Vaio SE14 review: Powerful, modern but lacks finesse of Sony-made models

Vaio recently launched in India the Vaio SE 14, which is touted to be a premium laptop for everyday use. Is it? Let's find out:

Japanese consumer PC maker Vaio was originally a brand of Sony known for its sleek and powerful laptops akin to today’s Apple Macbooks. Unfortunately, the Sony Vaio run did not last long and the Vaio brand was sold in 2014. Now, the Vaio brand is back in partnership with Hong Kong-based Nexstgo. The brand recently launched in India the Vaio SE 14, which is touted to be a premium laptop for everyday use. Is it? Let’s find out:

Vaio SE14: Design and display

 

The laptop looks modern but lacks the zing and finesse of models made by Sony. That said, it seems like any other premium notebook but Vaio, which some of us are familiar with. Nevertheless, the laptop looks peppy in red copper (review unit) colour and embodies the trait of thin-and-light notebooks. The design is complemented by the Vaio logo engraved on the top side of the display lid. The laptop weighs just 1.39 kg and has sleek built for comfortable ergonomics and portable form factor.

The laptop sports a 14-inch fullHD IPS screen with an anti-glare coating for ease of use even in a bright environment. As for the screen quality, it is bright and vivid. The screen is good for everyday use, be it for watching content on over-the-top platforms or working on Microsoft productivity suite.

Supporting the good display is the laptop’s backlit keyboard, which comes handy if you prefer to work in dark environments. The keyboard is spill resistant, but the laptop is not so wary of keeping any liquid item nearby. As for the touchpad, it is of regular size and responds well. The laptop supports Windows Hello login, which lets users sign in by either scanning the fingerprint (sensor available in the power button) or facial recognition supported by built-in webcam.

The Vaio SE14 display lid lifts the body from the surface at a certain angle. It aids in typing experience and improving the thermal efficiency of the laptop by letting air flow freely.

As for the connectivity and ports, there are plenty of connectivity options -- two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB type A 3.2 ports, an HDMI port, and a slot for a microSD card. Besides multiple ports for connectivity, the SE14 also comes with a chassis lock support slot for security and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Vaio SE14: Performance

 

The Vaio SE14 is powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor (review unit) with Iris Xe integrated graphics. It ships with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD storage. The laptop comes preloaded with Windows 10 Home edition.

The laptop is good for everyday use, and though not a gaming laptop, it can handle some casual gaming titles too. The overall performance is good and there is no lag or slowdown, if you stick to everyday computing. Thanks to SSD storage, the laptop boots in no time and manages to open apps quickly.

 

The laptop is also good for work from home scenarios, thanks to decent built-in webcam and twin digital array microphones. Besides, there are four speakers – two on the top side and two on the bottom side. The speakers’ output is average but works fine for video conferencing and virtual briefing sessions. They are, however, not good for watching movies, listening to songs, or games.

Vaio SE14: Battery Life  

Vaio claims a battery life of 12 hours on a single charge but that does not seem to be the case in real life. The laptop, however, returns a decent eight hours on-battery time when used for regular operations. On a positive side, the laptop ships with a fast charger that replenished battery charge by up to 70 per cent in about an hour.

Vaio SE14 review: Verdict

The Vaio SE14 is a good laptop for everyday use powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. It, however, seems expensive considering the base model with 8GB RAM is priced at Rs 69,990. For the same price, the competitors like Asus, HP, Acer and Dell offer a better deal – some with discrete graphic card options.