SONY VAIO S SERIES SVS13A12FXS 13.3INCH FULL
After streaming a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, we measured the touchpad at a cool 84 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H keys at 90 degrees, and the bottom at a warm but not unpleasant 92 degrees. Switching the preset from to Movies or Games in the Dolby control panel did little to improve the sound quality.ĭuring our testing, the VAIO S Series 13 remained within our comfortable range - mostly. Rock songs featuring plenty of treble - Radiohead's "Reckoner," for instance - sounded tinny, and bass-heavy songs such as "Empire State of Mind" seemed to lack bass entirely. However, at maximum volume, music sounded harsh and ragged. Powered by Dolby Home Theater v4 technology, the VAIO S Series 13's speakers pumped out enough sound to fill a small room. Still, viewing angles proved generous - we could move almost 45 degrees to either side before images began to wash out.
SONY VAIO S SERIES SVS13A12FXS 13.3INCH 1080P
When watching the trailer for "The Hobbit" in 1080p on YouTube, we could make out fine details such as the gnarls in Gandalf's staff, but the pastoral hues of the Misty Mountains seemed muted. Unfortunately, colors appeared less vibrant on the S Series 13 than on other 13-inch displays. Only the IdeaPad U310 approached the S13 in terms of brightness, measuring 238 lux. The notebook registered 267 lux on our light meter, beating the average ultraportable by more than 30 lux and measuring far above the dim Inspiron 14z (154 lux) and VAIO T13 (163 lux). The clickpad itself depresses quietly, with a satisfying amount resistance.Ĭlick to EnlargeAlthough the 1366 x 768-pixel resolution is standard fare for a 13-inch laptop, the VAIO S Series 13 plenty bright. Multitouch gestures such as two-finger scrolling, three finger flick, pinch-to-zoom and rotate worked consistently.
The cursor glides smoothly from one end of the display to the other, and promptly responded to clicks even when we used two fingers to navigate and select items on the screen. Thankfully, this VAIO's spacious 4.7 x 2.5-inch Synaptics clickpad proved to be accurate and reliable. Although it is easy to distinguish individual keys when using the S13 in a dark room, light bleeds from the beneath the keys, making the backlighting appear oversaturated when viewed at any angle other than straight down. Unfortunately, the backlighting leaves much to be desired. While the keyboard suffers from a fair amount of flex, this proved more aesthetically annoying than troublesome - we still achieved a rate of 68 words per minute with a 1 percent error rate on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, slightly above our average speed. Click to EnlargeThe keys on the VAIO S Series 13's island-style, backlit keyboard offered a comfortable amount of tactile feedback.