Yet another new game from Vaio home market in Japan for its F14 and F16 laptops. These machines are meant for the casual everyday workings, following the mantra of utility over functionality, pick up and go, and sturdy.
Both F14 and F16 use Intel yellow latest-generation Raptor Lake mobile CPUs. The 15-watt TDP versions are well balanced between performance delivery and battery endurance. The choice of processors available includes Intel Core 3 100U (6 cores and 8 threads), Core 5 120U (10 cores and 12 threads), or a rather speedy one in the form of Core 7 150U (also 10 cores and 12 threads), depending upon the buyers needs.
Then comes memory and storage options, as the flexibility, to begin with, is wonderful. The configuration starts at 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD—and goes all the way up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD—if your workflow demands it.
The F14 has a 14-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with the old school 16:9 aspect ratio. It has an anti-glare coating benefit against reflections. The larger F16 gives 16 inches with the additional demand of a slightly taller 16:10 aspect ratio having a resolution of 1920 x 1200, also furnished with an anti-glare treatment. Those looking to go up on resolution even further are expected to have a 2560 x 1600 display by Vaio in option for the F16 sometime soon. A nifty feature of both models is that they let the screen fold for a full 180-degree view for different angles.
The new Vaio laptops have a 920,000-pixel webcam for clear calls, combined with triple AI noise-cancelling microphones and Dolby Atmos stereo speakers. Security is another thing; the camera is Windows Hello-validated for facial recognition, and the power button houses a fingerprint scanner for convenient sign-ins to Windows 11.
You'll not be wanting for ports, as both F14 and F16 come with the following:
- Two USB-A 3.0 ports (5 Gbps speed)
- Two USB-C 3.1 ports (supporting both DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery)
- An HDMI port to connect to any external monitor
- 1000BASE-T Ethernet port for a wired internet connection
- A 3.5mm headphone jack
One small differentiator: Only the F16 model has the SD card slot. For wireless connectivity, both laptops sport Bluetooth 5.3 as well as the blazing-fast Wi-Fi 6E standard (802.11ax).
In keeping with its "lightweights" label, the F14 weighs just 1.23 kg (around 2.7 lbs), while the weight of the F16 would be approximately 1.59 kg (3.5 lbs). This lightweight construction is attributed to the use of aluminum for the body casing. Very seriously, Vaio affirms that both have been internally examined for ordinary wear and tear and are taken to guarantee long years of life.
The F14 is rated for around 7.7 hours of battery life, while F16 stands for bearable 6.0 hours, according to the JEITA 3.0 benchmark that's used in measuring battery life on video playback. Recharging them takes about 3.0 hours to go from zero to full.
Depending on the configuration selected, the new Vaio laptops will cost anywhere from about 144,800 yen (around $1,000 USD) to 267,800 yen (about $1,800 USD). At this point, the focus is strictly on the Japanese market. So, for potential buyers outside of Japan interested in the F14 or F16, importation seems like the only alternative unless they want to pick another model from Vaio's products internationally through other retailers such as Amazon US or Vaio's US store.
