14 DAY TRIAL // Anyone thinking that the Vaio Duo 13 sliding laptop/tablet is Sony's only product on show in Taipei, Taiwan, has been grossly misinformed. There was no way the company wouldn't fill its booth to the brim with things.
Some of those “things” are the Vaio Pro ultrabooks, of which there seem to be two. Or at least, there only seem to be two new ones.
Called Vaio Pro 13 and Vaio Pro 11, they measure 11.6 inches and 13.3 inches, respectively.
Core i5 or Core i7 Haswell central processing units from Intel act as the beating heart on each system, backed by variable amounts of DDR3 RAM.
Storage space can, likewise, be customized according to need and budget, and Sony even tossed in things like Exmor webcams, NFC and backlit keyboards.
Optical drives and discrete GPUs are absent, not that we're surprised. Thin and light design, as well as power efficiency, were favored over performance in this case.
Besides, Haswell chips have better iGPs than Ivy Bridge, which already handled browsing and video playback well enough, even on Full HD displays like the IPS panels here used.
Speaking of efficiency, the Vaio Pro 11 can last for 14 hours on a single charge, while Pro 13 has a life of 13 hours.
"By combining the power of Sony's display, digital imaging and sound technology with new and innovative form factors, VAIO is offering a variety of new ways for consumers to interact with their PCs," said Pedro LaFarga, SVP, Sony VAIO & networked products division.
"The PC landscape is undergoing a tremendous amount of change and Sony VAIO is leading the transformation with new ultra-portable devices that enhance and enrich individuals' lifestyles in both work efficiency and play."
Compared to the now extinct Sony Z series, the Vaio Pro are quite a few steps ahead and above that level. Sales will start on June 9 in silver and black. The Vaio Pro 11 is rated at $1,149 / €877 – 1,149 and the Pro 13 at $1,249 / €955 – 1,249.