VAIO has announced the VAIO Z, the world's first 3D-molded carbon fiber laptop.

Built to compete with Apple's MacBook Pro M1, the VAIO Z features the latest Intel Tiger Lake processor and plenty of storage. But you'll have to be prepared to spend a good deal of money for this carbon-fiber covered machine.

This is not the first VAIO laptop to use carbon fiber. However, whereas previous efforts have used a mix of metal and plastic parts, the VAIO Z is completely 3D molded, with each part of the laptop's shell made of the tough material. [This technology was developed in conjunction with carbon fiber specialist Toray, and VAIO is so confident in the laptop's durability that it conducted a series of extreme drop tests; the VAIO Z was dropped from a height of four feet without any damage at all and was brought back unscathed.

It is not only the laptop's rugged chassis that is impressive. In terms of specs, the laptop is also quite powerful: the VAIO Z is powered by an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor with built-in Iris XE GPU, up to 32GB of RAM, and SSDs ranging from 512GB to 2TB depending on the model.

The display is a 14-inch 4K LCD panel, and VAIO claims that it can be used for about 10 hours on a single charge. The VAIO Z is also lightweight, weighing just under 2.3 pounds.

Other nifty features include a privacy shutter on the camera, but it may be better not to cover the lens, as it supports Window Hello instant sign-in.

It is not without its drawbacks, however: it has only two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 connections, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, and a security lock, though more than the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS 13.

Second, its price is eye-popping: starting at $3,579 and climbing to $4,179 for the highest-spec model, the VAIO Z would never be classified as an impulse buy.

Considering that the MacBook Pro M1 can be had for around $1,200, the price seems rather uncompetitive. However, it is made with lots of carbon fiber, not aluminum, and VAIO is currently taking pre-orders for delivery later this year.

But if you want something a little more affordable, we've put together the best laptops you can buy here.