacturers)

 

Sorry, quite tired right now. Sorry if my grammar sucks. This is mostly speculation on my part.

I'm going to have to argue the point where yeah, you could just plug in a desktop card, but isn't the reason why Apple is so successful because of how simple everything is? With plugging in a desktop card you need to 1) have a huge, clunky, power supply, 2) a ugly desktop card sitting on your desk, and 3) Install the drivers separately, 4) Buy the correct cables that most consumers don't know about. While yeah, buying a desktop performance card would be probably cheaper, this would be a lot easier, simpler, and more eloquent which I would personally pay for.

Another point. With a graphics card built into the laptop, Sony would either have to go nVidia where Sony couldn't make it so the consumer could manually switch it because the only solution now with nvidia is Optimus, or they would have to go ATI.

The way I see it, Sony is throwing out two 13" Laptops:

The SA, for the best bang-for-buck and the Z, a laptop made for a niche market who want ultraportability while still maintaining solid performance and with great graphics performance while stationed on the dock. How many people honestly game while not stationed, while on the go?

And also, I'm sorry but currently ATI/AMD has the overall better cards against nvidia for everything but the high-end. The 330m was not high end. It was in the medium-class card range.

 

How does a vidock help you when you want to game on the built-in display?

 

the silver SB looks like a macbook air/pro

 

New information: apart from the SA/SB series, there's also a SC series soon to be release. very interesting

 

Thanks for the photo. This photo answers one of my questions. The hinge is flushed in some form. There's an indentation where the hinge fits into when lid is closed.

 

eddieaus, what is SC? Any links?

 

you can also get a grasp about the hinge in one of the videos.
for example in this one at the end

 

Yeah, I mean many people would like to have a 500gb or so internal storage instead of faster speeds of a 100gb SSD that you can't even replace with a bigger one. And while paying 2k for a laptop I would prefer some options given to me. For me it's kinda a deal breaker with the new Z, that's why I asked if beaups has any insights on this.

 

SC is like SA/SB, but it's for the US, not sure if it will be released in other countires.

 

So, I take it then is like the SB with an i3 cpu standard?

 

The SB looks rather pleasing aesthetically.

Too bad about the entry level resolution though. Don't think I can settle for anything less than 1600x900 thanks to the Vaio Z series.

 

Sorry if this has been covered - but is this a replacement for the Z series or just another line of sony laptops?

It doesn't look very slim in the pictures I'm looking at so I wouldn't think it would be a replacement but another line. Just curious.

 

It will be a replacement for a while...

 

According to beaups they will both be coming early summer due to the Intel chipset recall.

"They" referring to the SA and the new Z series

 

The recall won't affect it. Just need to pop out and reinsert a chip to the motherboards and run a bios flash. Shouldn't take long to complete this process for those affected.

But the old stock is actually fine for SATA 6GB/second. It only affects drives using the older interfaces.

 

^You are joking right?

1.) These chips don't just "pop out". They are soldered on the board.
2.) "Run a bios flash". Who do you suppose needs to rewrite and repackage the Bios files?
3.) There are only 2 Sata 6 ports, these machines use more than 2 ports (SSD Raid + optical + esata = minumum of 4 ports)

This stuff takes time. Anyhow, there's another manufacturing issue with the SA in addition to this S/B fiasco.

 

Not only that, but we're talking about a grid array chip here, where only a fraction of the pins are physically accessible once it's soldered on.
http://www.diit.cz/data/images/thumb/64993_c3eda7bdda.jpg

If you can reliably and quickly unsolder and solder back on a replacement, I quite likely have a job offer for you.

 

I`m wondering if the processor defect affects the SB?

beaups keeps mention the SA and the min of 3 connections, but since I don`t see any mentioning of an esata port on the SB I guess that 2 connections suffice. Or am I missing a part of the puzzle?

 

It is a chipset defect, the processors themselves are not flawed. I'd imagine if they delay the SA they will delay the SB/SC as well. SB will need at least 2 ports, HDD and ODD. If it has a eSATA port then it will need 3, in which case they would have to replace the motherboards. I'd imagine the SB/SC have eSATA ports as well, if they have the same frame as the SA.

 

Yeah that can easily be done with a BGA rework equipment operated by a trained/skilled technician

 

The SB on sony.pl has no esata in its specs and it is considered the flagship of the SB series (at least that is how they describe it) so I doubt that there will be higher a configuration available.

I know, Time will tell and the the rest is just speculation... But that`s why I read the forums, it`s exciting

 

Just wondering about the lettering names... they're a bit confusing.
What's the difference between the SA, SB, and SC? They're all 13.3'' right? Which one comes with the higher resolution screen? Or are these all the same computer just for different countries?

 

SA/SB same frame, SA better specs (for example higher res). There are more details about them in this thread (don't ask me on which page).
Not sure about the SC, maybe you wanna check this thread or this one.

 

SC will be like the SB model in the EU, this was raised on the last couple of pages.

 

^what about SA in Europe?

 

Yes, the SA will be released in Europe also.
Some retailers released some models onto the web a bit early (see links below). Some SA models are also listed on the Sony EU suppport site.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/7091679-post494.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/7091840-post495.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/7091858-post496.html

 

This evening the SB disappeared from sony.pl...
I wonder why they decided to pull it. I guess this means they aren`t ready yet for an official release.

 

So is the SA definatly going to be summer as engdger say the toshiba R830 there 13.3 Sandybridge model will be out in april?

 

No matter what it is, I would think that things are not looking too good for Sony at the moment. If the VAIO SA series is really going to be delayed till summer, I can definitely see them losing more sales than before.

For me personally, I'm waiting to see what the new MBP refreshes are like (& they're probably gonna be released earlier than summer at this point in time). If those are "impressive" enough, I'm going to buy one of those to replace one of my existing Sony notebooks (& this is coming from a "long time" Sony notebook owner).

 

thanks for the info. Do you think this new chassis can take one of those new super-slim hitachi HDDs? or HDD is out of the question with the new Z?

 

An SB is on the Sony.ie website. I wish Sony would just release these already or at least do what they did with the Z and do a coming soon type thing.
VPCSB1X9E/S (VPCSB1X9E/S) : Technical Specifications : VAIO and Computing : Sony

 

Resolution
WXGA (1366 x 768)
Max Resolution External Display
1920 x 1200

Sigh....

 

It's also made an apperance on the Sony UK website. It will probably appear on other EU websites also soon.
VPCSB1X9E/S (VPCSB1X9E/S) : Technical Specifications : VAIO and Computing : Sony

flox23 the SA will have a higher res 1600x900 display and i hope Sony offer this with a CTO premium display. Waiting for summer until the SA to be released is way just too long though. The refreshed MBP's looks like they could be released within the next couple of weeks.
I looked at the S series on the UK website a couple of weeks ago and thought it could be going EOL. It seems like it may well be heading that way pretty soon.

 

Yeah, I've been watching this thread since it started. I hoping that I could get away with getting an SB, looks like that's a no go. Might have to break down and get a Z13.

 

Just see this thread now. Glanced at it quickly but I'm not sure. So the SB/SA version will come out in the summer? The spec posted by Rachel above me, is that the SA/SB? also, is this supposes to be better than the Toshiba portege 800 series( heating issue). How about comparing this to the Asus N53SV?

 

I guess for sure no-one knows. There has been speculation that the SA could be released around early summer. The SA it has been said has got some issues right now other than the Intel chipset problems. What those issues are i have no idea. Some SB models have started showing up in Sony stores in Europe but those models have no estimated shipping date.

The spec i posted is for an SB model. The SB model will be called the SC in some other countries. On page 50 of this thread some specs was posted for the SA model. I guess if you take a look you can then you can compare which laptop has the better specs. Some more recent pictures have also been posted further on in the thread on page 73.

On another note i did notice that the SB model that i linked to seems to have a Vaio Display plus. I thought the SA models will only have this display but it seems not. It seems like it might have a better display than the S series anyway.

Screen Type
VPCSB1X9E/S.

VAIO Display Plus
Diagonal Size (in)
13.3
Diagonal Size (cm)
33.7
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Resolution
WXGA (1366 x 768)

 

Rachel, it is quite possible that the top SA will have so called Vaio premium display with 1600*900 like intermediate Z models now.
SB should be released in March, I guess. Together with updates of re-designed E series.

 

March 3rd/4th is the release date

 

For which model(s)? SA, SB, SC? Thanks!