Sony Vaio VGN-TT190UBX Review

Cheaper laptops have flooded the market and netbooks have become a craze. But that hasn’t prevented Sony from bringing out an ultra-expensive laptop bearing the name Sony Vaio VGN-TT190UBX. Starting from a carbon-fiber chassis and going upto SSDs, this laptop has it all. And no, this isn’t one of those bulky 17″ laptops, but an 11″ ultraportable! The price shoots off the roof as soon as you include SSDs into the equation. Blu-ray drive also comes installed on the laptop. Lets get down to review this gem of a laptop.

Sony Vaio VGN-TT190UBX specifications :

• Dimensions : 11.1″ x 7.9″ x 0.9″
• Weight : 2.9 lbs
• Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400/ 1.14GHz
• Data bus speed : 800 MHz
• Chipset : Mobile Intel GS45 Express
• Display : 11.1″ TFT active matrix with 1366 x 768 res.
• RAM : 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
• Hard Drive : Solid State 128GB x 2 Serial-ATA 150
• Graphics : Intel GMA 4500MHD
• Optical drive : BD-RE Integrated
• Webcam : Integrated
• Networking : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, Firewire, USB 2.0, HDMI
• Battery : Rechargeable Lithium-ion
• OS : Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate
• Approx. price : $4300

Although the base price of Vaio VGN-TT190UBX is around $2000 but for the above mentioned configuration which has a couple of SSDs, a Blu-ray drive along with other enhancements, the price shoots above $4000. The Intel SU9400 is an ultra-low voltage processor that helps improve the battery life significantly. It is the smallest ultraportable laptop to fit in a Blu-ray drive. High performance is the main motive of the laptop, so that you do not loose out on productivity while on the move.

Ultraportables do not sport great build quality but Sony Vaio TT will even put mainstream notebooks build quality to shame. The Vaio TT chassis is built of carbon-fiber giving it a strong build quality. It has metal accents, circular hinge and a sub 3-pound weight. It is stunningly slim at less than an inch. To sum up the build quality and design, it is the best design on an ultaportable that you will find.

Sony Vaio TT has the flat keyboard keys like the Macbook with gaps between them and each key separated from each other. This type of keyboard does take time to get used to, but it more ergonomic and far less typos. The size of the keys has also not been compromised due to lack of space. The controls for volume, optical-drive eject and other customisable shortcut buttons sit besides the touchpad at the bottom edge.

Ports do not take a backseat with the Vaio TT and it has a full range of ports. Usually you find that manufacturers have to sacrifice on the ports on ultraportables due to lack of space, but Sony has done a good job to include all the major ports. It has VGA, HDMI, USB 2.0, mini-Firewire and SD-card slots. The ports that you do miss out on are eSATA and S-Video which have become standard on mainstream notebooks.

Talking about the display, the Vaio TT is a 11.1″ TFT widescreen display with 1366 x 768 resolution. The higher resolution helps in multitasking and whle watching HD movies. You can always use the HDMI port to connect an external display to view full HD movies. The display has great picture clarity with sharp test and good viewing angle. The integrated webcam sits on top of the display.

Processor is a special ultra-low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo. Generally low voltage processor lead to drop in performance, but this is a bit different as it delivers good decent performance. But the Vaio TT has integrated graphics which limit the gaming capabilities of the laptop.

The performance of the laptop gets a big boost thanks to the SSDs drives. The high amount of RAM couples with a relatively fast processor even paves the way to even run Windows Vista on the laptop which has eluded the ultraportables until now. Multi-tasking is another strong hold and it breezes through memory intensive application with ease. The laptop can last more than 4 hours even while watching DVD movies, which is some achievement. Sadly standard support is limited to 1-year and upgrading to 3-year support costs extra.

Pros :

• Excellent build quality
• Blu-ray drive
• Great configuration
• Full range of ports
• High resolution display
• Two SSDs drives
• Great battery life
• Windows Vista Ultimate installed

Cons :

• Extremely expensive
• Underpowered graphics
• Only 1-year standard warranty

Final Thoughts

The Sony Vaio TT is an excellent ultraportable, probably the best you can buy in the market. But the price puts it out of reach for most consumers. The laptop has excellent carbon fiber chassis, 4 gigs of RAM, full range of ports and to top it all, SSD drives! Performance as expected is top notch barring the integrated graphics. Gamers should stay away from the laptop. Battery life is superb and its high resolution display coupled with low weight makes it a perfect companion during a trip. One year standard warranty even on such an expensive laptop is undesirable. Overall, if you want a very high performance ultraportable then this should be on your radar.

My Rating : 4/5