Sony Vaio T13 Ultrabook review: First look
The 13in Ultrabook packs lots of native connectivity such as HDMI and Ethernet ports into the 1.6kg chassis. The T13 also has a solid keyboard and touts a nine hour battery life.
Sony Vaio T13
Sony Vaio T13 - Side on
Sony Vaio T13 - Keyboard
Sony Vaio T13 - Ports
Sony Vaio T13
Sony's first Ultrabook could be the Windows equivalent of an Apple MacBook Air business users have been waiting for as it boasts high-performance, portability and plenty of native connectivity.
The T13 features a 13.3in display with 1366 x 768 resolution in the compact chassis. The Ultrabook looks beautiful with its magnesium/aluminium hybrid frame, and has a robust feel too.
With a weight of 1.6kg, the T13 is 250g heavier than the equivalent 13in MacBook Air. However, the T13 is still lightweight enough to carry around for long periods of time.
The T13 looks as stylish as the MacBook Air, and is ultra portable too
As with all of the Japanese manufacturer's laptops, users will be able to customise their device on the Sony website. We took a look at the basic configuration, which starts off at 679. This model ships with an Intel Core i3-2367M 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM as well as a 320GB hard disk and 32GB SSD combination. This storage hybrid has been included to provide fast boot and resume times.
Although it will cost business users 50 to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional, Sony will be bundling in a full version of PDF creation and editing tool, Adobe Acrobat X Standard.
Sony has built in a single USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 port. Although it would be desirable to have at least one more port, the USB 3.0 connection does allow users to charge devices even when the T13 is powered off and not connected to the mains. This can be useful for situations when your smartphone is running out of battery on the move.
Get the ITPro. daily newsletter
Receive our latest news, industry updates, featured resources and more. Sign up today to receive our FREE report on AI cyber crime & security - newly updated for 2024.
The chassis is packed with native connectivity, so there is no need to splash out on adaptors
Further native connections include an SD/MMC card reader, HDMI, VGA ports and an Ethernet jack. This allows the T13 to be connected to a larger monitor and fixed broadband connection in an office environment more conveniently than Ultrabooks such as the Asus Zenbook UX31E and the MacBook Air range, which need adaptors.