Sony is expanding its ultrabook lineup with two new high-end models featuring Intel Haswell processors, 1920 x 1080 pixel touchscreen displays, and thin and light cases. A model with an 11.6 inch display will launch June 9th for $1149, and a 13.3 inch model with a starting price of $1249 will launch the same day.
The smaller model weighs just 1.92 pounds, making it one of the lightest ultrabooks around. At 2.34 pounds, the 13.3 inch model isn’t exactly heavy either.
Sony’s new ultrabooks feature carbon fiber and aluminum designs to keep the weight down while offering reasonably sturdy build quality.
While Intel sets requirements for how thick a laptop can be in order to qualify as an ultrabook, the chip-maker has no restrictions on weight. So it’s nice to see a company taking weight seriously — a super-thin notebook is only truly portable if it’s also light enough to toss in your bag and carry almost anywhere.
The laptops will be available with a choice of Core i5 or Core i7 chips. All models feature IPS displays with wide viewing angles, backlit keyboards, and NFC support.
Engadget and The Verge have each published reviews of the new Pro series laptops, and they seem pretty impressed — although in order to get 13-14 hours of battery life Sony is promising, you’ll have to invest in an external battery “sheet” which attaches to the bottom of the laptop.
Without the external battery, reviewers say these laptops provide around 6.5 hours of run time.
The battery life was including the slate battery. The tests were not including the slate. Sony rated their internal battery at half the battery of the slate+internal battery, meaning they’re supposed to get around 7 hours. Engadget and Verge said 6.5. That’s pretty close for an “up to X” type of exaggeration.
Thanks for catching that. I forgot about the battery “sheets.”