The Sony Vaio Z series was the first notebook line to come with both integrated and discrete video cards even before Centrino 2’s switchable graphics was even a glimmer in Intel’s eye. The latest refresh of its premium thin-and-light line garnered another first as the Japanese company claims it has the first 13.1-inch laptop which is equipped with full-HD (1,920 x 1,080) display. The high-end version also comes with a premium carbon-fibre chassis, which helps keep the weight down while increasing strength. The machine has a quad-SSD setup that allows the solid-state storage to reach 256GB capacity. Other notable features include an ambient light sensor which not only controls screen brightness, but activates the keyboard backlights in dark environments. The Vaio also comes with a new Assist button that activates the Vaio Card, a new application suite for basic system maintenance and troubleshooting.

Vaio Z series

* Intel Core i7/i5 processor
* 13.1-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel display
* 4-8GB RAM
* 500GB HDD, 128GB/256GB SSD
* Nvidia GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics card
* DVD writer
* 1.4kg
* Windows 7 Professional edition