Sony VAIO S Series VPC-SA21GX/BI user reviews

Pros Amazing array of technology in a small package
Great screen
Better than average speakers for a small laptop
Enormous, industry-leading hard-drive (1 TB solid state drive)
Very fast performance
Excellent connectivity (2 USB 2.0 + 1 dedicated USB 3.0)

Cons Incredibly noisy even when doing simple tasks
Buttons on track pad are not very precise (minor gripe)

Summary On paper this is the ideal laptop; sleeker, faster, lighter than any of the competition. My wife has a MacBook Pro and even she was impressed. But, the horribly loud unpredictable fan noise unfortunately ruined this laptop for me. I believe the problem is that the fan is located on the back of the computer and easily gets blocked when the screen is tilted back beyond 90 degrees. Nonetheless, I returned what could have been the best laptop I have ever owned because the noise was that annoying. And, I just couldn't justify having spent over $5,000 for a laptop with such an obvious issue.

That all said, I will acknowledge that, based on my review of all the comments online and a brief discussion with tech support, it does not appear that this fan noise is indicative of any problems with the computer. I don't think it is a signal that the computer is going to over-heat and fail . . . it is just plain annoying. So, I personally am going to wait for the next generation "S" when hopefully the terrabyte SSD is also much less expensive.

Pros Very thin and light
Looks sleek
Matte screen (gives slightly worse viewing angles)
Keyboard feels great

Cons Sounds horrible - like a cell phone speaker
Heats up in speed mode
Touchpad buttons are very stiff (might change over time?)
ALL the ports are on the right side
Screen hinge is sort of loose - screen wiggles even with slight movement.

Summary I've had the laptop for about two weeks now. I shopped for a while for a 13.3" laptop before settling on this one. Even though since its a Sony and costs a little more than it ought to, it's probably worth it.

I pretty much love this laptop with some exceptions. After going through endless windows updates and removing some waste Vaio software, the laptop is very snappy and fast (I have i5 2520M, 8GB ram). One of the best things about this is the keyboard. It just feels great to type on...satisfying clicks etc. Feels good. Aside from those, the laptop just looks very sleek and nice.

The bad:
Sound: I'm not sure if I got a computer with defective speakers if they're all like this, but my HTC Droid Incredible sounds pretty much like these speakers. They're that bad. Enough said.

Ports: There are enough ports, but they're ALL on the right side. Sadly, most of the population is right handed so if you're using a mouse and have stuff plugged in, all the wires are on the right and are near your hand and sort of get annoying.

Others have complained of many things going wrong with this laptop...I just got it and it's been two weeks and it's all good so far.

Pros -Looks clean, best looking 'non-mac' laptop
-Great specs, this can really be a high-end machine
-Customize to your liking online, parts, blue-ray, etc
-Super thin and light, even with...
-Extended Sheet Battery!

Cons -Weird headphone jack placement
-Stamina & Speed Graphics/Battery options are quirky

Summary If you are looking to downsize your current PC or laptop and not lose any power and sharp looks in the process; the Sony Vaio S Series is for you. It's lighter and smaller than Dell XPS15, Toshiba Satelite, MacBookPro, HP EnvyBeats.


(And its especially nice if you want something that competes with the Mac-Book Pro!)

Pros Paid a fortune for SSD, and it was worth it.

Cons Too many to list... Sony changed the driver so it won't play video programs like DirecTV2PC and other HDCP content. All ports crammed on one side. Headphone jack and mic jack share the same jack, so you can only use one.

Summary I have a great Vaio from 2004 that still runs. As a TV Producer/Director I've bought hundreds of Sony products. But that was then, and now Sony just isn't the same. And after being a loyal customer for decades, when I contacted them for a workaround on this machine I received nothing but bureaucratic form answers. I wish I'd bought the Toshiba.