Save 85% on The Economist today!Sony Vaio SE
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: VPCSE1AFX/B
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Sony knocks out another stylish system with the 15-inch Vaio SE, with some extra appeal for business users.
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Where to buy
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 Over 1,000 Sony products. Direct from Sony |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/23/2012 Refurbished |
CNET editors' review
Sony Vaio SE price range: $799.99
- Reviewed by: Dan Ackerman
- Reviewed on: 09/07/2011
The good: The discrete graphics and optional slice battery on the stylish Sony Vaio SE help it stand out from other midsize laptops, and the included TPM chip should play nice with your IT department.
The bad: The AMD graphics switching remains tied to a clunky physical switch, and without the extra slice, battery life is merely OK.
The bottom line: Sony knocks out another stylish system with the 15-inch Vaio SE, with some extra appeal for business users.
If Sony knows how to do something well, it's creating slick-looking laptops. Recent examples include the very high-end 13-inch Vaio Z and the more modest Vaio E series, which still manages to have plenty of flair despite the midrange price. The latest addition is the new Vaio SE, which is currently restricted to a single 15.5-inch version. At $999, the Vaio SE is playing in pretty crowded territory, and we'd put it in the same league as the Dell XPS 15z or the HP Envy 14--all upscale midsize laptops that mix high style with high performance.
To help the Vaio SE stand out, Sony adds a few important extras. First, like the Vaio Z, the SE supports an optional slice battery. This $150 add-on is a thin external battery pack that covers the entire bottom surface of the laptop. It adds bulk and weight, but it's a much nicer design than having a huge extended battery that sticks out of the back of the system like a kickstand.
The Vaio SE also include a TPM (trusted platform module) chip and Symantec's VIP authentication technology--the former especially is a must-have for IT departments. It's not something casual consumers will have to worry about, but it makes the Vaio SE much easier to integrate into a business environment.
| Price as reviewed | $1,149 / $999 |
| Processor | 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 2430M |
| Memory | 4GB, 1,333MHz DDR3 |
| Hard drive | 640GB 7,200rpm |
| Chipset | Intel HM65 |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon HD 6470M / Intel HD3000 |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
| Dimensions (WD) | 14.5 x 9.5 inches |
| Height | 1.0 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 15.5 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 4.2/5.1 pounds |
| Category | Midsize |
Our review unit is black, but a silver version is also available (Sony calls them jet black and platinum silver). Like Sony's other high-end laptops, such as the Vaio Z, the body is made of magnesium and aluminum, for a combination of ruggedness and light weight. The look and feel is pure Vaio, and the system looks like a matte black slab when closed, offset by an angular chrome hinge. That's part of a continuing evolution of Sony laptops, moving away from the long-time stylistic stamp of a tube-like round hinge, with the power button and AC adapter plug on opposite sides.
At 1 inch thick and a bit over 4 pounds (not counting the AC adapter or slice battery), it's the latest in a recent move toward very thin and light midsize laptops, such as the Dell XPS 15z (or even the new Inspiron 14z). While it certainly makes these machines easier to carry around, it's still too big for a daily commute. For regular travel, you'll want a laptop 13 inches or smaller.
Sony has been doing the island-style keyboard, with its flat-topped, widely spaced keys, as long as anyone, and it has since become an industry standard. The individual keys are large and easy to hit, but shallow and little on the clacky side. The chassis is wide enough to also fit in a full-size number pad, and the important keys (Shift, Enter, Ctrl, etc.) avoid any unnecessary shrinkage. The space bar, however, could be longer, and we frequently found ourselves missing it while touch typing.
The keyboard is backlit, which we always appreciate. In fact, with the light shining through the white letter stamps on the key faces, as well as around the edge of each key, this is the brightest backlit keyboard we can recall ever seeing. Function key commands for volume and brightness control are unfortunately not function-reversed, so you'll have to hold down the Fn key to access them--which is inconvenient for a multimedia laptop.
The large touch pad has a pleasing matte surface and two large separate mouse buttons. Our long-standing gripe with Sony touch pads is in the software defaults. Scroll zones for vertical and horizontal scrolling are set too wide by default, and we had to go into the control panel to resize them.
The 15.5-inch display has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, which we sometimes call full HD (as it's the same as for Blu-ray, HDTV, etc.). Vaio laptops always have excellent screen quality, and this is no exception. Images and videos were clear and bright, and off-axis viewing was above average. Even though the screen has a glossy coating, it felt like a muted version of laptop screen gloss, and we had very few problems with glare and reflected lights.
| Sony Vaio SE | Average for category [midsize] | |
|---|---|---|
| Video | VGA plus HDMI | VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone jack | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, SD card reader, Memory Stick reader. | 2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0, SD card reader, eSATA |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband |
| Optical drive | DVD burner | DVD burner |
Like nearly all Sony laptops, special space had to be carved out for a Memory Stick slot, in addition to the normal SD card reader. That space comes at a premium as well, as all the ports and connections are crowded along the right edge, with the exception of a lone headphone jack tucked away at the very back of the left side edge.
One nice extra is Intel's Wireless Display technology, which can send the video output of the system to a nearby big-screen TV. This requires a sold-separately receiver box, which usually runs around $99 and connects to an external display via HDMI. The results aren't lag-free enough for gaming, but it's fine for video playback.
For a sub-$1,000 midsize laptop, Intel's Core i5 CPU is what you'd expect to find, represented in this case by the 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 2430M. Still, we've seen the faster Core i7 chips start to filter down to lower priced systems as well. But for everyday computing, such as Web surfing, media playback, and even heavier tasks such as photo and video editing, the Vaio SE has more than enough power to handle most workloads with no slowdown or stuttering, although a Core i7 15-inch MacBook Pro was faster in each of our benchmark tests (but also more expensive).
The AMD Radeon HD 6470M GPU can switch off with the basic Intel HD 3000 graphics found on every Intel laptop in order to maximize battery life. However the implementation is a bit of a throwback, a problem we've seen in several Sony laptops over the past couple of years. Nvidia's Optimus technology, for example, can turn the GPU off and on automatically as needed, in a way largely transparent to the user. AMD has also made some improvements to its graphics switching this year, even though it's not in the same league yet.
The system Sony uses seems anachronistic by comparison. A physical switch above the keyboard is labeled 'Speed' at one end and 'Stamina at the other. If you're not sure exactly what that means, we don't blame you. Speed means the GPU is turned on, and Stamina means the GPU is turned off for longer battery life (or stamina). Unlike some older versions of this switching technology, a reboot is not required, but the screen does flash a few times. Most people will forget about the switch and just leave it in one position or the other full-time. Asking people to choose between Speed and Stamina makes it sound like you'll always be missing out on something. Perhaps the two sides of the switch should have been labeled "Tastes Great" and "Less Filling."
With the GPU turned on, the system ran Street Fighter IV at full 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution at 19.8 frames per second. Dial the resolution down to something less daunting, and you're likely to get a playable experience in most current PC games.
 Juice box |
|||
| Sony Vaio SE | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.24 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 0.91 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 11.28 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 61.62 | ||
| Raw kWh | 53.75 | ||
| Annual energy cost | $6.10 | ||
With the optional slice battery, the Sony Vaio SE ran for 6 hours and 34 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, with the GPU switch set to Speed (which is we expect most users will set and forget it). Without the slice battery, the system ran for only 3 hours and 2 minutes, which is on the low end of acceptable for a midsize laptop. Flip the switch to Stamina, and those times should improve by at least a third, and with the slice batter and the GPU turned off, a full day of computing should be no problem.
The Sony Vaio SE is backed by an industry-standard, one-year warranty. Support is accessible 24-7 via a toll-free phone line, an online knowledge base, and a Web site with driver downloads. Sony's support sites are clean and easy to navigate, but information about your exact laptop configuration may be hard to find (although it's hard to tell in this specific case, as Sony hasn't listed it for sale yet).
From the design and features list of the Vaio SE, it's clear Sony is targeting this as a high-end, power laptop with potential appeal to business users, which is rarely charted territory for Sony. Fortunately, it also works just fine as a reasonably priced consumer laptop, and a sharp-looking, powerful one at that.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations
Dell XPS 15Z
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2620M; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 525M / 64MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000; 750GB Seagate 7,200rpm
Sony Vaio VPC-SE
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-2430M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 512MB AMD Radeon HD 6,470M/ 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD; 640GB Western Digital 5,400rpm
Dell Inspiron N411Z
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 3000; 750GB Western Digital 7,200rpm
Apple MacBook Pro - Core i7 Sandy Bridge 15.4 inch - 2.2GHz
OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard; Intel Core i7 2.2GHz; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6,750M / 384MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000; 750GB Toshiba
Asus K53E
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-2520M; 6,144MB DDR3 SDRAM 667MHz; 192MB (Dedicated)/1,760MB (Total) Intel GMA HD; 640GB Seagate 7,200rpm
User reviews
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Great laptop all around
by raoulduke1975 on October 28, 2011
Pros: Beautiful case and finish (black). Very bright backlit keyboard with included number pad. Very fast and responsive. Super thin and light. All major connections are on one side of the machine. Cheap memory upgrade.
Cons: Medium to short battery life (set on 'Speed'). Seems a little fragile, hinge (as mentioned in Cnet's review) seems weak. Sheet battery is a little pricey at $150. To me, these are minor issues.
Summary: Plain and simple, I did close to (2) months of research looking for a replacement for my HP G70. I was interested in changing brands and the Sony F Series (...
Summary: Plain and simple, I did close to (2) months of research looking for a replacement for my HP G70. I was interested in changing brands and the Sony F Series (16.4") loaded laptop caught my eye. It had everything I needed, but lacked style; it is heavy and (to me) an unattractive design. What drew my into the Sony SE was the design, specs available and the smaller screen. I am a graphic designer, and to 'step down' to a smaller screen didn't make sense at first. With the SE's 1080p screen, I gained screen size over my 1600x900 HP. I know this is common knowledge, but it was new to me. Being a new model, I did have to buy it off Sony's website. I opted for the Core i7, 1gb 6630m hybrid graphics, 750gb HD, 4gb memory, and CD/DVD burner = $1219.00. I felt good about the cost. I did upgrade my memory to 8gb (Newegg - DDR3 PC3-10600) for under $30, saving $130 off the factory install.
I have been using the Sony SE for (2) weeks now and really have no complaints. It's fast enough for tons of open applications with a bright screen and beautiful keyboard. There are better computers out there, but this one fits me perfect. Enjoy!6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Evening out the score...
by jrvslam on September 21, 2011
Pros: EVEN OUT NOW
Cons: EVEN OUT NOW
Summary: thats a complaint about customer service on a sony product thats not even out... what is Cnet doing???? i mean, look through all the reviews people post.
Summary: thats a complaint about customer service on a sony product thats not even out... what is Cnet doing???? i mean, look through all the reviews people post.
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Evening out the score
by tacopower_PHD on September 15, 2011
Pros: Great keyboard and over all design
A powerouse for gamers and photo and video editors
good range of specsCons: only 15.5 inch version for now
Summary: Again i'm evening out the score here. From this review I believe this will turn out to be a great machine and will last me a couple of years. ...
Summary: Again i'm evening out the score here. From this review I believe this will turn out to be a great machine and will last me a couple of years. the other reveiws clearly states owning a DIFFERENT computer, because this one is not available to the public yet. excited, and pumped for this release and hoping for a 14 inch version.
***NOTE****
When on the Sony website they are putting the current EG/H version 100$ of until supplies last. thusly concluding to expect a new model soon in my opinion. cheers.3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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"Evening out the score" v3.0
by glarge on October 5, 2011
Pros: The specs sound great and Sony makes good stuff...
Cons: There isn't any way to report ridiculous reviews...
Summary: See the reviews by jrvslam AKA tacopower_PHD, in which he explains why he gave the SE two 5-star "reviews" to offset the two 1-star reviews, one by a person who ...
Summary: See the reviews by jrvslam AKA tacopower_PHD, in which he explains why he gave the SE two 5-star "reviews" to offset the two 1-star reviews, one by a person who reviewed a different model and another by a person who reviewed Sony services. While two 5-star "reviews" to "even out" the SE's average rating was a great idea, they aren't enough; they raised the average rating only from 1 to 3, but the 1-stars are still there and will continue to drag down the average rating until there are a large number of real reviews. My 5 brings the average up to 3.4. I don't have a second login ID, so I've done all I can. But if three more people enter 5-star "reviews" the average will be exactly 4.0, which is a much more reasonable starting point when real reviews start coming in. Any volunteers?
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Perfect for professionals who don't do Macs ;-)
by nerdess on December 14, 2011
Pros: Excellent matte monitor
Superfast
Lovely design
Lightweight
"Stamina" switch
Backlit keyboardCons: Keyboard unresponsive if you type fast
Battery life short
Frame a bit flimsy/weak
Build-in speakers lameSummary: My initial spec was a notebook with two harddrives (1 SSD), DVD drive not needed, matte 15" screen, backlit keyboard, 8GB RAM and as fast as possible for not more ...
Summary: My initial spec was a notebook with two harddrives (1 SSD), DVD drive not needed, matte 15" screen, backlit keyboard, 8GB RAM and as fast as possible for not more than 2000 Euros.
I was first looking into gamer notebooks because they can be highly customised, unfortunately they are just plain ugly. E.g. Clevo cases are solid but the notebooks look like tanks! Same with Alienware notebooks, they might be visually appealing to teenagers but not to professionals.
Being a freelance Web Developer I needed a notebook that looks good and is easily portable to client meetings so I ditched the idea of getting a gamer notebook and found the Sony Vaio line!
The Sony Vaio SE ticked all the boxes (apart from the second harddrive that I might add manually) and I am really happy with it :-) I hope it will last the next 5+ years!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nice design and light, but very unstable and loud!
by jerempr on November 15, 2011
Pros: I have owned several VAIOs and was always satisfied with the prodcuts, so decided to acquire the latest SE series (i5, Silver).
- the design is great and the laptop is light.
- keyboard is okCons: - the ventilation fan is extremely loud! think vacuum cleaner. forget listening to musing while using Photoshop or playing games.
- I measured the CPU temperature around 90 degrees when playing games. This causes instability and crashes... daily!Summary: I am very disappointed by the noise of the fan on this VAIO. every time I hear it, it makes me regret buying this laptop.
The design is good and ...Summary: I am very disappointed by the noise of the fan on this VAIO. every time I hear it, it makes me regret buying this laptop.
The design is good and the specs are ok on paper, but the fan is so loud that it is just not possible to listen to music while using Photoshop or playing games.
the instability is also a big concern and forces at least 1 hard restart per day.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best laptop Ive owned.
by rhuang86 on January 27, 2012
Pros: -Matte Screen
-Lightweight
-Aluminum Magnesium Alloy Body
-Backlit Keyboard
-Fast startup time
-Battery Life really good (compared to my old Vaio FZ)
-Sheet BatteryCons: -Horrible 3.5mm audio jack placement
-Laptop speakers are bad...this is the worst
-hinge can be a little tighter
-setting the screen to full 1080p makes text way too smallSummary: I was searching for a metal body non-Mac laptop and had a hard time finding one. I finally found the SE and a couple others. I ended up going with ...
Summary: I was searching for a metal body non-Mac laptop and had a hard time finding one. I finally found the SE and a couple others. I ended up going with the SE because of customization options at Sony's website. I added a BluRay Player, upgraded the graphics and they had a promotion of giving me a free sheet battery. This is one reason why I like Sony...you get to customize your own computer.
I love this laptop. Good performance, very light, awesome styling and that sheet battery is amazing...more than doubling my battery life. When the sheet battery is on, it keeps the form factor of the laptop and only ads a little bit of weight (not much). The startup time is also noticeably fast (at least compared to my old Vaio FZ).
I do have one issue. The 3.5mm audio jack is placed in the left back end of the machine...1/3 of my headphone line is spent covering the length of the laptop before it gets to my ears. A bit of an inconvenience sometimes. -
Great products,excellent performance and servicing.
by mbelkas on October 27, 2011
Pros: The memory is 4GB and upgrades to 6 or 8 is very affordable compared with other outlet. The performance is great and sony tools very useful
Cons: The only con is if one need repair, you must send it to to the west coast (CA)
Summary: Great Products and good service
Summary: Great Products and good service
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Amazing Laptop in all aspects
by dukesaeed on March 29, 2012
Pros: Very beautiful
Cons: ----------------------
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Following the lead of other Vaio valiants. It is great.
by lemmiethelemming on October 26, 2011
Pros: It's a Sony. It has a great spec. It will cost you less then a Macbook.
Cons: Don't know yet because it is not out yet.
Summary: Great track record with these machines. Advised to purchase.
Summary: Great track record with these machines. Advised to purchase.
0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: VPCSE1AFX/B
- Description: At just under 1” thin and 4.4 lbs., the VAIO 15.5" S Series laptop includes a Full HD 1080p display for vibrant, crisp images in a bold, thin-and-light design. From its seamless contours, integrated 10-key pad to advanced technology that offers up to 12 hours of combined battery life (with optional extended sheet battery) the S combines bold design and mobile performance.
General
- System Type Notebook
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Notebook type Gaming ,
Blu-ray drive ,
HD Display,
Midsize Processor / Chipset
- Processor Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 i5-2430M / 2.4 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed 3.5 GHz
- Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core
- Cache 4 MB
- 64-bit Computing Yes
- Features Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Memory
- RAM 4 GB,
( 1 x 2 GB + 4 GB (soldered) ) - Max RAM Supported 8 GB
- Technology DDR3 SDRAM
- Speed 1333 MHz
Storage
- Floppy Drive None
- Hard Drive 640 GB,
HDD / 5400 rpm - Interface Serial ATA-300
- Storage Removable None
- Optical Drive DVD-Writer / BD-ROM
- Hard drive type Standard
Display
- Type 15.5 in
- LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight
- Max Resolution 1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )
- Widescreen Yes
- Features LED-backlit
Audio & Video
- Graphics Processor AMD Radeon HD 6470M,
1 GB - Video System Features Sony Hybrid Graphic System
- Camera Yes
- Camera Features Exmor Technology
- Sound Microphone
- Compliant Standards High Definition Audio,
Dolby Home Theater v4 Input
- Type Backlit keyboard,
Touchpad - Keyboard Layout QWERTY
- Features Built-in numeric keyboard
Communications
- Wireless 802.11n,
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - Wireless Controller Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230
- Network Interface Gigabit Ethernet
- Features Intel Wireless Display (WiDi)
Battery
- Technology Lithium polymer
- Installed Qty 1
- Capacity 4400 mAh
- Run Time 6 hour(s)
Connections & Expansion
- Slots Memory,
SD Memory Card,
Memory Stick Duo - Interfaces 2 x USB 2.0,
Headphone output,
HDMI,
VGA,
LAN,
Dock,
USB 3.0 - Interfaces 1 x USB 3.0 - USB 3.0,
2 x USB 2.0 - USB 2.0,
1 x Ethernet - RJ-45,
1 x Display / video - VGA,
1 x HDMI,
1 x Port replicator,
1 x Headphones,
1 x DC in - Memory Card Reader Card reader ( Memory Stick Duo ),
( SD Memory Card ) Software
- Software Included VAIO Care,
VAIO Media Gallery,
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0,
Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0,
Microsoft Office 2010 Starter,
Adobe Acrobat Standard 9.0,
Norton Internet Security 2012 (30 days trial),
Picture Motion Browser VAIO Edition - Microsoft Office Preloaded Includes a pre-loaded image of select Microsoft Office 2010 suites. Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key Card or disc to activate preloaded software on this PC.
Miscellaneous
- Color Jet black
- Embedded Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip
- Features Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230,
Bluetooth 2.1,
Camera - Cables Included Power cable ( 1 pcs.)
- Compliant Standards RoHS
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 14.5 in
- Depth 9.5 in
- Height 1 in
- Weight 4.2 lbs
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year - On-site,
International warranty,
Technical support - Phone consulting Sustainability
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
- EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Gold
- Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2011) 3.6
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
