Dell's updated Venue 11 Pro 7000 is a slick, versatile 2-in-1 hybrid, but a few glaring issues keep it from being an ideal máy tính xách tay replacement. The new Windows slate does have sầu a lot going for it, including zippy performance, a sharp 10.8-inch display, & the flexibility of Windows on a tablet.
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But what makes the Venue 11 Pro 7000 a standout productivity device are Dell's optional accessories, which include a snap-on keyboard for use as a máy vi tính, as well as a desktop docking station for use as a desktop PC. The idea is that this one device can replace a separate tablet, laptop & desktop computer.
Unfortunately, poor ergonomics really hold the Venue 11 Pro 7000 bachồng. The kiến thiết of the keyboard doông chồng is particularly disappointing; you can't tip the display back far enough lớn get a reasonable viewing angle, especially when using the device in your lap.
With the right add-ons, Dell's updated hybrid is still an impressive productivity machine. But does this $700 slate bởi vì enough to warrant a purchase over Microsoft's excellent Surface Pro 3 hybrid, which starts at a slightly pricier $800?
Design
The Venue 11 Pro 7000 is a handsome tablet, with an understated gray-and-blaông xã thiết kế. I love the soft-touch baông chồng, which feels luxurious & allows a good grip on the slate. Meanwhile, the Pro 7000's magnesium alloy frame helps give it a dignified, professional appearance.
Externally, the Pro 7000 (which comes with a more powerful Intel Core M processor) is practically indistinguishable from the original Hãng sản xuất Intel Atom-powered Venue 11 Pro, launched last year. Measuring 11 x 6.95 x 0.42 inches và weighing 1.6 lbs., it also shares the same dimensions và weight as the Atom version.
That's still pretty hefty for a tablet, especially when attached khổng lồ the keyboard dock, which doubles the weight. Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 weighs more by itself (1.75 lbs.), but its keyboard is lighter. In comparison, Apple's ipad Air 2 weighs just 0.96 lbs.
Dell also released a more powerful Venue 11 Pro mã sản phẩm in 2014, which comes with an Hãng Intel bộ vi xử lý Core i5 processor, but is thicker và heavier than both the Atom and Core M versions. All three versions connect to all venue 11 Pro accessories, including the keyboard và desktop doông chồng, so you – or your IT department -- won't have sầu to buy new add-ons if you nâng cấp your tablet.
Keyboard
As far as tablet keyboards go, the Venue 11 Pro 7000's is actually pretty good. The accessory features well-spaced, full-kích thước keys – a must-have sầu feature for any serious work device. Keyboards for smaller tablets usually come with truncated layouts that feel too cramped for extended typing sessions. The island-style keys also offer decent travel, although I wish they provided a bit more feedback when pressed.
The touchpad is small but responsive sầu. Mousing around feels good, and Windows 8 swipe gestures work well. Plus, the pad's lower corners provide a satisfying clichồng when depressed. I lượt thích the look of the metal lining around the touchpad, too.
That same metal lining is less comfortable at the edge of the keyboard dock, where palm wrists rest when typing. The small kích cỡ of the palm rest area is another factor that can make the keyboard uncomfortable lớn use for long periods of time.
Attaching the keyboard can be a bit tricky, since it involves lining up two sets of pins on either side of the tablet. Once connected, the hinge feels extremely sturdy; when I picked the connected device up by the tablet portion, the keyboard stayed put. When you're done using the device, you can cthua thảm the lid lượt thích a traditional clamshell laptop. Disconnecting the pair involves pressing a button at the base of the hinge, then yanking with a bit of force.
The system is simple and reliable, but not nearly as elegant as the Surface Pro 3's snap-on, magnetic keyboard. On the other h&, the docked Venue doesn't rely on a kickstand lớn prop itself up (à la the Surface Pro 3) so it's easier lớn use in confined spaces.
A "sllặng keyboard" accessory is also available. My advice is lớn opt for the full keyboard dochồng, though; the slyên keyboard is too shallow, which makes typing uncomfortable. It's a decent option for casual users, but a poor choice for serious productivity.
Viewing angle
Despite its merits, Dell's snap-on keyboard has one critical flaw: it doesn't let you tilt the display baông xã far enough to get a satisfying viewing angle in most situations. When linked lớn the keyboard, the display can be tipped baông xã only about 15 degrees from the vertical position. Even while sitting at a desk, I found that my viewing angle was more severe that I wanted. I kept trying khổng lồ push the display back just a bit more, only lớn be thwarted again & again by the limited design.
You can forget about comfortably using this hybrid in your lap; it's extremely difficult khổng lồ read text at such a steep angle. I could only get a decent look by arching my back và craning my neck into an uncomfortable position. On the bright side, the tablet's IPS display provides wide viewing angles, so the screen doesn't look washed out when viewed from a vertical angle.
If you want a hybrid that works well as a laptop – as in, something you actually plan to use in your lap – then you can stop reading this đánh giá right now. The Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000 is not the device for you, period. For tabletop use, the viewing angle is manageable, but not igiảm giá khuyến mãi.
Dell explains that it was necessary to limit the viewing angle to lớn keep the device from tipping over; otherwise, the keyboard would have sầu lớn be a lot heavier, or else the device would need a kickstand for tư vấn.
Desktop dock
Surprisingly, the Venue 11 Pro 7000 actually works better as a desktop computer than it does a laptop. That's thanks to Dell's desktop doông chồng, which simultaneously charges your slate while offering a slew of extra ports so you can hook up accessories like a desktop keyboard, mouse và external hard drive sầu, as well as a large monitor.
The back of the doông chồng has two USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port and a DisplayPort. The front side of the dock adds an extra USB port (bringing the total lớn five sầu, including the port on the side of the tablet) and an audio jachồng. The inclusion of two video clip out ports (HDXiaoMi MI và DisplayPort) is especially notable, since it lets you easily connect two external monitors without plugging extra wires inkhổng lồ the tablet itself. The Surface Pro 3 dochồng, in comparison, has only a single mini DisplayPort.
Much like the keyboard dochồng, the desktop dock puts the tablet at a fixed angle, though it's a more comfortable one. When mix beside a desktop monitor, I found the docked Venue 11 Pro to lớn be highly usable as a secondary display.
Connecting the tablet khổng lồ the doông xã is as easy as setting it down on a single connector. To disconnect it, just lift – no extra button presses requires.
On the whole, I still lượt thích Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 doông chồng better, since it doesn't require you to lớn blindly line up a connector at the bottom of the device. The design also lets you keep the keyboard attached, something that's not possible with Dell's setup.
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Stylus support
While the Surface Pro 3 comes with both a stylus và a pressure-sensitive display, Dell's tablet comes with neither. That means you'll have to lớn shell out an extra $35 for Dell's active sầu stylus if you want khổng lồ take notes and draw diagrams on the tablet's screen.
In the case of the Venue 11 Pro 7000, pressure sensitivity comes from the tip of the pen, not from the display. Results are mixed: pressure sensitivity works pretty well, but my strokes don't feel as clean or as accurate as on the Surface, and I don't have as much control over the weight of my lines. Plus, there's a noticeable wobble to my strokes no matter how quickly I write. Accurate pressure sensitivity is an important feature for digital note-takers; regular capacitive sầu styluses don't offer enough control for inking to lớn feel clean and natural. That's one area where the Surface Pro 3 beats the Venue 11 Pro 7000 by leaps và bounds.
My handwriting isn't great, but you can see the difference in the unique of pen strokes in this comparison shot. Writing on the Surface Pro 3 feels lượt thích writing with a regular pen, since the device can produce quick, clean lines. Lines on the Venue 11 Pro 7000, in comparison, are thicker & irregular.
Inking on the screen while docked with the keyboard is also awkward at best, since you can't tip the Venue 11 Pro 7000's screen baông chồng far enough khổng lồ achieve a reasonable angle for writing.
The Venue's narrow 16:9 aspect ratio can also feel a bit awkward for note-taking when the device is in portrait mode, especially compared with the Surface Pro 3's wider 3:2 aspect ratio, which is more like the dimensions of a regular piece of paper. If you're used lớn jotting notes on a standard legal pad, you might find yourself feeling boxed in on the Dell.
There's no place to stow the stylus directly on the device when it's not in use, but the Surface Pro 3 has the same issue.
Performance
The Venue 11 Pro 7000's performance falls somewhere between the Vi xử lý Core i5 và Atom processor models, both of which launched last year. Think of it as a compromise: you sacrifice a bit of power from the bộ vi xử lý Core i5 for a tablet that's significantly slimmer & lighter than that Model, but much speedier than the Atom version. Core M can provide good performance without the need for a bulky internal fan.
The processor, combined with 4GB of RAM, is more than adequate for everyday productivity tasks such as managing your gmail inbox or editing spreadsheets & documents. I found that programs opened and closed quickly, and switching between applications was snappy. I rarely noticed slowdown, even during more processor-intensive sầu tasks like light pholớn editing in Photosiêu thị.
Ports
All the ports you'd expect from an ultraportable notebook are present on the Venue 11 Pro. The left side has the charging port, a single USB 3.0 port và a mini HDXiaoMI port, which could come in handy for showing business presentations on a large TV or monitor. The right side has a full-kích thước SD thẻ slot so you can expand the slate's internal storage.
Battery life
Business users will appreciate the Venue 11 Pro 7000's long battery life. The device is rated to last about 8-10 hours, và an external battery in the keyboard dochồng increases the slate's longevity by about 50 percent. After using the Pro 7000 for most of the workday, we found that the battery was only about halfway drained. That should please business users who need a sản phẩm điện thoại device with staying power.
Display
A 10.8-inch display is pretty large for a tablet. Unfortunately, it's not really large enough for split-screen multitasking. I tried writing part of this nhận xét on the Venue 11 Pro 7000, with my document on one side of the screen & my Web browser open on the other. I quickly decided that I was better off switching back và forth between the windows, since there just isn't enough space here.
Compared with the Surface Pro 3 – which sports a larger 12.2-inch display và is pictured here on the right – the Venue 11 Pro 7000's screen feels cramped. The Surface Pro 3 also pushes more pixels (2,160 x 1,440) than the Venue 11 Pro 7000 (1,9trăng tròn x 1,080). That extra resolution makes a big difference in terms of how much nội dung can be seen on-screen at once. On the other hvà, the Dell's resolution is pretty good if you plan lớn use the device primarily as a tablet, with full-screen Windows Store apps.
The IPS display is otherwise quite sharp and bright. Text is crisp & readable, và viewing angles are very good.
Software
The Venue 11 Pro 7000 comes with a pristine installation of Windows 8.1 Pro, free from the useless preloaded apps that plague other tablets. The Pro version has some nice perks for business users, including the ability lớn liên kết your computer khổng lồ a corporate tên miền network. It also comes with some extra security features, like tư vấn for BitLocker, which encrypts your hard drive sầu. Finally, Windows 8.1 Pro includes the ability for your computer lớn act as a remote desktop host, so you can access your files and apps from another PC.
Configurations
The Venue 11 Pro 7000 starts at $699 with a Core M-5Y10 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Our reviews Mã Sản Phẩm costs an extra $50 và has 128GB of storage, but is otherwise identical. The top-kết thúc model costs $829 with a speedier bộ vi xử lý Core M-5Y71 chip, but the same 4GB of RAM & 128GB of storage.
Bottom line
The Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000 is a well-designed device, và with its wide range of accessories, it mostly fulfills Dell's promise of replacing your tablet, máy tính xách tay and desktop computer with a single device – with a few big caveats.
If you're looking for a máy tính xách tay first, don't even consider the Venue 11 Pro 7000. The keyboard doông chồng has good keys and a solid trackpad, but also one fatal design flaw: you simply can't tip the screen baông xã far enough khổng lồ get a reasonable viewing angle, especially while using the device on your lap.
If you want to use it primarily for digital note-taking, Dell's active sầu stylus makes the Venue 11 Pro 7000 a decent choice. Still, its pen performance is mediocre compared to lớn tablets with pressure-sensitivity built into lớn the display.
Dell's hybrid really shines as a desktop PC that can double as a portable tablet when undocked, though.
Still, it's hard to recommend the $699 Venue 11 Pro 7000 over the $799 bộ vi xử lý Core i3-powered Surface Pro 3, unless you can't afford the extra $100 for Microsoft's slate. The Surface offers a sharper 12.2-inch display và comparable docking capabilities, & the fact that it comes with a pen & pressure-sensitive sầu display out of the box helps offset the cost. The Surface Pro 3's biggest weakness is that its reliance on a kickst& makes it less stable in your lap, but at least you can get a decent view of the screen. Unless you greatly prefer the slightly smaller footprint of the Venue 11 Pro 7000, Microsoft's tablet is the better productivity machine in most respects.
