You would probably have heard about Microsoft's Surface tablet - be it the latest model or less successful earlier versions.
However, you may have not heard of Dell's Venue 11 Pro. Like the Surface, it is a Windows tablet.
The marketing for both slates stresses that they are versatile and
productive tablets which can replace your laptop. Dell's slate,
however, is targeted at business users.
This enterprise focus is reflected in the Venue's dark grey and
black design. Weighing about 750g, it is not as handy as most Android
tablets. The Venue is thick enough to support a full-sized USB 3.0 port.
This port is a must-have for any device which wants to succeed in
the business world. Another useful feature: a microSD card slot which
lets users increase the built-in storage (a 128GB solid-state drive on
the review set) by an additional 64GB. In addition, Dell offers 20GB of
free cloud storage (Dropbox) for one year.
More importantly, a whole range of Dell accessories transforms the
Venue into a proper business machine. They include a keyboard dock with
a secondary battery, which, in combination with the Venue tablet,
become a laptop. Connect the Venue to a tablet dock, which comes with
HDMI and USB ports, to support more peripherals.
The Venue's screen is impeccable. Viewing angles are wide and
colours look vibrant without oversaturation. There is no air gap
between the glass and the display. This minimises reflection, despite
the glossy screen.
Text and images look sharp on this 1,920 x 1,080-pixel screen.
However, at this resolution, icons can look fairly small on the Venue's
10.8-inch display.
Although I could still tap the icons with my fingers (at no point
did I feel the need to use the optional stylus), users with pudgy
fingers will find this difficult to do.
Like most tablets, the Venue comes with front (2-megapixel) and rear (8-megapixel) cameras.
However, as it is awkward to hold and shoot with this hefty slate, most users will likely find the front
camera - which can be used for video-conferencing, for instance - more useful.
Powering this tablet is Intel's new Core M processor. This low-power
chip does not require a fan, which helps to reduce the thickness of the
device. It draws little power (4.5W), which is probably why the Venue
managed an impressive seven hours of uptime in our battery life test.
Overall system performance was fairly decent and comparable to some ultrabooks.
The review unit is priced at $1,487, slightly more expensive than
the Surface Pro 3 ($1,348 for the Intel Core i5 with a 128GB
solid-state drive).
The Dell’s business slant puts it in good stead against its
rivals. However, it does not come cheap, especially when you add in the
accessories.
TECH SPECS
Price: $1,487
Processor: Intel Core M-5Y10c (800MHz)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 530
RAM: 4GB
Screen size: 10.8 inches, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
Connectivity: 1 x USB 3.0, micro-HDMI, headphone and microphone combo jack
Battery: 38 watt-hour
RATING
Feature 4/5
Design 3/5
Performance 4/5
Value of money 3/5
Battery for life 5/5
Overall 4/5
