Sony VAIO Pro 11 and 13 are world's lightest touchscreen ultrabooks

The Sony VAIO Pro 11 and VAIO Pro 13 are being hailed as the lightest ultrabooks with a touchscreen in their respective classes, with the smaller unit weighing about 1.9lbs and the larger weighing about 2.3lbs. Both are constructed from carbon fiber, adding an element of durability to their svelte frames. As with the VAIO Duo 13 announced earlier this evening, both the VAIO Pro laptops will be available the middle of this month.

The VAIO Pro 11 has an 11.6-inch display, while the VAIO Pro 13 has a 13.3-inch display. Both run Windows 8, and both have full HD TRILUMINOS touchscreen displays. As with the VAIO Duo 13, both the VAIO Pro 11/13 also feature X-Reality, which is Sony technology that analyzes images and both finds and replicates missing pixels, resulting in sharper and clearer images.

Inside, users will find a fourth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, although perhaps its most notable hardware feature is its battery, with both laptops boasting very long battery lives. The average battery life of the VAIO Pro 13 is said to be 8 hours. The VAIO Pro 11, with its smaller display, has an average battery life of 11 hours. Both can be expanded with an optional sheet battery, which boosts the Pro 11 to 25 hours and the Pro 13 to 18 hours.

The keyboard is designed so that it "tilts gently" when the laptop is opened, something that is designed to elevate the wrists where needed, with the arms tapering downwards to the desk due to the design of the laptop. In combination with large keys, the aim of this design choice is to eliminate strain. The keyboard is backlit, as well.

Both of the laptops features Sony's ClearAudio+ technology, which offers four audio presets and an equalizer for those who prefer to create custom audio settings. There's NFC, which Sony says can be used in conjunction with NFC-enabled wireless speakers for portable external audio options. In addition, there's a Wi-Fi router powered by the AC adapter that can be used with an Ethernet cable to create a personal Wi-Fi network; it supports up to five devices.

SOURCE: Sony