Sony Vaio E Series pictures and hands-on

The Sony Vaio E Series laptops are designed as everyday laptops, with a fresh new "wrap around" design for 2012. This reminds us slightly of the folded design of the Sony Tablet S and it's a design we like.

Separating the E Series from models higher up the Vaio range, like the S Series, these are finished in plastic. It's a noticeable difference, but the plastics look and feel like good quality.

There are 14, 15 and 17-inch models available of the new E series, with black, white and silver colours. We played with the white version and we like the contrast between the white surfaces and black sides; it's slightly reminiscent of a Stormtrooper's uniform. 

The keyboard has a very nice action to it and seems well supported, with flex not being a problem, from the time we spent playing with the notebooks on show.

The display of the 17-inch model we played with offers a resolution of 1600 x 900 in a 16:9 aspect. The screen is nice and vibrant, offering good viewing angles.

Elsewhere, you'll find a choice of hardware available, with the option for AMD graphics, which you'll need in place if you want to opt for the Core i7 model with Blu-ray player. 

Otherwise, the large chassis means you have plenty of space for connectivity, with 4x USB, Ethernet, HDMI and VGA around the sides, with card readers on the front edge.

Overall we like the design of the new E series and the new sizes mean plenty more options for a more affordable Vaio notebook. Expect to pay from £410 depending on the size you opt for.