Sony SA Series Discussion Sony's next new 13.3 laptop

UK always gets the worst deal from Sony. Both the F series and Z series were way more expensive for ages. They only recently dropped the Z series base price by £300 which made it closer to German value for money.

I fully expect US buyers to be pleasantly surprised by the price when SB reaches your shores.

 

When would that be?

 

That i7 is 2620M (DUAL CORE) which goes at 2.7 ghz (till 3.4 ghz in TM) and 4 mb of cache (not 3)... and the gain over i5 2520M in cinebench 10 and 11.5 is about 4% and 7%

 

Guys, here I found out the spec where we see 1.46 kg for SA

http://www.houseofjapan.com/electronics/sony-vaio-sa-and-sb

 

I see, well if that is the case, then I doubt I will need a higher res, since I will not be using it for graphics work, that will be left to my full HD FW

not sure, but I hope it appears soon, so I can go check it out at the store.

 

Thanks Except they mention that the GPU is a 6470M... i hope they have a better card as an option! (actually nvm... the 6630M is also offered in the link to "houseofjapan") Which means... this is sort of a smaller version of the CA/CB series(which also offer the 6470M or 6630M)... except with "premium" components i guess...

reading that review:

i don't know... but i think it'd make more sense to drain the external slab battery FIRST before draining the entire built-in battery... I do shudder at the battery wear if you game with the SA series... imagine all that heat build-up... >< and the 6630M is a more capable card than my 330m...

 

Since the battery is built in, how easy/expensive would it be once your battery's health is shot and it comes time to replace it?

 

It's not built-in, it's only inside the laptop and covered, but it's removable

VGP-BPS24 (VGPBPS24) : Specifiche tecniche : VAIO e Informatica : Sony (this is the standard battery)

 

there was supposed to be SA series (Z successor) and SB series (S successor) but at least here the introduction of the SA has been cancelled/delayed for a long time because of the sandy bridge problems. Instead, I have seen an SB series on the net with i7 and 128gb dual RAID SSD. But it has the weight of the SB, not the SA. anyway, look what i've found on the net:

edit: deleted for my own protection. you guys know what you have seen, go on and spread the word

 

Well now, that looks interesting.

 

Damn.... this makes me wait XD

 

Thanks for sharing those info. Appreciate it.

 

From the way that document reads, it sure sounds like we'll be seeing VAIO Display Premiums on the SA. Let's hope so.

 

It didn't say whether there would be a quad-core option. I guess for most of the market for that sort of machine, it's a relatively minor issue.

 

Now I'm all excited but I can't afford to buy one if their prices are as high as Europe's.

 

It's a pretty old document, from relatively early on in the development cycle, so don't take it as gospel. The SB has come out pretty true to their plans though.

 

Could somebody tell the rest of us what that was all about?

Missed it

 

It was an internal Sony document about the SA/SB that didn't tell us much if anything we hadn't already pieced together from other sources, but was still fairly interesting.

 

Oh - some information for you guys a few pages back who were moaning about the seeming lack of a microphone input: I spoke to someone at Sony yesterday and they told me that the 3.5mm jack on the left hand side is in fact a combo headphone/mic jack, which is why you can only see one on the photos.

 

I have to make a hard decision. It's a hard decision for me to choose between an older S13 and the new upcoming SB. There is now an possibility to customize your own SB, we didn't have it when the S series came (Netherlands). When i'm upgrading from my S12 (because of hinge problems, I have the opportunity to refund it) to the S13 I will have things that will improve, like the processor and the graphics card. But I don't know, the new SB also has great specs but I don't know if I like the design, I like the cylinder design very much, with the power button on the side (current S-series).

 

Personally I think the design's a huge improvement, but obviously that's a personal thing.

I reckon you'd be mental to go for an S13 over the SB, unless it was like less than half the price or something - the SB is so much more advanced, even though the processor speed will probably look quite similar.

I'd only advise you to avoid the SB if you have a definite need for an ExpressCard slot or Firewire (neither of which it has), but even in that case I'd advise you to look at different manufacturers to find a Sandy Bridge laptop with those features.

 

The SB has a nice design, but the only thing I really like at the S13 and S12 etc. is the green/orange power button at the right side of the notebook. I don't know if there are many improvements really important to me. The SB has a double graphics card, but I'm not a gamer or anything like that. I only use it for some mailing, word, etc. Some simple things.

 

It uses the very latest (as in, released a few weeks ago) Intel chipsets & processors. Whilst the performance might not make that much difference for what you use it for, the hugely improved battery life may well do - I'm assuming since you're looking at this size of laptop that you may be using it on the move, or in class or wherever.

That said, the concept of the cool-looking power button (which I've always really disliked from an ergonomic/functional perspective, but that's irrelevant) coming anywhere in the first five hundred or so things I'd consider when choosing a laptop is so completely alien to me that I am probably not the best person to advise you!

 

Anyone got information on the Brightness in cd/m² ?

You think the SB can be used in the outside. Maybe directly in the sunshines?

 

Thanks! I read it somewhere as well...
One more crucial thing: the display is semi-matt!!

 

Imho you would be crazy to choose a S13. Never really found the S series that nice, but SB looks great (spec wise, housing is personal). Talking about dutch prices, the S13M was 899 (799 last weeks before it got sold out because of the SB) and the S13S with i5 and 3G was 1299. The new SB will be 1099 for the i5 with 3G. What you will have extra is the following:
- Thinner, lighter laptop
- Hybrid graphics with faster GPU's
- Much better battery life (partly because of the hybrid graphics!)
- Newer CPU
- Matte screen
- Keyboard backlight
- And for a great price compared to the 2 old S13's.

 

Spelling corrected.

 

This new SB is making me seriously consider selling my envy 14 to a friend looking to buy a new laptop (who happens to love my envy 14 so I'd get great resale value). I really love that the 6630 is a nice bump in speed to the down clocked 5650 in the envy 14 since it is faster then even a standard clocked 5650. I'm sure I would notice a nice FPS gain in starcraft 2 with the 6630 vs the envy 14's down clocked 5650 especially since id also be lowering the resolution to 1366x768 as opposed to 1600x900. I'd probably be able to max out the settings with a 6630 @ 1366x768. The nice increase in battery life means I wouldn't even need the external battery as my longest class is a lab that is 5 hours (Always had to bring my power adapter to the lab cause the envy 14 never lasted the 5 hours). So if the standard battery can pull at least 5 hours with the discrete GPU off and everything throttled down for note taking mode I won't even need to buy that extra slice type battery they sell which is a nice bonus.

The one thing that makes me sad though is the display. There is no possible way the 1366x768 Vaio plus display will even come close to my 14" 1600x900 HP Radiance display. That radiance display is so bright with such beautiful colors. It will be hard to look at something smaller with less resolution and less brightness and crappier colors. Also the audio quality from the HP envy 14 was just amazing. The sound coming out my headphones was probably the best I've heard on any laptop I wonder how much worse the Vaio SB is compared to the Beats Audio Envy 14?

I can easily sell my envy 14 with the much sought after radiance display for 1000-1100 with my ssd taken out and the 500GB 7200RPM put back in. That would basically come close to funding my entire new SB purchase plus I'd have a 256GB RealSSD c300 to put in place of the HDD myself.

I'm just wondering what the consensus is for you guys. Would you trade in the envy 14's pro's for the Vaio SB's pros

Envy 14: Best audio quality for a notebook "Beats Audio", One of the best displays the 1600x900 Radiance Display, Already own it so no more money has to be spent and I know I have a problem free quality built machine with over a year warranty left

Vaio SB: Faster Video card then envy 14's down clocked 5650, Faster processor as I'd get the 2nd gen i7, Processor has new instruction sets and new features, Battery life is much longer, Design of the laptop is more pleasing to my eye, Thinner and lighter, Has USB 3.0, Has HDMI 1.4

Im leaning towards selling my envy 14 while I can still get a nice price for it and spending the few hundred extra I'd need to get this new bad boy. Shouldn't be too much extra as I don't need the extended battery and I can get the cheapest HDD and replace it with my 256GB c300. Also can sell my Windows 7 home premium key to someone locally on the cheap since I have a Windows 7 Ultimate key already. Should only be really at max an extra 300 to change out to this laptop. You guys think it's worth it?

 

XD

I have a doubt.. which channel does series s use for hdd?? Sata 3Gb or 6Gb...? Cuz I want to put a c300 crucial into it.. but it uses Sata 6Gb and 3Gb would be a waste..

 

would like to remind everyone that the sa is the temporary successor to the z series

 

Who told you Sony will definitely not down-clock their GPUs in the upcoming VAIO SA series?

Yep, that is true for now but you will never know for sure since the SA & the so called "true" Z successor are not even officially released yet. Sony can always change their plans in the future.

 

Is the battery life in the SA going to be better?

I rank my desires/needs:

Design/Look - 25%

Performance - 30%

Battery Life - 35%

Other specifications/features (Screen resolution, backlit keyboard, etc.) - 10%

 

I hope they don't! I've been waiting long enough for the new Z

 

@ laststop311

The Envy 14" with radiance display is a rare beast, many would not trade it for anything ^^

And Sony decided to ship SB with the faulty sandybridge motherboards and suppress the e-sata port on this model because of that? Please correct me if I'm wrong... I find this, and the fact that the vent is hidden somewhere under the hinge (? ) very disturbing...

 

Considered the new Vaio CA/CB 14"/15" series? They both come with SB procs, 6630M and option for a full 1080p display... much nicer than a 1600x900... As for laptop speakers... I really don't care for them, if i'm gaming i'd want my earphones anyways, and on the go, i'd have ear buds and if i want to listen to music, i'd use regular speakers. The only time i use my laptop speakers are for random instances where i'm too lazy to bust out my earbuds. However, if the Z is any indication about the performance of the integrated speakers, you'll be sorely disappointed (if the Beats Audio is as good as you make it sound)

When did they start shipping SB and do you mean Sandy Bridge or the Vaio SB?

 

Sandy Bridge motherboard is already changed, intel is no more shipping the faulty motherboard. On top of that only laptop motherboards that were affected were quad core i7 processors with Q suffix. intel i7 2635QM for example.

I think SA is delayed for some other reason and SB will be coming out with a non-faulty motherboard for sure.

 

Vaio SA/SB were supposed to have e-sata. When Intel recalled sandy bridge motherboards due to faulty sata controler (and who knows what else) that would not support 3 sata connexions, some laptop manufacturers have decided to work with these faulty chipsets for models only having 2 sata devices. So my question is if Sony is suppressing the e-sata port on Vaio SB and delaying Vaio SA production so as to give the SA the e-sata it is supposed to have...

 

If sony wanted to put an e-sata port on SB or SA, they could. The motherboard problem is fixed now. USB 3.0 as fast as 3Gbps e-sata if not faster. If sony decides to kill e-sata port, I think that will be the reason.

 

Beaups told us that the SA is delayed due to some chassis material issues.
So the Intel chipset problem is not the reason for the delay. And probably it is also not the reason for the missing e-sata port. Sony cannot "redesign" the laptop in 15 days due to a chipset problem.

 

No, they could not if they were working with faulty chipsets. One port for HDD or SSD, one for OD, none for e-sata.

I do not know if the problem is fixed or not. But even if it is fixed, there were several hundreds of faulty chips delivered to manufacturers and some of them decided to keep them.

I don't care how fast or trouble free (or not) USB 3.0 might be. I have several e-sata and firewire devices perfectly working and suited to my needs.

If Sony decides to kill e-sata and firewire at the same time they will be making a big mistake: they will be saying goodbye to the business world and they will be considered as a teenage notebook manufacturer thereafter...

 

It will not surprise me if Sony decides to do that. My reasoning is that based on some of the past decisions made by Sony, they seem to be one of those companies that tend to make some "bizarre" decisions from time to time.

 

Look buddy,

Again faulty motherboards had quadcore i7 processors with q suffix. Again, rest of the sandy bridge motherboards were not affected.

if you go to european Sony SB configurators you will see that there is only one i7 processor and it does not have a q suffix

Intel® CoreTM i7-2620M 2,70GHz [ + 200.0 €]
mit 4 MB L3 Cache

So SB is not affected. Even if sony has faulty motherboards, they are not offering them on SB. period!

You go here and learn more about the Sandy bridge flaw
Intel's Sandy Bridge chipset flaw: The fallout | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

 

As long as bluray discs and players are sold, optical drives aren't a bad thing to have with your laptop.

 

People seem to have problems with the disappearing e-sata and firewire...

Personally I have more problems with the absence of a 34mm expresscard slot.
IF that would be present there would still be the flexibility to add one of those missing ports, or a second usb 3.0 or whatever...

The Laptop lost much flexibility that way. I wonder if they did it to be closer the the Macbooks.... they don`t have the expresscard either and similarly the exhaust vent is behind the hinges...

Other that those minuses, this laptop is still the best in it`s category in my humble opinion.

 

Yeah, I discussed it in this thread earlier, Sony cut the slot off to make the chassis lite. Though no one's seen the commercial example of this laptop (all so called "hands-on reviews" up to now had been done with machines not even properly powered , we can hardly hope that the slot will appear.

 

In fact, no one knows.
The info we got in this discussion from the man who has nothing to do with Sony (as he emphasized this) may relate to 11(12)-inch ultralight model - at least there is a niche for it as far as Sony reserved the range of 5,5-9,4 inches for its forthcoming tablets. And it is very likely that the 13-inch range is already full of with SA-SB - and in terms of marketology it is OK.

 

Does anyone know when the SA is expected in Europe?

I have to decide now if I want to wait for the SA with 1600*900 or buy the SB with the lower resolution.

 

Intel started shipping a revised chipset mid-Feb to manufacturers. Seeing as the SB is not even released yet, I'd wager it will not have a defective chipset!

 

Sometime in May-July. Roughly.

 

Your link doesn't back up your statement, which is entirely wrong.

The flaw is/was nothing to do with processors, quad core or otherwise. Despite the fact that it's referred to as the Sandy Bridge problem, the Sandy Bridge processors were never affected. The problem is with the 'Cougar Point' motherboard chipset, and more specifically with the SATA2 ports; the performance of these ports can potentially degrade over time. The two faster SATA3 ports are unaffected.

What this means is that for laptops such as this one with only two SATA devices, there is no problem even when using a 'faulty' motherboard, as they are only using the SATA3 controller. I believe when Intel discovered the issue, they required computer OEMs to resubmit their motherboard designs for approval, and only those that were using two SATA3 ports and none of the SATA2 ports would be approved for sale with the old chipset. So the SB might have a 'faulty' Cougar Point chipset, but since the fault is with ports that will never be used, the fault is entirely irrelevant when applied to this laptop.

It would probably help if you read the link rather than just posting it to back up an argument that it actually disproves!

Whoever posted above that this would affect an eSATA port is absolutely right, as this would obviously then total to more than two SATA devices. However I do not believe for a minute that they turned round a redesign that fast, rather that the eSATA was never included in the SB redesign. Those of you with eSATA drives will be pleased to know that you can get a USB3-eSATA adaptor. Firewire and ExpressCard will be more of a problem for those of you that use them, although personally I don't.