This 899g premium laptop packs something that no competitor has ever offered — Japanese-built Vaio notebook can take a SIM and an eSIM simultaneously, promises near 30 hours usage

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Buying the Vaio SX12 won't be easy however

VAIO SX12
(Image credit: VAIO)

Built in Japan, the Vaio SX12 laptop is a lightweight powerhouse driven by a choice of 13th generation Intel Core processors.

But that's not all - it sports a 12.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080) screen and weighs (from) 899g, so it’s light and portable, and comes with a 53Whr battery which promises 10.5 hours of use when playing videos, and up to 29.5 hours when just idling.

It is available in a choice of colors, including urban bronze, fine white, rose gold, fine black, fine red, and bright silver - and if those aren’t stylish enough for you, there’s also an all-black edition which lives up to its name by having a body that’s entirely black – including the logo on the top, the keys, and even the Windows wallpaper. That model also offers higher performance than the regular version.

nanoSIM and eSIM

Vaio SX12 is powered by (up to) an Intel Core i7-1360P processor, with up to 32GB LPDDR4X RAM (onboard, so can’t be expanded), and up to 2TB 4th generation high speed SSD. The all-black edition ups the specs and comes with a more powerful  i7-1370P processor (exclusive to that version).

Vaio's recently refreshed laptop sports a full HD camera and a selection of ports, including 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, USB Type C, and USB 3.1. There's even a VGA port - an incongruous addition you'll often find on Japanese laptops. 

It supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, and for professionals who travel a lot, it has a trick you won't find elsewhere. It comes with a nanSIM slot for wireless WAN, but you can also choose to have nanoSIM AND an eSIM. With the latter you’ll need to have an eSIM contract with a service provider in advance.

Vaio SX12 retails from 217,800 yen in Japan ($1400), but Vaio only sells the larger SX14 in the US, so you’ll have to try Amazon or eBay if you want to buy one. Alternatively, you can contact Vaio directly with regards to shipping it overseas.

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Wayne Williams
Wayne Williams
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Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.