Sony VAIO SE Series review

The newest addition to Sony’s range, the VAIO SE Series, is a desktop replacement with a difference. Taking the slender, distinctive styling of its smaller sibling, the A-Listed 13.3in Sony VAIO SB Series, the VAIO SE Series swells the screen size and bolsters the specifications with Blu-ray and a Full HD display.

Visually, Sony has barely changed a thing. Carved from a combination of smooth curves and sharp angles, the VAIO SE Series is far more striking than your average 15.5in laptop. Our review unit arrived clad in matte silver plastic, and with the central hinge sparkling in a shiny chrome, it certainly captures the attention. Those after a more sober, serious SE Series can opt for a model cast in matte black.

With its 26mm-thick chassis and 2kg weight, the VAIO SE Series is also more svelte than average. Despite this, build quality is good: there’s a little give when you really grapple with it, and there’s flex in the display and wristrest if you prod hard enough, but nothing to get alarmed about.

The star of the show is the 15.5in display, which boasts a Full HD resolution, and leaves the pale, low-contrast panel of the SB Series for dust. A contrast ratio of 773:1 and a maximum brightness of 317cd/m2 are exemplary: this is exactly the quality of panel we’d expect to see on a £1,000 laptop. The semi-gloss finish on the Sony’s display does its bit, too, giving images far more vibrance than a matte panel, with little of the aggravating reflectivity of glossy alternatives.

The gorgeous display makes a fine partner for the other elements of the VAIO SE Series’ specification. The included Blu-ray writer adds a lot to the price (a jaw-dropping £370), but watching HD movies on the SE Series is certain to make anyone go weak at the knees. Our Blu-ray of Avatar looked sublime, with every detail of Pandora’s kaleidoscopic colour palette brought to startling life. Make sure to plug some headphones in, however: the tinny speakers do movies and music little justice.

Our review unit didn’t afford quite the same eye-popping experience with games – the dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6470M chipset struggles at higher resolutions – but even set to lower resolutions and detail settings, the Sony’s intense colour reproduction helps make the most of the experience. And should you desire more oomph than the weakling AMD GPU can muster, fear not: an upgrade to the more powerful Radeon HD 6630M chipset costs a very reasonable £40.