Vaio is refreshing its ultrabook lineup with Intel Core gen 8 CPUs

Sony’s Vaio PC branch was sold to the Japan Industrial Partners company back in 2014. The new Vaio brand is not as popular around the world as it was back in the early 2000s, as JIP is now focusing mostly on the Japanese market. When Intel launched its gen 8 Kaby Lake Refresh mobile CPUs, the leading laptop companies rushed to announce new updated models, but Vaio took its time and did not jump on the bandwagon. Just recently the company announced its first two models to sport the Kaby Lake-R processors, but it is not known if these are Japan exclusives.

The new models seem to be part of the ultrabook offer since the sizes are under 14-inch, with the S11 sporting an 11.6-inch 1080p screen and the S13 a 13.3-inch one.  Each model can be powered either by the i7-8550U CPU clocked at 1.8 GHz, or the i5-8250U clocked at 1.6 GHz. The GPU options are limited to Intel’s UHD 620, while the RAM options include 8 GB / 16 GB of LPDDR3. The storage options are a bit more varied: users can choose an NVMe + SATA SSD combos, with NVMe SSD capacities as high as 1 TB and SATA SSD capacities up to 256 GB. All models come pre-installed with Windows 10 Pro/Home.

Other standard features that can be found on both models include:
•    3 x USB 3.0 ports
•    HDMI and VGA outputs
•    SD card reader
•    WiFi + BT 4.1
•    GbE jack
•    Optional 4G LTE modem with GPS

The 11-inch model comes with a battery that can last up to 15 h, whereas the 13-inch variant can last up to 12 h. Both models have a 0.7-inch thickness and weigh 1.9 lbs (S11) / 2.4 lbs (S13). Pre-orders will be opened later this month and the prices are expected to start at around US$1365.

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