Sony VAIO VGN-Z17GN/B

13 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
portability (11)
screen (8)
performance (7)
design (4)
image quality (3)

Negative
price (4)
battery (4)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 13 reviews of Sony VAIO VGN-Z17GN/B. The average rating for this product is 3.7/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Views about the keyboard and design are on the whole positive. The performance and screen are also mentioned favorably, whereas there are some mixed reviews about the usability and durability. The price and battery get critical reviews.

portability, screen, performance, design, keyboard

battery, price

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Sony VAIO VGN-Z17GN/B is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 82/100 = Very good quality.

See all Sony Laptops

Review analysis

(Based on 13 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(23% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (31% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (31% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (no reviews)
(15% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

portability
Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)

screen
Show positive (80%)Show negative (20%)(Show all)

performance
Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)

battery
Show positive (43%)Show negative (57%)(Show all)

durability
Show positive (50%)Show negative (50%)(Show all)

More features

Showing 13 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Disclaimer:

Below is a list of reviews for this or similar products. If you think this grouping is wrong please click here to flag.
Read more on our FAQ’s page.

Showing 1 - 10 of 13 Show Reviews: in English

Expert review by : Aloysius Low (hardwarezone.com)

Sony VAIO VGN-Z17GN - HardwareZone.com

The elegant Sony VAIO Z is a 13.1-inch wonder machine from Sony that's bound to knock your socks off with both its looks and price.

Read the full review

Expert review by : Elias Plastiras (goodgearguide.com.au)

Sony VAIO VGN-Z17GN/B notebook

Sony's VAIO VGN-Z17GN/B is a stylish 13.1in laptop with a lean body and plenty of speed.

1600x900 screen resolution, only 1.5kg, dual graphics system, excellent touchpad, looks good

Needs longer battery life, no ExpressCard/54 slot, screen is creaky, gets noticeably warm when NVIDIA graphics card is used, expensive

The Sony VAIO VGN-Z71GN/B has both style and substance. It looks good and it has a speedy CPU and plenty of RAM. It's also very light and comfortable to use, as long as you don't have the NVIDIA graphics enabled.

Mar, 2009

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : Elias Plastiras (pcworld.idg.com.au)

Sony VAIO VGN-Z17GN/B

Sony's VAIO VGN-Z17GN/B is a stylish 13.1in laptop with a lean body and plenty of speed.

1600x900 screen resolution, only 1.5kg, dual graphics system, excellent touchpad, looks good

Needs longer battery life, no ExpressCard/54 slot, screen is creaky, gets noticeably warm when NVIDIA graphics card is used, expensive

Mar, 2009

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : Craig Simms (cnet.com.au)

Sony Vaio VGN-Z17GNB

Sony's new ultraportable has switchable graphics and a high resolution 13.1-inch screen.

Excellent screen colour and vibrancy. Keyboard is excellent to type on. Stamina/Speed modes let you choose between performance or battery power.

No eSATA. Can't use full complement of RAM due to 32-bit OS. Poorer than usual speakers.

Sony's Vaio VGN-Z17GNB is sure to be the envy of many co-workers, straddling the line between consumer and business comfortably.

Oct, 2010

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : Sasha Muller (pcauthority.com.au)

Sony VAIO VGN - Z17GN/B, it's pure class

Sony's Z-Series is an ultraportable to aspire to, even if there are a couple of areas where it could improve.

The laptop’s twin graphics chips are also worthy of note. For light gaming the Sony has a discrete Nvidia 9300M GS chipset. But, when battery life is more crucial than graphical grunt, flick the switch above the keyboard’s left edge from “Speed” to...

Jan, 2009

Read the full review

Expert review by : Sandra Vogel (zdnet.com.au)

Sony VAIO (VGN-Z17GNB)

Beautifully designed and reassuringly robust, the 1.5kg VAIO Z11 marries a decent-sized 13.1-inch screen with good portability. It's not flawless, but if you can afford it, you won't be disappointed.

Superb wide-screen display, Light and very well built, Excellent performance, Good battery life, Webcam, Fingerprint scanner

Not enough USB ports, Overloaded with preinstalled software

It's not flawless, but if you can afford it, you won't be disappointed.

Nov, 2008

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com.au)

Sony Vaio VGN-Z17GNB

I bought the laptop because I wanted something to show to clients and because it was marketed as being pretty tough. The screen has now broken three times. The last time it broke I told Sony I wanted my money back and, not only didn't they give me my...

Looks pretty; good performance

Super-fragile; abysmal customer service

Mar, 2011

Partner Source

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com.au)

Sony Vaio VGN-Z17GNB

i dnt know what these peple are talking about i picked mine up for $1700 Aus, just shop around

Nice and light, good battery life, easy to use keyboard and mode features, non sticky finish and touch pad well sized ; A well finished pleaseant to work laptop

Speakers are not that great, there definitely not for music or gaming I just spent $80 and got some good speakers when I%u2019m at home they are however perfectly adequate for work and while running round etc

Mar, 2009

Partner Source

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com.au)