Vizio CT15-A1 Review - Almost there :(

[michaeljean]

Well I didn't want to write this till I had it for a few days and I got mine on monday 7/2/12 from sam's so I have used it for 2 full days and I think I can give an accurate review now. At first I was biased because as many of you know there is not a lot of ultrabooks that are worth buying in the 15 inch size. Samsung is overpriced and the screen sucks, and apple is well apple (The new retina macbook air is an ultrabook trust me it's super slim). Other than that I really don't know. Also it's early ivy bridge just came out and there will be plenty of models down the road so we are just in the phase where we have to accept things for how they are.

Now I have never bought a vizio anything but have always thought of them are the best brand for the price and would recommend them to my clients and so on. When I heard of this way back during CES I was hyped and waited till this day. I had a dell xps 1645 and I did every possible mod I could to make that the best computer. I loved that computer but it was old battery life was not good and fans I hate them never want to hear them again (also the RGB led screen rocked). So my expectations were not much just need battery above 2 hours, no loud fans or heat, 15 inch size, light and slim, and maybe a usb and hdmi and I'm good. I always expected trackpad and keyboard to be somewhat decent since this should be a given. I mean this is what I use to use the computer if these don't work then I don't know what to do.

----------------------------------Now the review--------------------------------

Ok well first the box, mine was kinda beat up like it came from china on a boat or used or something. Looked like corners were all bent and the white box looked kinda dirty but I didn't care. Inside it was well packaged and pretty much nothing to fancy nothing to bad inside the box. You get your laptop and charger and your off.

Now the look and feel for me was shocking since I never had a computer this slim and light and wide. It feels bigger in person like a 16inch. The coating or metal or whatever it is feels good not great. I think they sprayed it to give it this feel it's not brushed aluminum but feels similar but whatever they did it's all over and I mean everything feels the same top, inside, keyboard and trackpad and that is good and bad. This thing feels solid no flex and it is sturdy. The bottom is some kind of really soft rubber. Overall I think it will hold up over time except these are the issue it will face.

I looks like it scratches easy so for example my bag is 15 bag but this just grazes the zippers, I could see the paint peeling or fading.

Also the keyboard which i will get to later seems like it the type a letter pops off and goes missing.

And trackpad may rattle more over time as it gets used and the coating on it will come off and it will get even stickier (that why you gotta go glass).

Everything is very sturdy the screen hinge feels really good not wobbly. Power cord is like a headphone jack so that's good I think nothing to break like hp's do.


Ok now on the the screen which is the number one thing about this computer and that's what makes it even worse that this computer is so close to greatness. It is MATTE and it can be viewed at any angle and it is bright and most important white is white, colors are pop and are so on point. I love this display. Like I mean VIZIO got this 100 percent right. Don't know what else to say but unless you like gloss (which I kinda do sometimes) this is it. Screen is freakin amazing

Performance is another big plus and honestly I'm shocked it performs this well. I have the I5 and it is super speedy and mostly the SSD is why it's fast. Seems to have a really good ssd in here. Did HDtune speedtest and got around 160 read and write with .03 access time. I have not idea if it's sata 3 or not but it's great not the best but for the price it's good. For a 128gb drive you have about 77gb free. Fans are super quiet and when there on it's very low and they are hardly on unless your doing something intense. Everything is snappy and the i5 model is more than I enough I think, still want to see the i7 model.

Battery is about 4 hours but don't know if thats good or bad because my last laptop did an hour. If the series 9 really gets 8 hours then maybe that's why it's worth more.

Ok now on to the bad, first the keyboard. It's not great and it's never going to be no matter who you are and what you do. You will get weird issues like cursor moving somewhere else and not because the trackpad I had that turned off and still happened. The design I really don't know why vizio did this you can tell someone who does not know about computers did this because they thought it looked cool. No backlight is just stupid, but you can tell why this keyboard is very cheap to make and it's the type that keys can come off and go missing like in the old days. But it's do able. Arrow keys are stupid because up and down are so small and you probably use those more than left and right. There are no keys like end which I use alot in RDP. You get insert and delete and those are your special keys. Typing is not horrible but spacebar makes the most noise on spring. F keys require you to use FN because the F keys are assigned to all the things like brightness and volume and so on. Anyway it's ok but vizio please don't make this again. Nobody wants this as there top choice for a keyboard, nobody.

Ok now to the main issue which is the trackpad, think if the devil made a trackpad he would make this or some company like sentellic that just isn't good which the devil might run. I hope they go out of business because they are known for this. Vizio to save money picked them and I guess to bring this computer to this cost something had to give. As much as I love the screen I think it should of been that instead because this is not going to work for anyone. Yeah you use it sometimes and you think it's not that bad but then try doing something productive. I used to be able to use photoshop with a trackpad in my dell. No way in hell with this.

The trackpad for one sometimes just doesn't even work it just freezes and you can't move the mouse. You can't left click and drag with the other finger because now your just confusing it. Don't tap to hard on it or it will rattle. The only way to use it is the tap lightly and use it that way or better yet buy a mouse and always have it. When you use a mouse with it you really see how much it just plain sucks. Now maybe I have a bad unit but I doubt that very much. I dare Vizio it's full PC line with this trackpad, I dare please. Maybe the world will adapt to this new style of trackpad. I mean hey why use a mouse with that all in one when you can use this. I have to say nobody product tested this or somebody pulled a fast one vizio.

Also the touchpad surface is like the rest of the computer semi smooth so you might want to buy a silk glove to improve it. If your finger stutters on the surface your just messing with it again. Like vizio support told me people think it's a trackpad and it's really a gesture pad whatever the hell that means. What gesture must I do to get this thing working because windows doesn't even use gestures well and then you want to add on to it with this. Maybe all these guys use macs and just thought if you build it will work like one.

Just remember this one thing you don't control the trackpad it controls you. If it doesn't work well for you your not using it right according to vizio.


Anyway I swear if this had a better trackpad and keyboard I would be all over this thing. Nobody wanted this to workout more than me. If I could even buy another trackpad and keyboard to work with this I would no matter the cost.

Also has anyone been to walmart, they sell computers at 300-500 all with better trackpads and VIZIO WANTS 1000 PLUS FOR THIS, If you buy get it from walmart so it's really easy to return.

Bottomline

No backlight keyboard
The keyboard is shallow and not built for users
and Trackpad make this just a big bag almost there. Or if you use a usb mouse then it's excellent. But if somebody buys mine of ebay or sams takes it back I'm off to buy the stupid samsung series 9 15 at about 700 dollars more and the screen is crap. But at least I can get some work done on it.

This review crashed on me three times on this laptop, I think it's a sign. (I copied to clipboard often because I am getting used to it now

[SGMD1]

Nice review, thanks. Really disappointed about the trackpad especially after The Verge's article which suggested that it would be good. Got any pics of the machine/charger/box/packaging/etc?

[kDrum]

Thanks for the review! It seems like you got a really poor unit, personally I'm going to wait for reviews from the big sites, but these are always nice to have since users are so much faster.

[Ferdinand Lyle]

@michaeljean

I'm afraid you've been duped. What you have described is clearly not a Vizio CT15-A1. Since this SKU has not yet been released, your laptop is most certainly a counterfeit. The poor fit and finish, matte screen and constant crashing during non-CPU intensive activities are all red flags. Please post some high resolution photos of both the laptop and its packaging so others will know what to look for in order to avoid being fooled by an unscrupulous retailer as you were.

Cheers,

F. Lyle

[michaeljean]

Nice review, thanks. Really disappointed about the trackpad especially after The Verge's article which suggested that it would be good. Got any pics of the machine/charger/box/packaging/etc?

Check ebay that's mine with pictures, the display is amazing and it looks really really nice good performance it's sad really. The keyboard you can get used to. No backlit just sucks. and battery is 4 hours.

Thanks for the review! It seems like you got a really poor unit, personally I'm going to wait for reviews from the big sites, but these are always nice to have since users are so much faster.

Yeah me too and why do you think vizio is letting anyone review it. I mean I have the computer and it's in some stores wouldn't they want reviewers to have it to to build up hype.

It all makes sense vizio is delaying shipments, the first units all seem to have this same issue, no reviews. Tech support telling me their laptops work fine and then telling me mine is fine without even seeing it. Vizio doesn't even want to look at my computer they already know.

Vizio is not stupid, they don't want to start a new line which they might hardly even make alot of money on, stain the brand name, and have to deal with a bunch of returns and angry customers. They have to make changes now they just have to. Sentellic screwed them on the touchpad and they just have to go with somebody else.

I really hope they could make a backlit keyboard also I mean come on. If they did those two things a better keyboard and trackpad they would sell millions of these (or alot). If it had those two things I could compare this to a macbook air and this would be a really good choice.

The computer is really nice guys.

[Midmotion]

eBay? That raises another red flag. Either someone sold you a pre-production show model, or you have a counterfeit.

As the previous poster said, none of the SKUs have launched yet.

[SGMD1]

I grabbed the photos from OP's eBay listing and uploaded them to an imgur album

[michaeljean]

eBay? That raises another red flag. Either someone sold you a pre-production show model, or you have a counterfeit.

As the previous poster said, none of the SKUs have launched yet.

Hey buddy you sound like you work for vizio, it's cool I figured you guys would catch on at some point. I just hope your working on that "gesture" pad as we speak. I'm not trying to slam vizio I own the computer and it is what is it is. You can't trick people into thinking the trackpad is good, it's not. Will it work yes but not going to be enjoyable. Reviewers are going to slam it as well.

Look I don't know how far or how many vizio has made of these but there is window and the time is now, delay it if you have to but in a few more months there will be alot better ultrabooks out there you don't want to go a full year with this.


And man i didn't know sam's club one of your retailers sells fake, I mean if this is fake it's a damn good fake. It sure as hell fooled your tech department because i have a real vizio serial number. I mean damn whoever put a freakin IPS display in my fake is awesome, along with ivy bridge i5, and this machine cut frame. I wish the price I paid was fake. If this is a fake then the real one has to be better than a macbook because this one not that bad. And since I have a fake why don't you tell your boss to send me a real one. Better yet instead of saying I have a fake would it not of been smarter to make a thread saying you own the computer and you love it and everything is so good on it and post your pictures.

Personally I think it would be better if you told the world we are delaying because we are not happy with the trackpad and or keyboard. One people like us would trust in you more because we can see you are commited to make the best product you can. The average consumer doesn't even know vizio makes computers so delaying it doesn't affect them.

Anyway here are your pics sir, good day.

[michaeljean]

eBay? That raises another red flag. Either someone sold you a pre-production show model, or you have a counterfeit.

As the previous poster said, none of the SKUs have launched yet.

And dude thats me selling it on ebay here is the pic. Maybe I do have a pre production model sure feels like it with this trackpad. Maybe the ones at walmart are also pre production. I mean whats going on at vizio that retailers are selling pre production models.

[Midmotion]

lol, wow the paranoia in this forum xD I work for Vizio? Hahaha.

Well, I'm going to a more credible site. See ya.