VAIO Z is an expensive laptop with a “3D molded” carbon fiber body

Fans of VAIO laptops can remember the flagship Z series being known for its impressive portability, until it quietly disappeared in 2017. The good news is that the Sony spinoff is bringing this retirement line, thanks to a breakthrough in fiber production of carbon. The new VAIO Z is reportedly the first laptop in the world to feature a “3D molded carbon fiber body” as each carbon fiber piece is contoured on all sides of the cover, palm rest and base set. Previously, VAIO could only use flat sheets of carbon fiber, so it needed to use metal or plastic parts to hold them together.

Using this new production technique developed in conjunction with carbon fiber specialist Toray, the result is a stronger structure – one that apparently can survive a drop of 127 cm or 4.1 feet (slightly beyond the MIL- STD-810H) – while keeping the laptop’s weight to just under 2.3 pounds or 1.04 kg. Not bad, considering the VAIO Z comes with a 14-inch 4K anti-glare LCD, along with a backlit keyboard with an enhanced 1.5mm keystroke.

But in terms of sockets, you get only one USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port on each side, a full-size HDMI port, a headphone connector and a security lock slot. Too far from the previous VAIO SX series.

To make your mind easier, VAIO added a physical privacy shutter to the 2 megapixel webcam, although you want to keep it open for Windows Hello instant login, of course. Speaking of which, VAIO Z provides a keyboard shortcut (Fn + Tab keys) to mute both stereo microphones in an instant.

Battery life is another important selling point here. The company claims that the VAIO Z can last up to 10 hours (the Japanese spec sheet lists up to 17 hours, based on local test standards), but is powered by a high-performance Intel Core i7-11375H processor complete with graphics Iris Xe. This is a very welcome change compared to the low voltage CPUs on older models.

Interestingly, the US market is receiving only the Signature Edition VAIO Z, which starts with $ 3,579 (16 GB LPDDR4 RAM and 512 GB “4th generation” PCIe SSD) and reaches a maximum of $ 4,179 (32 GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD). Despite VAIO’s attempt to launch the Z against Apple’s M1 MacBook Pro in its presentation, it is clear that this laptop is not for everyone. But without a doubt, if you’re looking for an excuse to splash while you’re stuck at home, VAIO is now taking orders. Otherwise, there are obviously many other more affordable options.