10. Sony VAIO VGN-G21XP: Features, Heat, Noise

Features

The keys of the trackpad are only 1.5 x 1.5 cm wide. If you’re used to a desktop keyboard you’ll feel at home, because all the keys are right where you would expect them; the only exceptions are the Up/Down, Home/End, Roll, Pause and Break keys, which can all be reached using the Fn-menu. The common Fn shortcuts like brightness, volume and so forth are also provided; the right Windows key is missing, though.

The key stoppers are very soft and don’t have a well-defined pressure point; you’ll miss the feedback during typing, especially in the spacebar. The keyboard bends down at the sides, but this is more of an optical issue than it is bothersome while writing. Sometimes single keys tend to make a cracking noise, but other than that, everything works as it should.

The trackpad is hardly noteworthy, but this is meant in a very positive way — it is fast, precise and does not over-respond. The same is true for its buttons. However, we would appreciate more resistance and a more clearly-defined pressure point.

Display

The LED back light of the 12" display makes it very bright, reaching up to 302 cd/m². Even the darkest spot still emits 239 cd/m², and on average we measured 296 cd/m². The black level is a very high 1.63 cd/m²; the bright illumination makes the contrast result in 165:1. Black and dark colors are okay, but we wouldn’t mind if they were a little bit stronger. Red, yellow and skin color tones are a little dull. With 1024x768 pixels the display has the lowest resolution of all the candidates.

The light distribution is even on the right half of the display, but it increases from the middle towards the left side. At the bottom edge of the display you can see three darker spots; depending on the perspective, the difference in brightness there is more or less noticeable. If the display is dark, this effect is inverted, and the areas between those shades turn into stretched bright stripes.

The cover lid opens easily, but it also moves either forward or backward when jerked quickly. The horizontal viewing angle is sufficiently wide. When looking from the bottom text stays readable but colors invert quickly; when viewed from the top, even text is barely legible and colors get weaker, but due to the wide opening angle of the lid, you should always be able to find a position that works for you.

Temperature

Even when idle, the right underbody with its cooling air exit gets noticeably warm, but if you don’t block the airflow causing the heat to accumulate, the VAIO will stay cool enough to put it on your lap.

Under full load the Sony fan is really challenged by the processor’s heat and the exhaust air gets uncomfortably hot. You don’t want to direct it onto exposed skin like arms or legs, and the underbody gets even warmer. If you want to rest it on your lap make sure to put some cloth between your skin and the notebook.

Noise Level

The fan on the VAIO spins even when idle. In spite of the fan’s high speed, noise stays comfortably quiet at 32 dB(A). Similar to the other notebooks, you will be reminded of a small fan trying to keep the processor cool under full load, which results in a noise level of 40 dB(A).