Samsung Q35 vs. Sony Vaio SZ

First timer here I've read every Q35 post in this forum, though, and you guys seem like great people.

I'm buying a laptop this month and am currently stuck between two models: the Samsung Q35 (red version), and the Sony SZ32GP. They are similarly specced and priced (Core 2 Duo, ram, memory, weight etc), and I was wondering if you guys could help me decide, because I've been dithering for almost a month now and I want it before Uni starts.

The Sony is, without a doubt, a gorgeous, stylish little thing (I might as well say it now: I'm a stickler for looks. A nice chassis is unashamedly high up on my list of requirements). The size of the screen seems to be a great compromise between portability and lengthy computer sessions staring at a screen. I like the fact that it has a webcam and fingerprint thing, though admittedly, I doubt I'd be using them and they are not the reason why I'm considering it.

On the other hand, I've heard bad things about its keyboard and battery. In the Sony forum, I've heard the keyboard called everything from 'mushy' to 'rattly' to 'cheap', which really bothers me, since the primary use of the thing will be bashing down essays. People also unanimously say that it falls short of the 5.5 hour claim, falling somewhere at about 3 hours. It's not a devastatingly bad amount of time, but 4 would be nice, and I don't like being tied down with cords. Moreover, I don't know much about here in Australia, but in these forums Sony support doesn't seem to have such a good rep. And on top of that the fan is apparently always on, and some say, quite loud.

There is no mistaking that Samsung make some pretty stylish things. I have a Samsung Mp3 player (a YP-Z5) and think it's the greatest looking thing on the market, and has fantastic specs. The Samsung laptop is rather pretty (I do like the red), but I think the battery sticks out it a kinda ugly way (whereas the Sony has a neat silhouette). It also seems to have little feet rather than a flat bottom, which would probably ensure more air circulation, but again, doesn't look neat from a side view.

The screen is a 12" which means it will be comfortably in a bag, but I'm not sure if it will cause eyestrain (I do spend hours bashing out those essays, as well as browsing the web). Is 12" too small? The keyboard, however, seems nice and I haven't read anything bad about it or the fan noise (aside from a couple of small keys which I don't use anyway).

The battery life, of course, is a huge plus, because I'm one of those lazy people who hates charging phones, and I don't want to be constantly watching the battery meter hoping that it won't conk out on me. Samsung support, from my experience is pretty good here in Aus. I had some problems with ordering my Mp3, and though it took a while in the long run, they were polite and helpful and I never spent very long on hold. The Mp3 has a great build quality and I'm thinking the laptop will too. Though there aren't many reviews (or even meagre info) on the Q35 out there, all of them seem to applaud the model.

So that's my thoughts so far. Both models you have to order online, so I haven't been able to see them in the flesh, which is a huge shame. I've read almost every scrap of info on both models on the internet and wanted some opinions to help tip the scales one way or the other. So what are your thoughts? Which brand is better in terms or quality, build, battery etc? Which is better suited to my needs? Has anyone had experience with both brands?

If you want to compare:
http://www.samsung.com/au/products/notebookpcs/notebookpcs/np_q35.asp
http://vaio-online.sony.com/prod_info/vgn-sz32gp_b/index.html

I'd appreciate any and all comments.

This has been quite long. Thanks for reading!

 

ouch.....
12 inch that would hurt your eyes. on the other hand it would be good for portable stuff and long battery life.
sony.....
go to retail stores and check it if it clicks like people said. its theory anyway
anyway i would go for sony but...... colledge needs quite and space too
so samsung... ask other people too

 

Interesting to see that these two are similarly priced in Australia. In UK the Q35 is about 2/3rd of the cost of the Sony SZs. So, with price about the same it is a hard call.

The Q35 will give up to 5 hours running time on battery with a dim backlight. The SZ has a bigger display which will need a bit more power, all other things being equal.

The question of the readability of small displays can be solved, if necessary, by increasing the dpi setting. However, younger eyes may have no problem with small print, particularly if you are naturally short sighted.

I have prepared a review of the Q35 which should be posted within the next couple of days and comments on most of the points you have raised. One advantage of the red Q35 is that the distinctive colour scheme will make it more difficult to lose.

I can't comment about the current SZ series but I have heard that they can get hot. I owned an earlier model a couple of years ago and the biggest downside for me was the brain surgery needed to put in a bigger HDD. It also appears that the Sony SZ has a bigger and heavier PSU than the Q35, presumably to handle the extra power draw of the dedicated GPU (my Q35's PSU is 10.5cm x 4.5cm x 3cm).

John

 

You're telling me!

I'm not sure why they're similarly priced, but they are.

I'm not short sighted (or long sighted for that matter). I read a lot of books and small print generally does not bother me, but I would be spending a while looking at this screen, you know? Do you type a lot on your Q35? How have you found the experience with the screen (and the keyboard, while I'm asking)?

And yeah, I have heard the 'hot' comments, along with many other gripes. The thing about the SZs though is everyone seems to have a different opinion, and in this case, they're rather divisive. Some won't say a bad word against them, while others have a long list of grievances. It's hard to know what to believe.

I'm really looking forward to your review; there aren't enough of them out there for the largely unnoticed Q35. Till then, thanks so much for replying!

 

Thanks someone777! It's a hard choice isn't it? Both have their good points, that's for sure. I think you're right though; I will have to check out the keyboard for myself. I can't find the SZ32 anywhere in stores, but I'll just try typing on a SZ38 or one of the other SZs.

 

I haven't had need to use the Q35 for prolonged periods but I did find that I needed to increase the dpi setting in order to make everything slightly bigger. Or, if you are just working in Word, you can use the zoom. But my eyes are now old and earlier in their life I managed to use the 5" display of the Osborne 1 without difficulty. I know people who are happy with the even smaller displays of the Sony T series. The Q35's display is clear and sharp. Mine is a bit washed out at maximum brightness. Being a glossy display, reflections can be a bit of a problem.

The key action on the Q35 is OK, but I think the travel is slightly less than on the bigger X60 (which is my main computer). The keys are also slightly smaller. The Sony's keys are probably slightly larger since they use the full width of the computer.

Do you know if the Australian notebooks use the European or US keyboards? What character is above the 3? European keyboards have an extra key and on the Q35 the space is created by having a small right shift key. It takes some practice to hit this. Otherwise you get unwanted \\\\\\\\\ in the text.

John

 

Yup, Word it is. I figured 'zoom' might help. As long as I don't have to constantly scroll horizontally to see each line in full, I'd be fine using zoom.

I'm not sure whose keyboard we use. Above the number three is the character #. I've been trying to find a close up picture of a Q35 keyboard on the internet to see what you mean about the 'extra key', but I'm having no luck. But since you say it's right-side shift key that's been reduced, it's ok; I always use the left-side shift key.

 

My Q35 review has just been published here. This includes a good view of the UK keyboard which has the "£" above the 3. Layouts of both types of keyboard are in the Q35 manual which you can download. (I always download and look through the full manual of any proposed purchase).

John

 

Thanks John! You're been very helpful. I've just read your review too, which was great! It's nice to read reviews written by actual owners.

I thought I'd make a comment about your battery results though. Have you read the Q35 reviews on trustedreviews? They reviewed both the old Samsung with Core Duo and 1.66 GHz and the new Core 2 Duo one with 1.83 GHz. See here:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/review/2007/01/02/Samsung-Q35-Red-Core-2-Duo/p1

On about the third page Riyad Emeran writes:

"When it comes to battery life the original Q35 produced an impressive time of 339 minutes compared to the 241 minutes on this machine."

So I'm thinking the 7 hour claim applies to the original Q35?

EDIT: P.S. Thanks for the pictures in your review. There aren't enough pictures of little red beast floating around.

 

Where abouts did you find the Q35 manual for download John? I've had a look around the Samsung UK website however I can't see it anywhere. Products listed for available manual downloads that seem similar are the Q1,Q1B and the Q40 so I'm not too sure if the site just needs to be updated or something. Do you happen to have a link to the download?

Thank you

 

Clicking on the manuals link (near top right, under download centre) on this page brings you to here.

John

PS: Don't get confused by the second half of the PDF manual being in Thai!

 

Funny...I used to be able to download the English-Thai manual of the Q35 from the German Samsung website but now I can't find it anywhere. And the global download center offers Korean versions only.

 

Are you getting confused between the NP-Q35 (international version of Q35) and NT-Q35 (Korean version)? The English / Thai manual is here.

John

 

Um...I'm afraid you're right, I got confused indeed. Thanks for the clarification, John.

 

Almost off topic, but I passed through Heathrow Terminal 3 yesterday and saw a couple of clearance bargains in Dixons: Samsung Q40 normal price £851.04, but marked as "£250 off normal price" (=£601.04); Sony SZ3HP/B £1021.25 but marked as "£100 off normal price" = £921.25. And the Q35 was there, for £724.40. I didn't check all the specs but I presume this is the version being sold in PC World for £799.99.

John

 

Was it Dixons duty free? If so, that could explain the price discrepancy of the Q35. The price of the SZ3 is a lot friendlier than elsewhere!

 

The shops in the airports sell products without charging VAT. In theory, you should pay the VAT if you reimport. However, the Dixons tax free price on the Q35 is based on their previous normal price of £849.99.

John