Pros

  • Nifty docking station
  • Exceptionally thin and light

Cons

  • Poor keyboard
  • Lackluster audio

Bottom Line

Sony demonstrates cutting-edge design in this surprisingly powerful but unfortunately expensive laptop.

Manufacturer’s Description

Born from a legacy of engineering innovation, the all new VAIO Z Series introduces the next evolution in ultra-portable laptops by featuring 2nd generation Intel Core i5 processor & a fully powered dock with AMD graphics and more. Plus the Z Series can even deliver up to 8 hours of battery life. All Day Mobility Leveraging the latest innovations in lithium polymer technology, the battery of the Z Series supplies up to 8 hours of battery life. This concept even extends to the all-new large capacity sheet battery by attaching directly to the standard capacity battery and by working in tandem with it. Enjoy up to 16 hours of total combined battery life - helping to keep you unplugged longer.

The Specs

Pricing
Part Number VPCZ213GXB
Display
Display type Matte LCD with LED Backlight
Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
Display size 13.0 inches
Processor
Cache size 4.0 KB
Processor count 2
Processor speed 2700.0 MHz
Processor type Intel Core i7
Memory
Memory speed 1333.0 MHz
Memory type DDR3
Memory size 4000.0 MB
Memory max 8.0 GB
Storage
Drives included 2.0
Other storage
  • Memory Stick
  • SD/MMC Card
  • SDHC Card
Drive type Solid-State Drive
Raid type RAID 0
Drive size 256.0 GB
Storage Media
Memory stick 1
Battery
Vendor Rated Battery life 8.0 hours
Ports and Connections
SD/MMC Card 1
Video Interfaces
  • HDMI
  • VGA
MultiMedia Card (MMC) or MultiMediaCard (MMC) 1
Wireless connection 802.11 n/b/g
Available Interfaces Bluetooth
Slots
  • Memory Stick
  • SD/MMC Card
  • SDHC Card
SDHC Card or Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) 1
Other Features
Devices
  • Built-In Microphone
  • Built-In Webcam
  • Fingerprint Reader
Docking Station Port Yes
Input devices
  • Keyboard
  • Touchpad (multitouch)
Sound
Speakers Stereo
Dimensions
Weight with Accessories 3.2 pounds
Height 0.7 inches
Weight 2.5 pounds
Depth 8.3 inches
Width 13.0 inches
Green
Energy Star compliant 1.0
Networking
Ethernet Type 10/100/1000 Mbps
Included Software
Included Software Adobe Acrobat 9 Standard; Arcsoft Webcam Suite; CyberLink PowerDVD BD; Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 LJ;
Operating system Microsoft Windows 7 Professional

Performance

Overall Performance
WorldBench 6 Score 138
Battery
Battery Life 5:24  (hh:mm)
Office Productivity
Web Browsing 212  seconds (lower is better)
Office Suite Use 332  seconds (lower is better)
File Compression 161  seconds (lower is better)
Power Usage
Off power usage 0  Watt hours
Sleep power usage 1.4  Watt hours
Idle power usage 10.9  Watts
Content Creation
CPU Graphics Rendering 341  seconds (lower is better)
DVD Burning 168  seconds (lower is better)
Image Editing 278  seconds (lower is better)
GPU Graphics Rendering 306  seconds (lower is better)
Video Encoding 172  seconds (lower is better)
Video Editing 168  seconds (lower is better)
Multitasking
World Bench 6 Multitasking 257
Gaming
Dirt 2, High Quality, 800x600 20.1  Frames per second (higher is better)
Dirt 2, High Quality, 1024x768 19.4  Frames per second (higher is better)
Dirt 2, High Quality, 1920x1080 13.8  Frames per second (higher is better)
Unreal Tournament 3, Medium, 800 by 600 47.69  Frames per second (higher is better)
Dirt 2, Ultra Quality, 1920x1080 13.7  Frames per second (higher is better)
Far Cry 2, High Quality, 1024x768 12.5  Frames per second (higher is better)
Far Cry 2, High Quality, 800x600 16.4  Frames per second (higher is better)
Far Cry 2, Low Quality, 1024x768 27.5  Frames per second (higher is better)
Unreal Tournament 3, Highest, 800 by 600 37.55  Frames per second (higher is better)
Far Cry 2, Low Quality, 800x600 29.2  Frames per second (higher is better)
Far Cry 2, Low Quality, 1920x1080 18.8  Frames per second (higher is better)
Unreal Tournament 3, Medium, 1024 by 768 43.24  Frames per second (higher is better)
Unreal Tournament 3, Highest, 1024 by 768 34.11  Frames per second (higher is better)
Far Cry 2, Ultra Quality, 1920x1080 14.1  Frames per second (higher is better)
Unreal Tournament 3, Highest, 1680 by 1050 19.8  Frames per second (higher is better)
Far Cry 2, High Quality, 1920x1080 6.4  Frames per second (higher is better)
Dirt 2, Low Quality, 1920x1080 20  Frames per second (higher is better)
Dirt 2, Low Quality, 1024x768 32.1  Frames per second (higher is better)
Dirt 2, Low Quality, 800x600 33.6  Frames per second (higher is better)
Unreal Tournament 3, Medium, 1680 by 1050 26.78  Frames per second (higher is better)

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