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Magyar2021 VAIO SX14 review: The $2500 USD Core i7 Ultrabook
Vaio isn't fooling around with cheap laptops. After reviewing the insanely expensive Vaio Z earlier this year, the manufacturer is at it again with yet another high-end model called the SX14. This 2021 model introduces a few significant changes when compared to the 2019 SX14 model and so the user experience between the two models will not be exactly the same.
Configurations range from the Core i5-1155G7 with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB PCIe4 NVMe SSD for $1250 USD up to the Core i7-1195G7 with 32 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD and touchscreen for $2500 USD all with vPro support. Each SKU comes with the same 1080p IPS panel. The pricier Vaio Z comes with faster Tiger Lake H35 CPUs and improved colors in comparison.
The SX14 competes with other 14-inch flagship office or prosumer subnotebooks like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7, Huawei MateBook 14s, Dell Latitude 9420, or the HP EliteBook 840 Aero.
More Vaio reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87.2 % | 11/2021 | VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K i7-1195G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.1 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 89 % | 07/2021 | Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.5 kg | 13.94 mm | 14.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 86.9 % | 10/2021 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 i7-11370H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.4 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 | |
| 89.8 % | 08/2021 | HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 83.8 % | 02/2021 | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L i7-11375H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 3840x2160 | |
| 88.6 % | 10/2021 | Huawei MateBook 14s i7 i7-11370H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.4 kg | 16.7 mm | 14.20" | 2520x1680 |
Case — Same Executive Look
The chassis remains identical to the 2019 SX14 for better or worse. It's visually a premium design that still compares well against the latest Lenovo ThinkPad or HP EliteBook, but skeleton is comparatively thinner and more prone to warping. The edges of the base and lid twist more readily while the keyboard center and outer lid will visibly flex when applying pressure. A bit of creaking is audible as well.
The system is lighter than it looks due to its aforementioned thin and flexible skeleton. The Latitude 9420 2-in-1, for example, is smaller in every dimension and yet it is 400 grams heavier. It's a surprisingly portable 14-inch laptop even if it may not be the smallest in its size class.
Connectivity — Big Port Changes
Port options have changed significantly from the 2019 SX14. Most notably, both the proprietary AC barrel port and legacy VGA port are now gone in favor of dual USB-C ports each capable of Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery.
For whatever reason, Vaio refused to tell us the version of the HDMI port in use here. Our own tests have shown that the port is capable of outputting to a 4K external monitor at 60 Hz meaning it is at least version 2.0.
Communication — Upgraded to Wi-Fi 6
Webcam
Maintenance — Different Internals
The bottom panel requires patience to remove as it is secured by no less than 17 Philips screws. The keyboard deck can then be removed since the motherboard is upside-down unlike on most other laptops. Be wary of the fragile ribbon connecting the keyboard deck to the motherboard when servicing.
Users cannot upgrade RAM as the modules are soldered.
Accessories and Warranty
The retail box includes a wiping cloth in addition to the usual AC adapter and paperwork. The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies.
Input Devices — Larger Clickpad Than Before
Keyboard
Key feedback sits in between the softer Razer Blade 14 and crisper HP Spectre series. The keyboard deck tends to flex more on the Vaio, however, which leads to spongier key feedback especially towards the center.
Touchpad
Vaio has increased the surface area of the clickpad from 8 x 4.5 cm on the 2019 SX14 to 11 x 6.2 cm on the 2021 model. The dedicated mouse buttons remain as well, but they are thinner, lighter, and closer to the front edge of the notebook.
Display — 1080p 16:9 Only
Our newer 2021 SX12 uses a Sharp panel with higher brightness and contrast than the BOE panel on the older 2019 SX12. On the flip side, the Sharp panel has slower black-white and gray-gray response times for more noticeable ghosting. Texts and images are otherwise sharp and vibrant especially since the glossy touchscreen layer is so thin to keep weight under control.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 373.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 1623:1 (Black: 0.23 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.99 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1, calibrated: 0.49
ΔE Greyscale 4.3 | 0.57-6493 Ø6.6
67.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.02
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K Sharp LQ140M1JW55, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 AU Optronics B140QAN, IPS, 2560x1600, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 LEN140WQ+, IPS, 2880x1800, 14.00 | HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA AU Optronics AUO068B, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L BOE NE140QUM-N62, IPS, 3840x2160, 14.00 | Huawei MateBook 14s i7 CSOTT3 U17B MNE208ZA1-3, LTPS, 2520x1680, 14.20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 13% | 10% | 1% | 24% | 2% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 66.8 | 80.7 21% | 76.9 15% | 68 2% | 95.7 43% | 67.8 1% |
| sRGB Coverage | 97.7 | 100 2% | 99.8 2% | 97.6 0% | 99.5 2% | 98.3 1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 67.9 | 79.7 17% | 76.7 13% | 69.3 2% | 86.4 27% | 70.1 3% |
| Response Times | 15% | 43% | 25% | 27% | 42% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 54 ? | 54 ? -0% | 36.4 ? 33% | 48 ? 11% | 46.8 ? 13% | 37.6 ? 30% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 46.4 ? | 32.8 ? 29% | 22.4 ? 52% | 28.8 ? 38% | 28 ? 40% | 21.6 ? 53% |
| PWM Frequency | 27780 ? | |||||
| Screen | -36% | -1% | -39% | -39% | 6% | |
| Brightness middle | 373.4 | 483.6 30% | 410 10% | 466.4 25% | 368.3 -1% | 419 12% |
| Brightness | 376 | 465 24% | 395 5% | 426 13% | 361 -4% | 407 8% |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 92 5% | 91 3% | 84 -5% | 90 2% | 93 6% |
| Black Level * | 0.23 | 0.32 -39% | 0.29 -26% | 0.32 -39% | 0.22 4% | 0.23 -0% |
| Contrast | 1623 | 1511 -7% | 1414 -13% | 1458 -10% | 1674 3% | 1822 12% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.99 | 3.69 -23% | 3.24 -8% | 2.84 5% | 3.27 -9% | 1.9 36% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.29 | 5.97 -13% | 5.26 1% | 4.73 11% | 5.43 -3% | 3.6 32% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.49 | 2.05 -318% | 0.41 16% | 2.27 -363% | 2.33 -376% | 0.9 -84% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.3 | 3.5 19% | 4.2 2% | 3.7 14% | 2.9 33% | 2.9 33% |
| Gamma | 2.02 109% | 2.04 108% | 2.18 101% | 2.13 103% | 2.2 100% | 2.14 103% |
| CCT | 6537 99% | 6158 106% | 6012 108% | 6886 94% | 6071 107% | 6733 97% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 76.8 | |||||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.5 | |||||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -3% /
-18% | 17% /
8% | -4% /
-21% | 4% /
-16% | 17% /
10% |
* ... smaller is better
Color space covers 98 percent of sRGB not unlike on the 2019 SX14. Users may want to consider the pricier Vaio Z for even wider DCI-P3 coverage.
X-Rite colorimeter measurements reveal mediocre grayscale and color accuracy out of the box. A proper calibration would bring grayscale and color deltaE values down to just 0.7 and 0.49, respectively, to fully exploit the high sRGB coverage of the panel.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 46.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 26 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 20.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 99 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 54 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 24 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 30 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 89 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.6 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19019 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is comparable to the Vaio Z or Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro but worse than on the XPS 13 or HP EliteBook 840 Aero as the latter models each come with a much brighter display. Expect some level of glare no matter where you may be working.
Performance — Faster Than The Average Core i7 U-series CPU
Testing Conditions
Our unit was set to Performance mode via Vaio Control Center prior to running any performance benchmarks below for the highest possible scores. We recommend owners become familiar with this software as almost all laptop-specific features are toggled here including the keyboard backlight, USB Power Delivery behavior, IR sensor, macros, and other options.
Processor
Raw CPU performance is excellent even though results are just marginally better than many Core i7-1165G7 alternatives. The ADATA XPG Xenia 14, for example, comes with the i7-1165G7 and it's only behind by a few percentage points in both single- and multi-threaded applications. These small deltas likely won't matter much to most users.
Users may want to consider AMD Ryzen alternatives for more significant boosts in processor performance. The Ryzen 7 5700U or 5800U offer noticeably faster multi-thread performance albeit at the cost of slower integrated graphics and slightly slower single-thread performance than our i7-1195G7.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (4378 - 7361, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (1310 - 2026, n=9) | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (30854 - 70936, n=9) | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (231 - 399, n=10) | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (2300 - 3949, n=9) | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (13455 - 35235, n=9) | |
System Performance
PCMark scores are consistently ahead of the 2019 SX14 especially in Digital Content Creation where Iris Xe can run laps around the outdated UHD Graphics 620.
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (4737 - 5941, n=6) | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| VAIO SX14 | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 5117 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (23332 - 57053, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (24068 - 53332, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (22151 - 58855, n=9) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1195G7 (69.8 - 112.7, n=10) | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise smooth and without any dropped frames.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14s i7 | |
| VAIO Z VJZ141C11L | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices — PCIe4 Standard
Much like on the Vaio Z, the SX14 employs PCIe4 SSDs from the Samsung PM9A1 series for significantly faster read and write rates than any laptop still running on PCIe3 drives. The system comes with no heat spreader, however, which may impact the longevity of the drive as NVMe SSDs are known to run very warm.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance — Iris Xe Is Getting Better
Graphics performance is about 15 to 25 percent faster than the average laptop equipped with the same integrated Iris Xe 96 EUs GPU which is quite impressive considering the limited TDP of the Core U-series CPU. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, for example, comes with the same GPU but a higher-power Core i7-11370H and yet the GPU in our Vaio is able to stand neck-to-neck with the Lenovo. Gaming performance is faster than any integrated Radeon RX Vega solution at the moment as well, but its advantage will vary depending on the title.
| 3DMark | |
| 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
| MSI Summit E14 A11SCS | |
| Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 | |
| VAIO SX14 VJS144X0111K | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 14IHU5 | |
| VAIO Z VJZ141C11L | |