Sony is reportedly looking to get out of the netbook game, instead focusing on higher performance, higher profit margin notebooks. But that doesn’t mean the company will only be focusing on laptops with almost laughably high price tags. Last week Sony unveiled the YB-series laptop with an AMD Fusion chip and a starting price for about $550.

I got a chance to spend a few minutes with the Sony YB laptop at CES, and it’s a decent looking machine. The laptop has a 1.6 GHz AMD E-350 processor with Radeon HD 6310 graphics, supports up to 4GB of storage and a 500GB hard drive, and comes standard with 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, VGA and HDMI output, and 3 USB ports. The computer weighs about 3.2 pounds and has an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display.

The laptop has a chiclet-style keyboard and two nice big buttons below the touchpad. It will come in several different color combinations, including three-tone models with colorful lids, silver/gray bodies, and black bottoms. It looks like there will also be a solid black or silver and black option for those with more conservative tastes.

The Sony YB-Series should be available next month.

You can find a few more photos after the break. I snagged a few additional photos when I visited the AMD booth at a pre-CES event earlier in the week (before the Sony YB-Series had been officially announced).

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,545 other subscribers

5 replies on “Hands-on with the Sony Vaio YB-Series notebook”

  1. does it have a backlit keyboard? laptopmag is reporting that it does. i’m debating whether i should wait for this or go with the hp dm1z now.. any thoughts? thanks brad

    1. To be honest, I’d heard that it does, but I didn’t mention it in this
      article because I only spent a moment at the Sony Booth and it honestly
      slipped my mind so I didn’t check.

    2. It has a backlit keyboard. I’m in the same boat as you. I ordered a Dm1z that isn’t going to ship until Jan 19th. I may cancel the order and get this. I just wonder if the backlit keyboard is worth the extra money. The dm1 with a ram upgrade to 4GB came to $484 after shipping. This starts at $550. decisions…

      1. thanks seth. did you see the sony yb in person or do you have another source that confirms this? the speakers and feel of the keyboard on the dm1z are what intrigues me about it.. not a big fan of the design on the glossy lid tho, but i like the overall form. the sony looks like it has tiny speakers that point down, so the sound may not be as good as the hp. as for the backlit keyboard, i find myself doing a bit of work under low lighting, so it would help to have the option for it. hopefully there is a toggle to switch it on and off, so i could save battery life when not needed.

Comments are closed.