VAIO releases A12 2-in-1 in Europe

When it was under Sony’s wing, the VAIO brand was known for cutting edge innovation and experimenting with the typical laptop form factor. The now-independent brand has since fallen into obscurity with few device releases over the past few years. However, the brand may be coming back into the market with a handful of new laptops, one of which is the VAIO A12 2-in-1.

The A12 actually launched in Japan a little while ago, and the 2-in-1 is now available in Europe and the UK for a whopping €2300 or £2000, respectively. That’s a high price to pay for a convertible, so what does the A12 offer?

The base A12 runs an Intel Core i5-8200Y CPU, 8 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and a 256 GB PCIe SSD. These can be bumped to a Core i7-8500Y CPU, 16 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and a 512 GB PCIe drive (for an extra cost, of course).

The tablet portion of the device weighs about 492 grams (1.1 pounds), which is reasonable for a tablet computer. The included keyboard adds an additional 635 grams (1.4 pounds), making the A12 a fairly light package. The low weight is mostly due to the machine’s magnesium alloy case and relatively small 38 Wh battery.

The A12 excels at port selection. The tablet itself has the typical headset jack and volume and power buttons but includes a fingerprint reader (sandwiched between the volume buttons), a MicroSIM slot, and what looks to be a Thunderbolt 3 port. The keyboard dock adds an SD Card slot, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and a VGA port for legacy display/projector connections. The tablet is also pressure-sensitive.

The A12 is certainly a departure from the typical “barebones” 2-in-1 construction most OEMs are moving to, but it’s also extremely pricey compared to other convertibles. The VAIO A12 is available now in Europe and the UK. No word yet on when it will come to the States (if it does at all).