Hardly pretty, and the ergonomics are
suspect, but the screen more than makes amends
At first glance, the VAIO E looks like any
other 17in Sony. Open it up and switch it on, however, and this is no ordinary
laptop.
It’s the display that sets this machine
apart, with its pixels beaming out like a beacon in a fog of mediocrity. Its
Full HD resolution lets you take advantage of the Blu-ray drive, and the
colours and contrast level are stunning.
Sony
Vaio E Series 17
With a 1000:1 contrast ratio, movie scenes
and photographs have a punch and vibrancy that no other laptop in this Labs can
match. Colours are accurate, and only brightness disappoints, with a maximum of
268cd/m2. The Sony’s main rivals this month - the Dell Inspiron 17R and the
Asus N56VM - both have significantly brighter displays.
The laptop’s display alone is almost enough
to warrant a recommendation, especially given the keen pricing. Alas, there are
weaknesses, and these prevent us from handing the Sony an award. First, it’s no
looker; it’s solidly built, with good protection for the screen, but the
all-round combination of matte- and gloss-black plastics lend it a slightly
cheap feel. The keyboard is too squishy, and the touchpad - with its integrated
buttons - has a horribly indistinct, mushy action.
The
AMD Radeon HD 7650 hobbles its gaming performance, with a mere 16fps in the
High quality Crysis test.
There’s nothing wrong with application
performance. A score of 0.93 from its quad-core 2.1GHz Intel Core ¡7-3612QM in
the PC & Tech Authority benchmarks places it among the class
leaders. There’s more than enough storage, too, courtesy of the 750GB hard
disk.
The AMD Radeon HD 7650 hobbles its gaming
performance, with a mere 16fps in the High quality Crysis test. Since Sony
hasn’t implemented the processor’s integrated graphics, it isn’t ideal for life
on the road. It lasted only 3hrs 38mins in our light-use test.
Still, the margins in this labs are narrow,
and the Sony VAIO E Series 17 falls behind the Labs winners only by a very
small margin. Had the keyboard and touchpad been better, it might have been in
with a chance.
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Details
·
Price: $1,300
·
Supplier: www.sony.com
Verdict
·
Performance: 5/6
·
Battery life: 2/6
·
Feature & design: 4/6
·
Value for money: 4/6
·
Overall: 4/6
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