Vaio, where is the brand now?

A look back at Vaio

Based on my birth year, I am a Gen Z born to boomer parents. However, I have always been caught at a crossroads because I grew up alongside millennials. You might be tempted to ask how this is related to Vaio, but I’ll explain. Growing up, my millennial siblings and boomer parents’ influence spilled over into tech. TV shows in the 2000s featured Vaio, especially in heavy operations. As life got busier, Vaio vanished right under my nose.

In this part of the world, Africa, our tech was largely influenced by the colonizers’ choices. This meant that at an early age, our parents believed in tech from Japanese manufacturers. Brands such as Sony, Samsung, and Sanyo were the go-to choices in the early 90s. This was unlike the situation today, where the tech world is under the tight grip of the Chinese. As time progressed, the average African had to adapt and get a PC. Boomers would ask for a PC from Sony, and that PC was Vaio. However, Sony has never been a cheap brand, and it was the case with Vaio, leaving PC choices to alternative brands such as HP, Lenovo, Acer, and Dell. This was how I came to know about Vaio.

Remember the point I made about art? TV shows and movies had engineers, hackers, and music producers using Vaio, and since I consider myself a rational thinker whose choice is not influenced (it is),
I always wanted one. But I had to settle for what was available at the time and I quickly forgot about this brand up until this week.

I was watching an old BBC Top Gear episode, a classic, one of those where they have a car race against public transport, just for the plot. And then I saw it - a Vaio laptop that was in use for route preparation. A quick Google search later, and I am happy to report that the brand lives on. It is no longer owned by Sony (sorry, boomers), but it lives on, and they have quite a decent selection.

One thing the brand kept from Sony is terrible naming. They have two main series, from what I quickly gathered, the F and S series. Below is a quick summary of what is on offer.

VAIO FS 14

• Starting Price: $899.99

• Display: 14" Touchscreen IPS (1920 x 1200)

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, up to 4.80 GHz, 24MB Cache

• Graphics: Intel ARC

• Memory: 16GB or 32GB RAM

• Storage: 1TB or 2TB SSD

• Camera: 1080p Front-Facing with Windows Hello

• Audio: THX Spatial Audio

• Fingerprint Reader: Yes

• OS: Windows 11 Home

VAIO FS 16

• Starting Price: $999.99

• Display: 16" Touchscreen IPS (1920 x 1200)

• Same specs as FS 14, but with a larger screen size

Key Difference:

• Display size: FS 14 = 14", FS 16 = 16"

• Price: FS 14 starts at $899.99; FS 16 starts at $999.99

VAIO SX14

• Starting Price: $1,399.99

• Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

• Processor: Intel Core i7-1360P, up to 5.00 GHz, 18MB Cache

• Display: 14” Full HD IPS

• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe

• Memory: 16GB RAM

• Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD

• Camera: HD

• Audio: Dolby

• Fingerprint Reader: Yes

They also have a top-of-the-line SX-R, with specifications summarized below

VAIO SX-R 14"

• Price: $2,199.99

• Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7-155H (16 cores, 24MB Cache, up to 4.80 GHz)

• AI Features: Intel® AI Boost Neural Processing Unit

• Display: 14” WQXGA+ Touchscreen IPS (2560 x 1440)

• Graphics: Intel® Arc

• Memory: 32GB RAM

• Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD

• Camera: 4K with Windows Hello

• Build: Lightweight carbon fiber chassis

• Security: Fingerprint scanner

• Colors: Black, Bright Silver, Bronze, Emerald Green

• Made in: Japan

As an enthusiast, I am glad the brand lives on. You can check them out here for more.