It’s fitting — and sad — that Sony brought up the rear in this year’s Best & Worst brands report, as the company is exiting the laptop business. Sony sold its VAIO division to another firm, which will presumably attempt to build on some of the brand’s strengths. On the plus side, Sony offers best-in-class tech support, but it has a mixed track record with Windows 8 hybrids, and its keyboards are subpar. Based on our reviews, Sony simply didn’t offer the quality to match its premium prices.
Reviews (14/20)
We reviewed six Sony notebooks this past year, of which its four top performers earned a rating of 3.5 stars, and two received 3-star ratings. That was enough to boost the company’s 2014 reviews score by 4 points. While hybrid designs such as the Flip 14 and the Duo 13 were innovative, we ultimately found these machines somewhat impractical.