Sony VAIO T13 (mid-2012) review

Typing on the full-size, Chiclet-style keyboard is reasonably comfortable – there’s not a lot of travel in each key, but they are at least very springy, bouncing back into place almost instantly. There’s no room for a numeric keypad, and there’s also no backlight, so you might struggle to work in dark environments, but it’s otherwise perfectly usable.

The all-in-one touchpad didn’t pose any problems, even though we prefer physical buttons on Windows-based laptops. Multi-touch gestures work well and a two-finger tap triggers a right-click, meaning you rarely have to press the corners unless that’s how you prefer to use laptop touchpads. It’s more than large enough to navigate the 13in desktop, with a matching widescreen layout.

When it first went on sale, the T13 was one of the cheapest Ultrabooks around, but that’s no longer the case – the price barrier to own one has fallen through the floor in just a few short months. It might be portable, powerful and up to date, but it also has below average connectivity and middling image quality. It isn’t as slick as more expensive systems and not particularly good value when compared to the cheaper competition, making it tough to recommend.