Until recently, Sony had the high-end ultraportable market almost to itself, but the lack of competition didn’t stop it achieving great things. The VAIO TZ18 we reviewed in December impressed us with its unprecedented portability, even if the price put it well out of most buyers’ reach.

Since then, the MacBook Air and Lenovo X300 have launched, and they look set to steal some of Sony’s market share. Its new TZ series laptop, then, should be aiming to defend this position, but has it got what it takes?

The TZ36 shares the same compact chassis as its predecessor and comes in ‘Silky White’ though other models appear in Onyx Black, Platinum Pearl, Crystal Pink, Ruby Red and Premium Carbon Black which is a little heavier due to a slightly more rigid case. That isn’t to say it’s weighty – at 1.48kg, this is still one of the lightest laptops with an integrated drive on the market. Even with the charger, it weighs only 1.6kg.

The TZ18’s screen was impressive, so we’re happy to see it here, too. With a diagonal of just over 11in, its resolution of 1366 x 768 seems incredible. Colours are vivid and the backlight dazzlingly bright. Text is superbly clear, even at a battery-friendly dimmed setting. The screen surround is also slightly more rigid than the TZ18’s, so we’d be less worried about transporting this in a soft bag.

The keyboard is very compact, but its quality matches that of many larger laptops. Keys have a surprising amount of travel, depress gently and give good feedback. Their diminutive size means a single fingertip almost covers the key, but, as with the MacBook, a valley around each prevents accidental key presses. With laptops this small, usability is pushed to the limit, but Sony has done well to squeeze the most into the space available.

With the touchpad, space is again at a premium. It may be just 38mm tall, but it still pushes the mouse buttons to the very bottom of the chassis. Despite this, they fall comfortably under the thumb when typing, and are protected from accidental activation by a thin plastic strip at the front of the case.