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The latest in the Sony Z Series of laptops—the Sony VAIO VPC-Z214GX ($2,499.99 list with dock and battery slice)—is as thin as the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch ($1,299 direct, 4 stars) and many times more powerful. It comes with a high-end docking station that provides a ton of features and an extended battery slice. While the "Light Peak" Power Media Dock, which includes a Blu-ray drive, AMD discrete graphics, and host of connectivity ports, is innovative, it's a desktop fixture and not meant to be carted around. The laptop provides an unprecedented 15 hours of battery life, but does so with the extended battery such as Panasonic CGA-S101A Battery , Olympus Li-10B Battery , Olympus BLM1 Battery , panasonic NV-GS10 battery , panasonic VHS-C Battery , canon EOS 400D Battery , panasonic VW-VBD1E Battery , panasonic VW-VBD1 Battery , Panasonic CGA-S002 Battery , HITACHI DZ-HS300E Battery , Olympus FE-230 Battery , canon MV930 Battery slice (which is part of the bundle) added to the laptop, yet another external component that tacks on weight. The loud fan noises (during resource-intensive tasks) and below-par typing experience hold this laptop back.
Flat-out Thin
The Z214GX rivals the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch and Samsung Series 9 ($1,650 list, 4 stars) in terms of thinness. Its carbon fiber (exterior) and aluminum (interior) frame measures a scant 0.56 inches thick, which is slightly thinner than the Samsung Series 9 (0.62 to 0.64 inches thick) and Apple Air 13-inch (0.76 inches at its thickest). The Apple Air 13-inch, however, has a tapered design and a much thinner front bezel (0.11 inches). At 2.5 pounds, the Z214GX is the lightest 13-inch ultraportable and one of the thinnest if you exclude the second battery. Unlike many of its competitors, the Z214GX also includes an extended 49WH battery slice that snaps over the standard one and spans the base of the laptop. With its battery slice attached the laptop weighs 4.3 pounds, which is as heavy as a 14-inch laptop, like the 4.4-pound HP Pavilion dm4-1265dx ($649.99 list, 4 stars).
With a 1,600-by-900 resolution, the Z214GX's 13.1-inch widescreen is the most impressive in its class. Although the Apple Air 13-inch has a resolution of 1,440-by-900, every other 13-inch ultraportable—and let's throw in the Toshiba Portege R835-P50X ($850 list, 4 stars) and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ($1,399 direct, 3.5 stars) here—have screens of 1,366-by-768. The island-style keys on the keyboard are almost flush with their foundation and lack the depth I'm accustomed to. You'll find a more responsive keyboard on the Lenovo X1 and Toshiba R835-P50X. The Z214GX uses a clickpad, which integrates the mouse buttons, like the Apple Air and Samsung Series 9. Unfortunately, it's half the size of the clickpads on the other two and my least favorite feature on this laptop. Every mouse click requires an inordinate amount of pressure, which can be wearisome on the finger you use to click with after an hour of Web surfing.
Despite its cracker-thin profile, Sony included ports that aren't available on the Apple Air 13-inch and Samsung Series 9, including VGA, a USB 3.0 port, and full size Ethernet port. It also has a USB 2.0 (with sleep-and-charge functionality) and HDMI (you can use the second HDMI port on the dock for a dual-monitor setup and add both VGA ports for a four-monitor setup). Like most Sony laptops, separate SD and Memory Stick slots are located in the front bezel. The speakers are horridly weak, lacking any kind of bass and overall volume. You'll get a better sounding pair from the Leonvo X1 or Samsung Series 9. Unlike its predecessor, the Sony VAIO VPC-Z1390X ($3,800 direct, 4 stars), the Z214GX doesn't support dual SSDs and 3G modems.