Sony VAIO Z13 vs SB/SA Quality Differences

I'm creating this thread on hopes that owners of either or preferably both machines can comment a bit as to the overall build quality differences for potential buyers such as myself. I am fully aware of the fact that both machines are priced at different price points and as such, there is sure to be a definite contrast in how well each is built, but I am hoping some owners can give a more precise description as to how well built each machine is in comparison to each other.

Thanks a million to those to who do take the time to shed some light regarding both these machines.

 

Japan vs. China

 

I just received my SB yesterday. Been using it for many hours now... build quality is superior to any laptop I've had the pleasure of owning. My only complaint is that it feels plastic on the outside. This sounds bad, but it may also contribute to the quality feel-- the plastic feels thick and substantial, though it gives you a distinctly plastic feel. The keyboard and mouse both feel solid.

That said, I am impressed by the quality on this laptop.

As to the Z series, I cannot speak from extensive experience as I have only held one once, however as I was researching, I found numerous references to sub-par build quality (perhaps necessitated by the Z's light weight). I found this to be mostly true when I picked one up at the store.

 

I just got my Vaio SB i7/6630/500gb@7200 on Friday and I now have it packaged up for return to Sony. The build quality and the specs are great but the screen is quite dismal.

I have not had a laptop with a screen this poor in over 4 years and I get a new laptop every 8-12 months. The colors are washed out and the brightness just isn't there. A lot of this may have to do with the low resolution and matte screen but I just cannot get used to it. I'll take my MBP 13" screen anyday over this.

In November I got rid of my VGN-Z790 for a MPB 13" and have regretted it a lot. I went to Sony to find a new Z and to my surprise it isn't there....looks like I'll be keeping my MBP until the new Z is released.

 

Given that I'm coming from an older Dell (that was certainly not a multimedia machine), I didn't find this to be that much of and issue. However, in any case, the Z screen is quite a bit better by any metric-- brightness, color, resolution, etc.. I could tell that much just with the quick chance I had to look at it at the store.

 

I just got my z138gg 3 weeks ago. Prior to that I was keen on buying the SB19. Looks like I made the right decision. Z is the best. Screen, keyboard, mouse and of course, the build quality.

 

A number of members have reported about fading palmrests and hinge problems with the Z. To a lesser degree members have also reported about the keyboard marking the display. This was though more of an issue with the last gen VGN-Z.
If the SB/SA improves on all of these areas then build wise to me it cannot be seen as inferior.
The display though is much better on the Z. It waits to be seen if the SA gets more than a vaio display screen.

 

Rachel, the SB actually comes with a VAIO Display Plus already. However, I cannot distinguish the difference of my dad's SB (VAIO Display Plus) and my mom's Y (VAIO Display). My Z's Vaio Display Premium, however, blows away either of these with ease.

The SB's body is very rigid and just as good as the Z. You'll find the Z a bit more durable when holding it with 1 hand because it's lighter. However, for the screen, the SB's screen is much stronger, and less prone from damage to the LCD when transported. The Z (at least the VGN-Z) has been infamous of this issue, causing some of users to be mad about this.

It all boils down to your personal preference but to sum it up, I'd say the SB's build is slightly better.

 

Thanks, that was an error on my part, I meant to write vaio display plus. The SB do come with vaio display plus already and it seems that SA models showing up will do so also. Still, we can only hope for a premium display CTO but i kind of doubt that.

 

My VGN-Z had this problem, kind of unfortunate.

Also, how do I tell if the screen on the SB I sent back to Sony had the plus display? I chatted with Sony about this and was told it was a standard Vaio display.

"
B****: can you tell me if the Vaio SB has the vaio display plus or just the vaio display?
Wil D: It would be a standard vaio display
"

 

I know this has come up before how most SB models are advertised as having a vaio display plus screen but some seem to advertised with a vaio display screen.

The Vaio display plus screen is meant to be a bit of a hybrid not quite fully matte but not glossy either. BDEVAIO how did you find the display?
Brianho1337 said that they couldn't tell a difference between a Y and SB display which is slightly worrying and shouldn't be the case.

 

Well I ordered the pre-config model because it had everything I would add anyways aside from the expensive sdd that I was going to add later.

This is the model number I ordered: VPCSB1AGX/B

I can say that I am positive that the display on my SB was definitely not a Vaio plus display based on the description of Vaio displays you quoted. I was constantly pulling the laptop closer to my face due to the lack of brightness. Also, my screen seemed to be completely matte.

 

While the SB display is not the brightest, I am able to work on it in almost full sun. I cannot imagine that in ordinary indoor lighting it is not bright enough.

 

Well imagine it. Also, the colors are not vivid as described in Sony's own description. Worst display I have seen on a Vaio.

I never use my laptops outdoors so the glossiest of glossy screens would work fine for me....ie my MBP screen is phenomenal.

 

There are still a number of vendors (in the US - are you?) selling new z13's for $1,900 (128GB) to $2,200 (256); it does have the i5-460, but really there is so little practical difference between it and the i7-640. But you get a new, beautiful, powerful, exceptionally light machine that will destroy your MBP 13 performance-wise and you can have it tomorrow. The "new Z" looks like it's months away, will almost surely cost much more and, depending on how you feel about the tradeoff between thin/light and discrete vs. integrated (HD3000) graphics.

Bottom line: if you were ready to buy a Z13 from Sony, I think you should strongly consider buying one from, say TigerDirect and the many other online retailers still selling Z13s - but that's just me.

 

Well tell me this, do you think the next Z will have USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt? I would rather wait for the new Z if it has at least one USB 3.0 port. I know it seems trivial to wait on something so small but that is what is holding me up.

Also, do you think the new Z will have WiDi? I ordered an SB and loved the WiDi function with my TV but could not live with the poor screen so it is on its way back to Sony.

 

AFAIK it will have both USB3 and Thunderbolt and according to the SonyInsider article it will have WiDi, too.

 

You can add USB3 via Express Card right now.

 

Based on what you've written you can say that it was not a Vaio display screen that you had because well that is glossy. It does sound most like the vaio display plus.

 

I took some images comparing the screen quality between the Z and the SB, and there is quite a noticable difference. I think even my 3 year old Fujitsu S Lifebook outperforms the SB's screen except for resolution brightness. The images have been downsized to VGA resolution. I'm sorry if that is not enough to meet the standards of this forum.

Both displays are set to maximum brightness in an indoor condition.

VAIO Z screen display:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

VAIO SB displaying the same image:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Viewing angles of the Z and SB:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

That was an incredibly valuable and startling comparison! It's almost impossible to imagine going from my Z to anything close to the incredibly inferior, washed out looking SB screen. Is the difference the same to the naked eye? Did you by any chance play with settings to get the maximum color saturation on the SB?

Just curious: what kind of camera did you use?

+1 for you!

 

Yes, the difference is quite similar to the naked eye. The viewing angles on the SB are horrible. The display will literally white out when you tilt the screen like 15 degrees forward. You can't get a 100% clear picture by adjusting your screen either, there'll always be a spot where it's noticably whiter than the other parts. Working in the dark though, is fine.

I can work without adjusting the screen on my Z but I can't imagine anyone trying to work with the SB without adjusting it.

I have not played with the display settings on both machines yet. I'll give it a go tomorrow.

I used my phone, Samsung Galaxy S i9000 (1st generation) as the camera.

EDIT:

Darkening the Gamma on the SB seems to partially solve the washing out issue. However, when put side by side with the Z the color test picture still puts the SB's screen to shame. Horizontal viewing angles are much better now, but vertically, it's still quite poor.

 

I darkened the gamma with my SB as well but when the screen had any white backgrounds the lines were too evident. If my SB had a slightly better screen I would have kept it.

 

This will never remotely compete with the Z, but at half the price (eg, the Best Buy "SC" which I'm sure has the same screen), if you can make the screen more tolerable and horizontal angles a bit better, vertical angles on a laptop are really not so important (as opposed to on a tablet). So, seems like this product may have a legitimate place in the market, and might even be called the "poor man's" Z13. I have one on the way and will chime in with my observations. Thanks much.

 

Brianho1337 as i've seen you own the two devices the Z13 and SB so could you describe us if you found any major changes as performance between the two?how does it work in applications?maybe some benchmarks and a windows score of them?thanks in advance

 

I hate to bag on the quality of the SB screen but I just went out and picked up an interim laptop while I wait for the new Z. I paid $379 for a lowely HP Pavilion dm1 11.6" and the screen on this junker blows away the quality of the SB screen.

I bought the same one as pictured below:


When Sony puts out a sub-premium laptop like the SB I would expect the screen to blow away anything in the $500 price range. I was happy as a clam with the specs/performance of the SB but the screen killed it.

 

you should compare the screen with the x120e, since those use about the same screen

 

It's not really fair to compare the SB and the Z because the SB only costs a little over half as much as my Z did. It's not the best config either.

Besides, the SB is my dad's, not mine Since he's on a business trip with his old Thinkpad I get to fool around with it for a while.



Both of them perform quite similarly in real life, but you'll notice a short lag occasionally on the SB. The Z has a very consistent operation and will seldom lag. The SB has slightly higher Windows scores in CPU, RAM and Gaming Graphics in my dad's model. I suppose in the highest end SB model will have the same Hard Disk score and better Graphics score than the Z.

However, you'll find the SB VERY quick in booting up from hibernation (~15 seconds). The Z takes more than twice as much time to boot from hibernation (mine takes 38 seconds). The Z does boot a bit quicker than the SB from shutdown though.

 

Thanx dude!but one question how the hell does your z boot from hibernation in 38 seconds? that's way to much mine it does in 22 seconds?!

 

IIRC, Hard drives actually boot up faster than SSDs (especially those with RAID 0) from hibernation. I forgot the actual reason though.

 

anyway is very good that you made this thread here because i was actually planing to buy a SB series because of the Sandy Bridge but now i wouldn't give my Z for nothing in the world just that is too bad i didn't have enough money to make a better configuration but i am planing to make an upgrade to him hope that it will work

 

Profy x / Brianho1337

My Z13 never goes into hibernation mode, it does have a sleep mode though. Powering up from sleep to desktop is under 5 seconds.

 

Same here. I've disabled hibernation mode for another 6 GBs of storage My Z powers on when I wake up and shuts down when I sleep. Wish the Z had the "instant on" factor like the MBA though.

 

I know that's why i don't use it but i was just saying to Brianho1337 i also use the sleep mode hibernation disabled just uses space for nothing

 

Hi All,

I bought the VPCSB 8gig ram with the 128GB ssd. The machine was ok the fan was a little loud until updating, my biggest problem was ssd space!!!

Sony partition the drive for recovery 63Gb! I have just taken it back and ordered the SA with 512Gb SSD and 8GB memory.

I did check out replacing the drive but it did not seem to be a 2.5 swap as crucial got the pics i sent and advised not to buy a 2.5 due to the SATA power cable.

Also you could remove the partition and reinstall win 7, but sony advise you the have to buy a copy!

Just a shame half the drive was used for recovery by the time you have installed your programs and data etc there is around 18GB free.

Hope this helps.

 

could you post the pic that you sent to crucial?

I would like to see those, to see what kind of connector they use.

I would also say that you should have read the legal installation procedure that we have here in nbr, its quite straight forward and legal. You purchased the OEM version of windows with your notebook, there is no reason for you to buy again, and its quite simple to do a reinstall, there is also a post about this in the owners lounge

Basically they conned you

 

I owned VGN-Z570N/B for about 3 years, until it got broken (couldn't power up).
It got replaced with VPCSB1BGX/B (i7-2620M, 8GB, 256GB SSD, Blu-ray, ATI HD 6630M).

I agree that both laptops aren't comparable.
I can't compare the specs, because the SB is simply the newest laptop around and the Z pretty old.

There are two main differences between them.

First of all, the display. It was already said endless times that the Z's screen is far better than the SB's screen. I agree. The Z's LCD is one if the THE best I've seen. I surely miss it, but not to much as you sould think...
The SB's LCD is poor comparing to the Z, but not THAT bad. Great brightness and more than I need for everyday use. Since I'm not watching movies on my laptop (connect it to the TV), I don't really care about the screen that much.
If you care a lot about the screen, stay with the Z.

Building materials.
The Z is made with better materials. They are more expensive and look better, but it feels much more fragile. That always bothered me. I was always scared when someone else picked the Z. I always handled it with extra care and it was way too much for everyday use.
The SB's materials are fine and much better than other laptops, but it looks much more simple than the Z. On the other hand, it's very solid. I can't handle it almost as you can handle a macbook (which are the best on this category in my opinion). It doesn't feel like the SB is about to break apart any moment.
The SB feels great and I enjoy every second of it. I missed the solid feeling.

Other than that it's only specs.

 

I am new to the board but a rather long time laptop user. I recently purchased an SB due to specs. I had a fujitsu p7230 ultra portable which i love but I was stuck with xp due to memory and a 1.8" slow drive. I did not want to invest in a PATA SSD upgrade.

I compared the SB, side by side with other laptops and yes the screen is not as good but there are technical reasons or tradeoffs with displays. An OLED would be nice but it isn't here. I chose anti gare with it's limitiations as i do not want everyone seeing what i do an an aircraft, nor do I want to look at the screen and see all the reflections. I dislike a glossy screen for that reason. LED backlighting is causing some of the problems but the tradeoff is battery life. Part of the problem is WIN 7 face. I get much better results with resolution when running other programs or apps.

The rest of the laptop, technically, is superb. The usb 3 WORKS! The 500 gb 2.5" drive was replaced with an intel 510 SSD and i am achieving 450 mb/s read and close to 300 m/s write. It is definately SATA 3 performance. I am using the 500 gb drive in a vantec case with USB3 and I am achieving 30-40 mb/s read/write thru the USB port......not bad. I can boot from the USB drive in an emergency.

I use the laptop for business and pleasure and I use a dock with another monitor (dual). Therefore the laptop screen becomes somewhat less important. I find the intel 3000 graphics engine performs well. Again, I am impressed for this size of laptop.

The screen does work better in a car in daylight. I still like a 10.5" display but the processor becomes the limitation in current offerings. I run ACAD and 3d solids on this and I am happy. I removed virtual memory which makes a difference. No hibernation. I cold boot in a few seconds. It's fast!

Every computer has it's limitations and tradeoffs. In this case, after installing the extra memory and SSD this is the closest thing you will find to a fully blown hp raid workstation. I must give credit to Sony for the technical merits. I had a VAIO laptop before and vowed I would never buy one again.. and I had to eat my words. It is hard to beat the price performance ratio. I am a happy camper. It is a "5" in my books when doing a comparative analysis including "hands on" real life performance.

I found no reason to go a step higher as I did not see any benefit to the screen or to the "apparent" improved resolution.

The display is only one aspect of a laptop. And I am enjoying the netgear push to TV, and it works as well.... a 55" laptop ;>)


I had to comment!

 

check the other posts the pics are on there

 

is ther gonna be a new z?