We Go Hands-on with the Sony VAIO SE1E 15.5-Inch Notebook

Together with the VAIO Z, that we reported about in a previous article published earlier today, during a local Sony press event we also had the opportunity of going hands-on with the all new VAIO SE1E notebook which was designed to provide both a 15.5-inch display and increased portability.

In order to meet these needs, Sony built the SE1E to fit inside a 25mm (almost an inch) thin chassis made of aluminum, that provides the notebook with a solid feel without adding to much to the overall weight of the system.

As a result, the SE1E tips the scale at a rather low 1.96Kg (4.3 pounds) configured together with a battery capable of providing 6.5 hours of running time on a single charge and a DVD burner.

Users who require longer running times can also opt for adding a thin add-on battery to the VAIO notebook that will increase autonomy to an impressive 13 hours, but will have to give up on the slender look as this adds quite a bit of bulk to the laptop.

Speaking of bulk, we were less than impressed by the thick bezel surrounding the 15.5-inch Full HD display, which in our opinion makes the notebook feel larger than it actually is (putting it in a stark contrast with Sony's high portability claims).

Fortunately, the rest of the design and features list is top notch, just as one would expect from a VAIO product, the illuminated keyboard coming as a nice, and really useful, surprise.

   

Moving past the looks of the VAIO SE1E, the system that was on display during the event we attended carried an Intel Core i5 processor paired together with 4GB of system memory as well as with an AMD Radeon HD 6630M dedicated graphics card featuring 1GB of VRAM.

   

Storage was provided by a low-speed 5400RPM hard drive with 500GB of capacity, while an USB 3.0 port enables users to expand data capacity by adding an external high-speed HDD.

According to Sony's reps, pricing for the VAIO SE1E is set at $1100 US, which translates roughly into 815 Euros.