VAIO Duo 13

Somehow this website has lots of pics, and look like it's made in Japan like Duo11

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I guess I don't like the new platform.
The whole body is now not as flat as a tablet like Duo11

 

Engadget just posted a review. Sony knocked it OUT OF THE PARK. 13" screen and roomier keyboard yet it's only about 0.1 lbs heavier than the Duo 11. More solid-feeling hinge design. Roomier keyboard. Stylus storage. Nearly 10-hour battery life in Engadget's battery test (that's Haswell for you). About 30% better graphics performance. All for $1,400...which sounds pretty darned good when you compare this to a MBP 13 and an iPad (combined price of $1,700).

Sony VAIO Duo 13 review: a much-improved take on the Windows 8 slider

 

I don't like the new Duo and mobile Haswell as a processor is problematic for me since it doesn't support SLAT. I may need to pick up a 512GB Duo 11.

 

I absolutely agree. The Duo 13 is a winner all around. Absolutely incredible industrial design, great battery life, solid performance, solid price, and still made in Japan. If I was in the market for a laptop, this would be the one for me.

I was weary of the first generation Duo 11. I believe I told one of my friends who was looking at one when they first come out to wait for the second generation, whenever a company releases a totally new product with a totally different, never-been-done-before design, there's going to be kinks initially. I was right. Looks like Sony has ironed out the imperfections.

 

Outside of the cheap IPS they used which has ghosting, the Duo 11 is a great machine. Solidly built, no real kinks IMO. The hinge design thing is much ado about nothing - mine has been all over the world since last October. You lose VGA and ethernet as well as the wonderful optical nub. The screen may be better and battery life is (basically you get the sheet built in), but the negatives outweigh the positives for me. And the design of having the ports on the back is really inconvenient. Different strokes for different folks.

 

I don't care about port placement, but I would miss the VGA and ethernet ports. I use my Duo 11 for business, and both the ethernet port and the VGA port have saved my bacon. One time, I had a presentation to a roomful of about 50 attorneys and the projector the venue provided didn't have an HDMI port. Another time, I needed to look something up on the internet quickly and the router at the firm was toast, but the ethernet cable running into worked fine. Unplugged it from the router and plugged it into my Duo 11 and got the info I needed.

 

Included is a HDMI to VGA adapter and also a ethernet to wifi adapter which plugs into the AC adapter allowing you to plug in an ethernet port and get wifi.

 

The included router thing needs AC power - so lots of extra stuff to carry (negating weight) and HDMI-->VGA is solved by a dongle but again, more crap to schlep and lose. I thought the flipdown ethernet solution on the Duo 11 was great and could have easily fit on the 13. If I get a Sony Haswell, I'm leaning towards the Pro 13 and maybe the 11 if it has better specs in Japan.

 

I'm seriously considering a Duo 11 when they start to close them out with the 512GB SSD.

 

well I tend to travel with my AC adapter and the router thing is just an attachment to the actual AC adapter. I am sure one can even keep it attached indefinitely as not to lose it.

 

ONly works b/c the adapter has a USB power thing on it (good idea BTW in general). That said, I would still prefer a proper ethernet. Having a dongle is better than a router. Poor design.

 

well I'm in a funny position... I admit that I'm not so keen on the form factor, I realise it has an IPS screen and the viewing angles are great so the precise angle of the screen doesn't have to be perfect to your head to get a nice picture - however that's not really the point and I'm concerned that the angle of the screen will reflect the lights on the ceiling due to the fairly hard angle.

Other than that, I'm pretty much sold. I can live with the form factor and it seems to be the only real option for someone looking to get something asap. The form factor of the Yoga13 is the best around, with the Thinkpad Helix in a very close second. However the Yoga doesn't have Haswell or a WWAN option and I'm not expecting to see a refresh available for purchase until August/September tbh. The Helix has the WWAN but gets *very, very, very* hot and sadly only has an 11" screen - with again the next refresh with Haswell months away at the earliest.

The Sony Duo13 has:

13" screen
Haswell (with option for Intel 5000 graphics instead of just the 4600)
WWAN option
Backlit Keyboard
2x USB (+ Charging USB port on AC adapter)
HDMI->VGA adapter

Its just the form factor that concerns me. Anyone have any feedback or thoughts?
It has everything

 

Not sure where you read about its available options, but it seems like the only Cpu options don't have anything other than a HD 4400 for integrated graphics...

 

Sony VAIO Duo 13 review: a much-improved take on the Windows 8 slider

quote from the page:

"Our review unit will retail for $1,400 starting on June 9th, and it packs a 1.6GHz Core i5-4200U processor with 4GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4400 and a 128GB SSD. Sony will offer a configuration of the Duo 13 with AT&T LTE, which comes at a $150 premium. You can also step up to a Core i7 CPU, a 256GB or 512GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. The highest-end model -- with a Core i7-4650U chip, 8 gigs of memory, Windows 8 Pro, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and LTE -- will set you back $2,728."

 

Wouldn't it almost be cheaper to buy the low end model, then when Broadwell comes out sell your Duo and buy the new low end model that comes out?

 

heh Not that I don't doubt you understand my requirements better than me ( joke) - but I generally only keep my laptop for a year before upgrading anyway and being an IT consultant that travels a lot I need the best I can possibly fit into the chassis. Spending a lot of nights in hotels means I need the HD5000 for gaming and anything less than that would make me buy a different product. I have no doubts I will sell it and buy the latest Broadwell when that comes out regardless of what I purchase at this point.

I'm a laptop geek. You have to have something to spend your hard earned money on - some people spend it on beer, others on xbox, me - I spend mine on the latest and greatest laptop. I work on it for up for 15 hours a day so the idea of using anything but the best for that much over a year long period just seems like flawed logic. But that is just me - each to their own ofc

 

I think the performance will sell be below what the hype has suggested. Also, make sure you take into consideration the almost certain thermal throttling.

I suspect the SVZ quad will still out perform any of these xxxxU chips.

We shall see. Not trying to in your parade. I too am looking desperately for a new laptop to enjoy.

Sony has nothing at this point :/

 

cpu throttling is a serious concern I agree. However I had a Sony Vaio Z11 (the 13.3" one with the quad SSD raid) and it was quite simply the greatest laptop I ever owned. Sure it overheated occasionally if you didn't take the whole thing apart and clean the fans, sure Sony's driver support can be compared to being slapped in the face by a wet kipper - but the overall package and the sheer awesomeness of the product made that irrelevant (at least in my eyes)... erm.... back on topic - that was a seriously small laptop and it didn't throttle in the slightest. I would hope that with the new lowered thermal requirements Haswell and the size of the exhaust port on the rear combined with the dual intakes on the top of the chassis (exposed when the screen is open) would allow appropriate cooling.

Time will tell ofc, but I've sent back many laptops for throttling (I consider it the cardinal sin of laptops) so I wouldn't hesitate with this.

Anyone found any decent reviews/videos of it yet? I've seen the Engaget one but not found much else.

 

I understand.

 

Just to throw it out there, the Duo 11 throttles quickly. Again, not trying to be negative because I would like the Duo to be an option as well

 

By chance does anyone know how easy it is to get into these Duo's to do any upgrades? I have kind of been looking for any info on this but really no luck. Those who may have that Duo 11....is anything upgradable? If so, how easy is it to work around on the inside? Thanks all.

 

The first thing I know is SSD is upgradable. Ram is possibly similar to those in Z2, SVZ, and Duo11, so it could be upgradable.

Sent from my LT30at using Tapatalk 2

 

I actually prefer the form factor of the Duo 11 as opposed to the Duo 13. I don't want to spend more than 1600 so I am debating between the mid-level Duo 11 ( Sony VAIO Tablet Laptop | VAIO Duo 11 Ultrabook + Sheet Battery | SVD11225CXBVGPBPSC31/BUNDLE Review | Sony Store) and the base Duo 13.

My question is wil the performance of these machines be on par with one another? The Duo 11 will have 2gb more ram and perhaps faster CPU but on an older architecture.

Just trying to get a sense as I want to make a wise investment.

 

Not easy to get in. Memory in the Duo 11 is NOT upgradeable. Doubt it is in the 13. mSATA SSD in the Duo 11 is about the only thing you could attempt to change.

 

Duo11 has soldered 2GB/4GB and single slot for Sony proprietary Ram, which is also using in Z2, SVZ.
If you have 4GB in Duo11, then you can upgrade it to at least 6GB.

Sent from my LT30at using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

Since it's not a standard SODIMM, you can't just get a special Sony 4GB. And getting at it inside is not easy on top of it. Much easier to buy a Duo 11 with 8GB if that's what you need/want.

 

I know these laptops more than you. I know what its inside. If you want to know, search my posts.

Sent from my LT30at using Tapatalk 2

 

I know what's inside as well. This isn't a pissing match.

 

Thanks FenderP and ngvuanh. Sounds like I'll buy the Duo 13 with 8GB or RAM even though an extra $90. Lol...no I don't you guys getting into a pissing match here. We all share the same interest in these Duo's. So sounds pretty compact in these Duo's....how easy is it to at least get at the mSata? Planning to by the Duo 13 with 8GB and 128GB SSD. Then I can bump up the mSata in the future if need be. Thanks guys

 

Also, you should note that the Duo 13 is different from the Duo 11 - the Duo 11 had two banks of RAM, while the 13 has only one. The could mean that they have taken a different approach - for example, it might be soldered in the 13.

 

If you'll be able to overcome your sadness...

... the Panasonic CF-AX3 meets all your criteria otherwise.

 

I'd be all over the AX3 if it could have 16GB of RAM. They righted the wrongs of the AX2 with this one for the most part. The one big downside is that while technically a tablet, no digitizer on the AX so no pen input a la Wacom or N-Trig.

 

I'm curious where you got that SLAT was NOT supported?

All of the high-end (read: i7 with Iris and Iris Pro) and most of the mobile Haswell and Crystalwell i7 chips have VT-x, VT-d, and EPT support required for SLAT; the 4500U doesn't list support for VT-d, however not a requirement for SLAT.

ARK | Compare Intel® Products

 

Deleted - sorry, wrong thread.