Last week I planned to buy my first laptop as I work for at least 8 hours on internet. From very starting I was planning to buy a notebook which works well on surfing internet and with productive apps like Office. I was also looking at less weight and decent battery life factors.
I researched over the internet and also in the local market to get a laptop with my requirements and also which is compact in size and weighs less.
I found VAIO Fit 14E series laptop on the Sony store and then I started exploring its features. I bought Sony VAIO Fit 14E from flipkart by paying approx Rs 33k after going through its specifications which were,
Specifications of Sony VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB
- Windows 8 OS – 64 bit
- Intel Core i3 (3rd generation) clocked at 1.8GHz
- Intel HD Graphics 4000
- 2GB RAM & 500GB HDD
- 14 inch display
- Resolution of 1366×768 pixels
- TFT display with LED backlit
- Approx 1MP webcam
- Stereo speakers
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0
- 4 cell battery
I checked on these things and when I found that it weighs only 2.2Kg then I finalized my decision of buying it.
In the Box
- VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB
- User manual
- AC Adapter
- Battery
- VAIO Backpack (Free)
Today after a week, I’ve tested it almost completely and now I’m writing my detailed review of Sony VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB.
According to me, Sony VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB is the best budget price portable Windows 8 notebook. I’ll explain why it is so in the review section below.
Sony VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB Review
Whenever I buy a thing then the first thing that matters a lot to me is the design. I checked a lot of laptops of Dell, Lenovo, Acer, etc but not a single laptop was having a simple and elegant design. Few of the Dell laptops were looking good but their price range was too high from my budget.
The Sony VAIO Fit 14E looks great to me (off course as I’ve purchased it) and I like the material of which its body has been made. I bought it in black color as the white color wasn’t looking good to me.
The body near the keyboard and touchpad area doesn’t catch scratches easily and this is really good as this is the area where user puts on his hands mostly. The bottom is rough in design which means it won’t scratch so easy. The top part although got few scratches in a week but still the design is good.
The notebook is slimmer than all previous VAIO with similar specs and got the speakers in the front (bottom), one in left and one in right. The SD card slot is at center. The left side got headphone and mic combo port, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, Network connector and charging port. While the right side got two USB 2.0 ports and the optical DVD SuperMulti Drive.
It got 14 inch display and the keyboard doesn’t have the num-pad which shows the compact nature and also it weighs only 2.2Kg with the battery.
Display
The 14 inch display looks great and 1080p videos were playing without any panic. The brightness level is good enough to work even in sunlight although I won’t be working in the garden. The display looks good from different viewing angles but it looks best from front. The left and right front positioning of speakers makes watching movies perfect.
Software
It runs on Windows 8 (single language, 64-bit architecture) operating system which is really amazing. Earlier I was working on Windows 7 and now I came to know that upgrading to Windows 8 is really worth. The OS works great, designs of each icon are awesome, the metro look or the start screen is awesome and the best part is that it still got the same Windows 7 base which makes easier to get use to in starting.
When Windows 8 came to existing then I found users looking to somehow add start button but I didn’t felt that need as I liked the concept of metro look.
Performance
I was doing a lot of multi tasking since the very first day and the notebook didn’t said “no” to me for a single time till now. Although sometimes the 2GB RAM feels less to hold the requirements but its good enough to manage the productive work. I’m also planning to upgrade the RAM to 4GB so that this single issue gets over. Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 are also there for wireless data connectivity.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Earlier when I use to type on laptop keyboards then I never found myself in the comfort zone and I always appreciated my desktop keyboard (Logitech y-um76a). But from the very first minute I’ve started writing on this VAIO keyboard, I never felt that need.
I’m totally satisfied with the writing pleasure I’m getting on the keyboard and the perfect in-between key spacing is the main reason for this. As a writer, I’ve been testing the keyboard of almost every new laptop comes to my friend circle and for the first time I found myself in the comfort zone.
Next thing to love is the touchpad. One of my friends asked me, “where are the left and right buttons?” Yes, you can’t see the control buttons but they are present physically and without them the design of touchpad is extremely simple. The touchpad also understands gestures which on other hand Windows 8 understands perfectly. Pinch to zoom and two finger scrolling features are really useful.
Sound Quality
The audio level I’ve heard in the Sony VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB is louder than in any other laptop. Every notebook under VAIO Fit series comes with ClearAudio+, xLOUD, S-Force front surround 3D and Clear Phase technologies. I don’t know technically what these are all about but the audio quality is very clear and louder.
I haven’t connected it to my home theater system while listening to my favorite numbers as sound quality and volume level are really good even for a big room. I keep the volume level to 30th and this tells a lot about the maximum level. The quality of the audio don’t move down even at the maximum level.
Battery Life
When I was purchasing it then an existing customer came there and suggested me to buy Dell because the battery life of VAIO laptops are not good. I didn’t took him seriously as I know the battery life of laptop isn’t good and we’ve to accept this fact but other factors of this notebook were perfect for me.
After using it for a week, it provides battery backup of about 5 hours while working with staying connected to the internet and I watched two movies continuously without plugging in the charger.
When I shifted it to battery saver mode then I was getting over 5 hours of battery life (sounds great, yeah?). I know this will not stay same after couple of months but in starting getting this much of battery life is really good.
Overall Review
I’m really happy with overall performance of the Sony VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB. The only area where I found some lags was the performance when I was running a lot of applications but I think upgrading to 4GB RAM will solve this problem. So the performance issue I’m facing isn’t too serious when I compare to other positive things. The performance problem I got with 2GB RAM can be caused by Windows 8 too as it works great with at least 4GB of RAM.
This is how I found a best budget price portable Windows 8 notebook and I’m really satisfied with its overall performance. Now I can recommend the newer models of VAIO to anyone (particularly this one) who really want to purchase product which is worth of its price tag.
If you too looking for similar notebook and found this one perfect as per your requirements then you can buy Sony VAIO Fit 14E SVF14212SNB from Flipkart or from any other store.
Hi Pawan,
I was looking to buy a laptop as I am now in college. While surfing the net I came across this model. I love the looks of it. But when I started checking out the user reviews of this laptop, a lot of users had complaints with the WiFi. Don’t you have any problems with connecting to WiFi, and internet speeds? My friend who owned a VAIO said he sold it off, because the webcam stopped working, heating problems, and random shutdowns. He gave it for service, but the problem reappeared after 1 year. So now I am really confused.
Also some reviewers said it has back lit keyboard, so does this model come with back lit keyboard?
Eagerly awaiting your reply,
Karthik
Hi Karthik,
I’m still using the same laptop and didn’t found any problem with Wi-Fi. The problem which your friend got may be a chance like it can happen with any particular tech gadget. But it doesn’t affect all the models. Its a Sony product and you’ll get better quality than any other brand.
The laptop doesn’t have backlit keyboard, its normal.
If you’re planning to buy it then you should upgrade its RAM to 4GB as it comes with only 2GB RAM which sometimes makes performance little slower. Otherwise the laptop works like charm. Hope it helps. 🙂
hi Pawan,
i previously had a sony vaio VGN C22GH and that model had great many heating problems. does this model get heated too much ? is the material of the bottom such that you can place it on your lap without feeling the heat?
Hii Peter, no there is no such heating problem with this model. It doesn’t get heated from bottom as cooling fan is at left side. But on using it for more than 4-5 hours continuously then it becomes hot from bottom like any normal or high end laptop.
Hey Pawan i wanna buy this laptop but i love white color. All the specs of your lappy & the white color lappy are same. there is only one difference and that is of color.
But i checked the reviews of people about white lappy. 80% of them are having lots of probs.
How is this possible that two same product of sony have so much different & opposite reviews?? Can you help me out plz.
you can see the review of white lappy from here:
http://www.flipkart.com/sony-vaio-fit-14e-f14212sn-w-laptop-3rd-gen-ci3-2gb-500gb-win8/p/itmdm848pq79ydmj?pid=COMDM842JF6PRFVJ&otracker=browse&pageNum=1
I’ve been using it since August 2013 and didn’t found any problem yet. I love its design, sound and video quality, performance, light weight, long battery life (in comparison to laptops of Dell and HCL or any other). The only problem is that it got only 2GB of RAM and you should upgrade it to 4GB at the time of buying. Rest laptop is worth. You should go for it.
Yes, its true that Sony products get mixed reviews because there are lots of people don’t like this brand just because its too pricy.
helllo author,
happy to see this review as i also bught the same laptop 1 month back,
wat may be the condition for customers like us as sony is planning to sell the vaio business
and stop production
am little worried for future support and service to this model
(in case of drivers and hardware support )
your feedback is highly appreciated
thank you
harish s(harishs190@gmail.com)
Hello Harish, Yes its true that Sony is not going to own VAIO anymore and its a bad news for all of us (VAIO users). But you (existing customers) don’t need to worry about support and service as Sony is going to provide that for years. Its a policy of each brand that even after retiring a product they have to provide the service and support. So don’t worry about this. 🙂 I hope my answer helped you and you also enjoyed reading Sony VAIO Fit 14E review.
I have bought this vaio model. performance is great. but 2GB RAM is a show stopper, that makes the laptop on slow pace.
Please let me know, what RAM shall i chose if i need to go for RAM upgrade. I want to add another 2GB RAM.
Pls give RAM details and model number that is compatible with this laptop.
Hii Sandy,
Do not add RAM by yourself or from any other laptop repairer. Rather take it to the authorized Sony center and ask them the price for the RAM upgrade.
This is how you will get everything done genuinely and will also get support and warranty from Sony.
Hi Pawan,
Thanks for the review and your responses to the comments. I just thought of buying a low budget laptop, and started my hunt. I see that the prices of Sony VAIO laptops have come down, and looking at the specs and design, I feel like buying this product. There were a few reviews on Fit 14 and 15 but I think yours is the only review on Fit 14E. Happy for your review. I guess you would still say I can go ahead with purchasing this laptop.
Vijay.
Hii Vijay, this laptop is really good in design, performance and everything else but that was old time.
Current scenario is that Sony sold VAIO department to someone else and now there will be no more new laptops from Sony’s side.
If you buy this product then chances are there that you may not even get the warranty from Sony (You need to ask this from the dealer before making the payment).
This is the only issue with this otherwise its a good to buy.
If you feel like dropping idea of buying this VAIO and want recommendation on any other then do let me know over here and I’ll help you out for sure. Thanks for dropping by, valuable comment and your appreciation for my review. 🙂
HI,
i have bought this laptop since 1 year ago. and i was enough happy with this ..
BUT the problems appear when i had upgrade RAM from 2GB to 8GB(2*4GB). it just randomly shutting down while i working. BUT again i works fine not shutting down randomly while i am putting it in charge.
Please help me