Dell Venue 11 Pro review
Is Dell’s Venue 11 Pro better value than Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2?
A great tablet with lots of connectivity and accessories. It is expensive though - and not as portable as its 8in brother.
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Removable rear panel; Versatile design; Good keyboard accessory; Excellent battery life; Good screen
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Uninspiring design; Inconsistent SSD; Heavy with accessories added; Slim keyboard is poor
Service Options and Alternative Specifications
The Venue's specification can't be customised, but Dell sells four different models. The next model down costs 629 and uses a Haswell Core i3 processor, and the next system down costs 499 and includes mobile broadband. Elsewhere, though, it's limited by its Bay Trail-based Atom chip, 32-bit OS, slower integrated graphics, smaller SSD and 2GB of RAM. A 429 model mimics this cheaper machine but drops the mobile broadband.
Every Venue 11 Pro has a one-year C&R warranty, and accidental damage protection can be added to each machine for 65. Theft protection is available for another 39. It's a better option than the 12-month limited hardware deal included with the Surface Pro 2, but it's not as versatile as the options available for Dell's laptops.
Overall
The Venue 11 Pro is a good tablet thanks to its screen quality, versatile design and reasonable processor, and its lower prices make it a tempting alternative to the Surface Pro, even though Microsoft's machine has a faster processor and more stylish design. If you're willing to drop the specification, the Venue becomes better value.
Although the Venue 11 Pro is good - we can't help but think you'd be better off investing in an Ultrabook a hybrid for content creation. A cheaper Dell Latitude 14 7000-Series machine, or one of Lenovo's Yoga Pro convertibles are suitable alternatives.
If portability is paramount we'd also recommend opting for Dell's smaller 8in Venue Pro.
Verdict
A great tablet with lots of connectivity and accessories. It is expensive though - and not as portable as its 8in brother.
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