When looking closer at the Vaio platform on Sony's homepage, you quickly get the impression that the S range includes all those devices that the manufacturer couldn't fit in anywhere else. On the other hand, you have to admit that Sony simply has a wide range of notebooks. Besides that, the Japanese manufacturer divides its S range into three additional categories. Our test device belongs to the Vaio SE-15 range along with seven other models. Dell Inspiron 630m Battery

Equipped with an Intel Core i7-2640M, 8GB of memory, a dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6630M and a BluRay drive, the all-over black Vaio is perfectly armed for all multimedia tasks. The model even scores with an integrated 3G module. The matte 15.5 inch Full HD screen will certainly also be a plus. Dell XPS M140 Battery

Chic, chic, chic - this describes the Sony Vaio VPC-SE2M9E/B's appearance best. The entire device is black and the Japanese manufacturer uses magnesium almost exclusively. However, the wrist rest is aluminum. The workmanship still earns an "A" overall. Dell Latitude X300 Battery

The quite slim profile and the straight-line design both contribute to the elegant looks. Apparently, frills were not used on purpose - quite to our taste. With a height of just under 25 millimeters, the device can very well be called slim considering it is a full-blown multimedia laptop with an optical drive. The lid is delicate, but looks good. However, stability is affected due to the thin frame. Thus, the screen warps easily and can exhibit cracking noises. The hinges could also be a bit bigger and more rigid as they do not always have a firm grip on the display. When letting go of the screen suddenly after adjusting it, it teeters for over two seconds. Moreover, the hinges limit the opening angle to slightly over 135 degrees. Dell Inspiron 300m Battery

However, the rest of the device is rigid. Everything seems to be made of one piece for a unibody-like design. The case only yields in the keyboard area when strong pressure is applied. Nevertheless, it is not troublesome while typing. Dell Inspiron 3700 Battery

We find the 2 kilogram weight (4.4 pounds) to be very agreeable. The device's portability is maintained despite the fairly large screen and the extensive equipment.

Sony incorporates the power LEDs very discreetly and appealingly. One lights up directly in the power button and another at the charging socket on the case's upper right edge. Sony builds the eject button for the optical drive above the keyboard's left and thus prevents unintentional opening, for example if the notebook bumps against an object during transport. Dell Inspiron 3800 Battery

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Connectivity

Sony sees its Vaio VPC-SE2M9E/B as an entertainment and multimedia notebook. The connectivity options should then satisfy this claim. The full HD 15.5 inch display is a good start, but the included BluRay drive is also a must in this sector. Dell Inspiron 4000 Battery

Sony places all interfaces on the case's right and left. While the rear is absolutely free of interfaces, a handy slider for enabling and disabling all wireless communication modules is on the front. An LED conveniently shows the slider's position. Two other LEDs indicate hard disk activity and charging status, respectively. The device can also be used when the battery is not inserted provided that the AC adapter is active. However, a maintenance cover has to be removed first before the battery can be taken out. Dell Inspiron 4100 Battery

A jack for headphones or active speakers is located on the case's left far back. Unfortunately, it gets much tighter on the right. The power socket and Kensington lock are at the rear and are followed by two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 ports. An HDMI socket with HDCP support is available for outputting digital content. Projectors and older monitors can be connected to the VGA socket. The Gigabit LAN port is only about eight centimeters away from the case's front - a rather unusual position. The LAN cable will very likely get in the way every now and again. We would also have preferred to see the monitor ports further to the back, if not on the rear. There are also two card reader slots for MemoryStick and SD cards on the very front. The latter even supports SDHC and SDXC. Dell Inspiron 4150 Battery

Three more interfaces are located on the bottom, all behind fiddly rubber or plastic covers. The first is a docking port, which makes Sony's VPC-SE2M9E/B absolutely office compatible. The battery port connects to an optional sheet battery that is "mounted" underneath the device and allegedly extends the battery runtime significantly. The third cover hides an HSPA-capable 3G module. Dell Inspiron 8000 Battery