Sony VAIO Z Lighter Than MacBook Air, Includes Light-Peak Powered Dock

It may not have hit the U.S., but the brand-new Sony VAIO Z is already making its debut in Europe. According to This is My Next, the 13.1-inch notebook is available for pre-order on the company’s U.K. site.

What can stateside Sony fans look forward to in this VAIO? Well, for one thing, the ultraportable will ship with an optional Power Media Dock, which includes an external GPU (AMD Radeon HD 6550M, no less) and optical drive. The Power Media Dock uses Intel’s Light Peak technology (basically Apple’s Thunderbolt under a different name) to connect to the VAIO Z via a USB 3.0 port and an optical cable. Users will also be able to connect up to three additional displays via the dock’s HDMI and VGA ports.

The dock may be the standout feature, but the VAIO Z boasts some strong specs on its own. It boasts a super-light weight of just 2.6 pounds—even lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. The notebook runs a 2.7-GHz Core i7-2620M processor, 8GB of RAM, and Intel HD 3000 graphics. There’s also a 256GB SSD under the hood, and the 13.1-inch display has a resolution of 1600 x 900.

No word yet on when this ultraportable will make it to the U.S., but the notebook is expected to ship in Europe starting in July. At least on the U.K. site, Sony is pricing the VAIO Z at $2,294, with the Power Media Dock going for an additional $640. For more, check out Engadget’s hands-on video with the VAIO Z.

via Engadget, This is My Next