VAIO Installs Fingerprint Sensors in New FE Laptops

VAIO is adding three new laptops to its FE Series line of products. All three of the laptops come in a 14.1 inch form factor, and are outfitted with a 12th Generation Intel processor.

The cheapest of the three will retail for $699, and pairs a i5-1235U processor with 512 GB of storage. For $949, customers can upgrade those specs to a i7-1255U processor and 1TB Solid State Drive. The mid-tier model splits the difference, combining the i5-1235U processor and the 1TB drive for $799.

For its part, VAIO is emphasizing the long battery life (up to 10 hours) and the entertainment features of the new laptops. On that front, the devices boast THX Spatial Audio and HD anti-glare screens that are geared toward viewing and gaming applications.

However, the devices’ new security features may be the bigger story. All three models come with built-in fingerprint sensors, which is in keeping with a broader trend in the PC industry. The sensors enable biometric and passwordless authentication, and in doing so bring a higher level of security to the login process. The VAIO laptops also include a front-facing camera, and run on the Windows 11 operating system.

Of course, VAIO is not the first developer to place a fingerprint sensor in a laptop device. Fingerprint Cards has suggested that the market will skyrocket in the next few years, to the point that more than two-thirds of all laptops will ship with a fingerprint sensor by 2026. The company’s PC fingerprint solution has already turned up in Xiaomi’s RedmiBook Pro 15, and has made its way onto Microsoft’s approved vendor list.

VAIO did not reveal which company made the sensor in its new FE laptops. Older VAIO devices have also supported biometric authentication through the Windows Hello platform.

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June 24, 2022 – by Eric Weiss