VAIO’s 2-Pound 12.5-Inch Laptop Weds Miniature Dimensions & Vast Connectivity
by Anton Shilov on July 12, 2019 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Notebooks
- Intel
- Laptops
- VAIO
- Core 9th Gen
- TruePerformance
- Whiskey Lake
VAIO has introduced its new SX12 notebook that brings together miniature dimensions, low weight, decent specs, full-pitch keyboard, a long battery life, and vast connectivity options that include a variety of physical ports and an optional 4G/LTE modem. Unlike most 12-inch laptops, the VAIO SX12 does not use a low-power processor, but packs a fully-fledged quad-core Core i7 CPU with VAIO’s True Performance technology.
The VAIO SX12 comes in a chassis made of carbon fiber and plastic in a bid to make its weight no heavier than 897 grams as well as dimensions not significantly bigger than those of 11-inch notebooks. The mobile PC is slightly smaller than an A4 piece of paper and is around 15.7 ~ 18 mm thick. The laptop is equipped with a 12.5-inch Full-HD display with very thin bezels as well as a backlit keyboard featuring a 19-mm pitch and fluorine-containing UV curing coating.
VAIO’s SX12 laptop is based on Intel’s 8th Gen quad-core Core U-series processor with UHD Graphics 620 code-named Whiskey Lake (up to Core i7-8565U) which uses the company’s TruePerformance technology that combines an advanced cooling system as well as increased CPU power limits in order to enable the CPU to work at higher frequencies for a longer time. The processor can be accompanied by 16 GB of LPDDR3 DRAM as well as a PCIe SSD. For precise specs, check the table below.
Connectivity is one of the key selling features of the VAIO SX12 because unlike some other 12-inch class laptops, this one comes with all the necessary physical ports possible, including GbE, a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C (can be used for data, display, and charging) port, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A connector, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, an SD card reader, two display outputs (HDMI, D-Sub), a 3.5-mm audio jack, and a proprietary power port. On the wireless side of things, the laptop is equipped with a 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1 controller as well as an optional 4G/LTE modem. In addition, it has a webcam, a fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, and a microphone.
VAIO does not disclose capacity of the battery it uses for the SX12, but says that it can last for 13 ~ 14.5 hours depending on usage, a claim that has yet to be tested in real life. Meanwhile, the laptop comes with a proprietary 200-gram charger that uses the aforementioned proprietary connector, and also has a USB port to charge the laptop and a mobile phone at the same time.
The VAIO SX12 laptops will be available in five colors, including black, silver, brown, pink, and ‘all black’ for custom special edition models.
VAIO will start selling its SX12 notebooks in Japan this week starting at $1,100. For corporate customers VAIO will offer a very similar Pro PJ laptop with appropriate functionality. It is unclear whether the new mobile PCs will be available in other countries, but VAIO sells its products in the U.S. and chances are that the SX12 will be sold outside of Japan are fairly high.
VAIO SX12 (VJS1211) General Specifications | ||||||
Black | Silver | Brown | Pink | |||
Display | 12.5" anti-glare panel with 1920×1080 resolution | |||||
SoC | Core i7-8565U 4C/8T 1.8 - 4.6 GHz TruePerformance UHD 620 |
Core i5-8265U 4C/8T 1.6 - 3.9 GHz TruePerformance UHD 620 |
Core i3-8145U 2C/4T 2.1 - 3.9 GHz - UHD 620 |
Celeron 4205U 2C/2T 1.8 GHz - UHD 610 |
||
RAM | 8/16 GB LPDDR3 | 8/16 GB LPDDR3 | 4/8 GB LPDDR3 | 4/8 GB LPDDR3 | ||
Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB NVMe | 256 GB SATA 256 GB PCIe |
128 GB SATA | |||
Wireless | 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.1 Optional 4G/LTE modem |
|||||
I/O ports | GbE 1 × USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C 1 × USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A 2 × USB 3.0 Type-A HDMI D-Sub SD Card reader (UHS-I) |
GbE 1×USB 3.0 Type-C 3×USB 3.0 Type-A HDMI D-Sub SD Card reader (UHS-I) |
||||
Camera | 720p webcam | |||||
Audio | Integrated speakers 1 × TRRS 3.5-mm jack for headset |
|||||
Dimensions | 287.8 × 203.3 × 15.7 ~ 18 mm | |||||
Weight | 888 ~ 897 grams | |||||
Battery | 13 ~ 14.5 Hours | |||||
OS | Windows 10 Pro | Windows 10 Home | ||||
Fingerprint | Yes | No | ||||
Finish | Black | Silver | Brown | Pink | ||
Availability | July 2019 |
Related Reading:
- VAIO S Laptops Updated With 8th Gen Core CPUs & TruePerformance to Prolong Turbo Time
- VAIO to Start Selling Laptops in the U.S. This Spring
- Apple Stops Selling 12-Inch MacBook Laptops
- Fujitsu Announces 13.3" Lifebook U937/P and UH75/B1: 7th Gen Core i5, 8hr Battery, Under 1.77 lbs
- Dynabook Shows Off New G-Series Laptops: Under 2 Pound Ultrabook With 19 Hour Battery Life
Source: VAIO (via Liliputing)
26 Comments
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wilsonkf - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
Performance is tied to color. This is very Japanese. No other brands do this.s.yu - Saturday, July 13, 2019 - link
What? The pink Blades come only in one configuration, and the White version also only comes with limited options, and that's because I only really paid attention to the Blades recently, there's probably more.eastcoast_pete - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
Interesting machines, really like the 13" model. My worry is the platinum price tag usually woven into the carbon-fiber body. So, any information on pricing? Also, a three year warranty or similar would be nice (had a VAIO laptop die on me 15 months after purchase, 3 months out of warranty). lastly, why are laptop webcams (this one: 720p) often so lousy compared to even the selfie-cam on modern entry-level smartphones? Sucks when I have to videoconference with clients.eastcoast_pete - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
I had rounded up to 13"; I know it's 12.5", but that's great for travel.s.yu - Saturday, July 13, 2019 - link
Anandtech cites much lower than Notebookcheck which said this starts at ~$2000 IIRC, maybe cheaper tiers aren't sold outside of Japan.Quantumz0d - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
And guess what Sony Mobile lost the 3.5mm jack despite their Signature series Hi-Fi audio.Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
My Japanese might be pretty damned rusty but I can read "heddosetto" and "heddofon" in that picture just fine. They just don't show a cable connected to it for some reason.Also, it says right there in the spec table: "1 × TRRS 3.5-mm jack for headset".
s.yu - Saturday, July 13, 2019 - link
Sony *Mobile*. Read the English first.oRAirwolf - Saturday, July 13, 2019 - link
VAIO is a separate business entity. Sony owns a minority 25% share in the company but it is primarily owned and operated by Japan Industrial Partners. These are not Sony laptops.s.yu - Saturday, July 13, 2019 - link
Honestly this would be more than reasonable starting at $1000 but my only non-Sony VAIO device had a bloated battery within the warranty period and their NA customer support is BS.