Sony debuts updated VAIO S notebooks

While the VAIO S series was updated as recently as CES earlier this year, Sony doesn’t appear to be done with their ultraportable line of notebooks. According to a press release by Sony, the company is updating their S series in an effort to in an effort to bring “Power, design and mobility” to one package.

The updated VAIO S notebooks will now feature a Radeon HD 6470 GPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor. The laptop features a 13.3” screen with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels and optional Blu-Ray and SSD drives.

The S series will also feature integrated Intel graphics with the option to switch to the discrete Radeon graphics. As a result, Sony is claiming the notebook will have up to 7 hours of battery life when using the integrated GPU. Unfortunately, there are no Optimus-like drivers to take care of the switching, and it will have to be done via a manual switch above the keyboard.

Some more interesting features on the laptop include a “full-flat” design with a 24mm thickness and a quick-boot Linux OS that turns on within 15 seconds. Sony also appears to be following other laptop manufacturers by adding an external battery that clips onto the laptop from the bottom (similar to those found in HP’s Envy line). The “slice” battery is capable of being charged separately and will supposedly add another 7 hours of life.

With increased battery life and performance and decreased thickness and weight; the updated VAIO S series definitely packs quite a punch. Unfortunately, as of now there is no firm pricing set and we will have to wait till the laptop launches in the UK this March to gather more info.

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