The Sony VAIO YB ($599) isn't the cheapest of this bunch, but it packs strong performance, solid battery life, and sleek software into its sexy metallic chassis. Is this laptop good enough to be your constant companion?
Design
For a budget-minded ultraportable, the VAIO YB doesn't skimp on style, incorporating the best design elements in Sony's arsenal. Its metallic fuchsia lid (also available in silver) really stands out in a crowd, while its chrome-colored deck and trim ooze elegance. The sexy rounded metal hinges light up orange (for sleep) or green (for powered on) and give the VAIO YB a futuristic look and feel. A metallic textured palm rest completes the space-age aesthetic.
At 11.4 x 8 x 1.25 inches and 3.2 pounds, the Sony VAIO YB isn't MacBook Air-light (2.9 pounds). However, this notebook is lighter than other 11-inch Fusion ultraportables, such as the HP Pavilion dm1z (11.4 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches, 3.4 pounds) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e (11.1 x 8.2 x 1.2-inches, 3.4 pounds).
Keyboard and Touchpad
The VAIO YB's island-style keyboard is attractive and offers a reasonable amount of tactile feedback. However, the keyboard is noticeably smaller than those on 11-inch competitors such as the ThinkPad X120e and the 11-inch MacBook Air. Considering that 11-inch notebooks have smaller-than-normal keyboards in the first place, this means the VAIO YB has some undersized keys, including a tiny right Shift key. The keys are also completely flat, making it more difficult to detect their boundaries by feel alone.
On the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, we found ourselves typing as quickly as usual, but making a lot more errors, particularly involving the Shift and punctuation keys. Rather than our usual 80 words per minute and 1- to 2-percent error rate, we managed 82 words per minute with a 5-percent error rate.
On the bright side, the VAIO YB's palm rest has a pleasant texture, stays cool, and slopes downward. So, even though our hands hung over the edge of the chassis a bit, the notebook was a lot more comfortable for resting our wrists than other 11-inchers with short palm rests, such as the ThinkPad X120e.
The 2.5 x 1.4-inch touchpad is a little on the small side, but its smooth matter surface provides accurate navigation around the desktop; it also supported multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. The two discrete buttons offer just the right amount of feedback.
Heat
Unlike the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, which had a few warm spots in the high 90s and over 100 degrees, the VAIO YB stayed so cool that we could barely tell it was on. After streaming a video at full screen for 15 minutes, we measured the touchpad at only 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the keyboard at a chilly 89 degrees, and the bottom at a maximum of 92 degrees.
Display and Audio
The 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768-pixel glossy display produced sharp images and bright, vibrant colors. Despite its glossy surface, we encountered surprisingly little glare. Colors started to wash out when we sat 45 degrees to the left or right, but 11-inch notebooks aren't really designed for group viewing.
The VAIO YB's audio quality leaves something to be desired. When we listened to the bass-heavy tune "Forget Me Nots," the sound seemed tinny. However, when we switched to the loud, guitar-oriented "Shout at the Devil," the speakers couldn't handle the high-pitched audio, and guitar riffs sounded extremely distorted.
Ports and Webcam
The VAIO YB carries a pretty standard array of ports, with few surprises. On the right side are audio in/out jacks, two USB ports, a Kensington lock, and an Ethernet port. On the left are a VGA port, HDMI-out, and a third USB port for a total of 3 USB connections. Unique to Sony notebooks, the front lip of the system has two different card readers, one for SD cards and the other for Sony's proprietary Memory Sticks.
When we tested the 0.3-megapixel webcam during a Skype call, we were glad to see that the details of our face were visible. However, the quality was not nearly as sharp as on the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e's low light-friendly cam. Color clarity and image sharpness improved when we stood directly under fluorescent light.
Performance
With its AMD E-350 CPU, Radeon HD 6310 integrated graphics, and 4GB of RAM, the Sony VAIO YB provides solid performance that's good enough for most tasks. On PCMark Vantage, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall system speed, the VAIO YB scored 2,112. That score is less than the ultraportable notebook category average of 3,804, but in the neighborhood of other AMD Fusion notebooks like the HP Pavilion dm1z (2,198) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e (2,558).
The 500GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive initially took as long as 76 seconds to boot into windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit), but after we'd removed the pre-loaded antivirus software and used the notebook a few times, that time dropped to a speedy 43 seconds. The drive took 3 minute and 30 seconds to complete the LAPTOP File Transfer test, which involves copying 4.97GB of mixed media files. That's a rate of 24.2 MBps, which is a little less than the 30.9 MBps category average and the 28.3 MBps offered by the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e and its 7,200-rpm hard drive. However, the HP Pavilion dm1z (18.4 Mbps) was quite a bit slower.
When it came to transcoding video, the VAIO YB took 2 minutes and 47 seconds to convert a 114MB MP4 to AVI using Oxelon Media Encoder, which is about 40 percent slower than the 1 minute and 52-second category average, but about on par with the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e (2:51) and the HP Pavilion dm1z (2:45).
Graphics and Video Playback
Though the Sony VAIO YB isn't as speedy as the average ultraportable on CPU-intensive tasks such as video encoding and PCMark Vantage, its Radeon HD 6310 integrated graphics deliver impressive video playback and even some gaming ability. On 3DMark06, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall graphics prowess, the YB scored a strong 2,490, more than 50-percent above the ultraportable category average of 1,489 and even a bit better than the HP Pavilion dm1z (2217) and ThinkPad X120e (2135).
No matter what video we threw at it, the VAIO YB delivered high frame rates, smooth playback, and sharp images. When we played a downloaded 720p QuickTime trailer of Drive Angry, the YB managed a blistering 38 fps. A 720p Flash episode of Fringe streamed from Fox.com at a solid 27.1 fps, while a 1080p YouTube trailer for Avatar was a pleasant 28.2 fps. Even a 1080p downloaded QuickTime trailer played at a pleasant 26.4 fps.
While we wouldn't recommend the VAIO YB as a gaming machine, it's capable of playing World of Warcraft. With the special effects turned down, the VAIO YB managed a strong 29 fps, a bit below the ultraportable category average but much stronger than the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e (21 fps) and the HP Pavilion dm1z (24 fps). With the special effects turned up to maximum, the rate dropped to an unplayable 13 fps.
Battery Life and Wireless
The VAIO YB lasted a decent 4 hours and 58 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi. While that time is long enough for many users, it falls more than an hour short of the HP Pavilion dm1z (6:37) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e (6:05). The Atheros AR9285 802.11n Wi-Fi card managed respectable transfer rates of 34.2 and 14.3 Mbps at distances of 15 and 50 feet from the router, respectively. These rates are similar to the 35.3/15.1 Mbps returned by the HP Pavilion dm1z, but a little slower than the 37.7/20.3 Mbps achieved the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e.
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