Thoughts on the Dell Venue 11?

I currently use a Nexus 7.
It can be a little sluggish. Especially when web browsing and typing into Chrome, the text can lag behind what I am typing, and it usually then screws up what I was trying to type as it falls too far behind.
Other niggles I don't like about it: harder to get stuff onto it (love the idea of a full size USB port on the Venue 11), smaller screen when actually doing some productivity work (11 is the perfect size).

The 11 seems to be pretty decent. I like the size a lot. Seems to be pretty close in size to my old iPad 1. I thought about getting the Surface Pro that was on sale this week but it is ever so slightly thicker and heavier than I would like, and the battery life seems to be shorter than what I want, with its i5 processor. I don' think I need that much processing power in a tablet, the quad core Atom in the 11 should be plenty for me.

Any thoughts on the Venue 11? Seem to be a good tablet? Or should I keep looking?

Will probably add some sort of keyboard and a Razer bluetooth mouse to it.

EDIT2: What apps do you use currently?

Zinio. Office apps. Web browser. Cerner EMR thru Citrix.

Once I have an x86 with full Windows, whatever I want...

It is a great tablet that runs full windows. It can be used for light gaming, and runs office great. What specifically do you need to use it for?

I think you need to decide on your form factor first. Jumping from a 7" to 11" tablet is a huge change - have you looked at any larger tablets in person in a store?

Have you seen the Lenovo Miix 2 10 and 11?
The Bay Trail powered 10.1" is 0.3" thick/1.3lbs with 1920x1200 resolution. Comes with a keyboard dock/stand. $429 for 64GB version thru the barnes & noble store. Big fan of 1920x1200 instead of 1920x1080 when trying to use one of these tablets in portrait!

The Miix 2's don't have any pen support, while the Venue Pro 11 has mediocre pen support.

The 11.6" i5 powered version isn't out quite yet, but is supposed to be 0.43" thick, about 20% thinner than the Surface Pro.

Really happy so far with a Venue 11 pro 5130 here, coming from an Asus Transformer Prime TF201. Got so used to Android that I forget the capabilities of the Venue 11. I very seldom pick up the TF201 anymore.

Kueller said:

Have you seen the Lenovo Miix 2 10 and 11?
The Bay Trail powered 10.1" is 0.3" thick/1.3lbs with 1920x1200 resolution. Comes with a keyboard dock/stand. $429 for 64GB version thru the barnes & noble store. Big fan of 1920x1200 instead of 1920x1080 when trying to use one of these tablets in portrait!

The Miix 2's don't have any pen support, while the Venue Pro 11 has mediocre pen support.

The 11.6" i5 powered version isn't out quite yet, but is supposed to be 0.43" thick, about 20% thinner than the Surface Pro.

Click to expand...

I hadn't considered the Miix 2, but now I am since I saw that price. $529 for 128gb and a keyboard is a good deal.
Probably won't use the keyboard often, but it would be nice to have.
Don't care too much about pen support. Used to have an iPad 1, never once wished I had a pen.
Only downside to the Miix 2 that I can see is no full size USB on the tablet itself. It has to be docked on the keyboard for the full size USB.
Benefits are it is thinner and lighter, and you're right, better screen aspect ratio on the Miix. And hopefully the JBL speakers (plus subwoofer on the keyboard) would be better, the Venue 11 didn't have the most well reviewed speakers.

I'd stay away from the Venue 11 Pro for now. It's a bit of a train wreck. I bought two for work, had nothing but problems, and returned them after a few weeks...and I hadn't even gotten any of the accessories yet. If they get the issues figured out, it has the potential to be a great tablet.

"Train wreck" details here:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/mobile-devices/f/4586.aspx

Parja said:

I'd stay away from the Venue 11 Pro for now. It's a bit of a train wreck. I bought two for work, had nothing but problems, and returned them after a few weeks...and I hadn't even gotten any of the accessories yet. If they get the issues figured out, it has the potential to be a great tablet.

"Train wreck" details here:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/mobile-devices/f/4586.aspx

Click to expand...

Hmm, thanks for the feedback. Think I'll try the Miix 2 10". Unless it too is a train wreck. Haven't seen anything negative yet.

sprtnbsblplya said:

Hmm, thanks for the feedback. Think I'll try the Miix 2 10". Unless it too is a train wreck. Haven't seen anything negative yet.

Click to expand...

To be honest, I don't think anyone knows yet on the Miix 2 10". It's brand spanking new.
Make sure to post a review if you get the Miix 2 10".

I was having a hard time deciding between the Miix 2 10 and the Surface Pro for $499 this past weekend. I ended up ordering a SPro just because I didn't expect the price to stay so low and wanted to jump while I had the chance (it's back to $679, so good call there), but if I don't end up liking it I will return it. I don't really think I'll need the i5 horsepower of the SPro, and it's awfully thick/heavy for a tablet.

My Pros/Cons list looked like this:
Surface Pros:
$499 Price*
4GB RAM*
Build quality*
128GB SSD (not eMMC!)
Processing power
Wacom Pen

Surface Cons:
Battery life 4-5hrs*
Weight 2lbs*
Keyboard covers don't provide any screen support for lap use*
16:9 aspect ratio*
Heat/noise from cpu and fan*
Thickness 0.53"
Single position kickstand sucks
Keyboard is an extra $80-$200


Miix 2 10 Pros:
16:10 aspect ratio*
Weight 1.3lbs*
Thickness 0.3"
Battery life 8+ hrs*
Bay Trail Atom - Fanless, hopefully runs cool.
Keyboard dock/stand included

Miix 2 10 Cons:
2GB RAM*
64GB/128GB eMMC
No full size USB (does have microUSB though)
No Pen input
$529 for comparable 128GB model
Non-adjustable viewing angle when docked

Ultimately, I think the Miix2 is going to be the better tablet, and the Surface the better laptop substitute. Unfortunately for myself, I think I would get more use out of a tablet than a laptop substitute, so I may be returning my SPro.

I came to the same conclusions. Already have a good laptop, so I don't need a laptop replacement.
I think these new quad core atom tablets will be just that, great tablets with enough power to run Win8.1 and some lightweight Windows programs, with good battery life to boot.

Did you ever decide on anything? I am in the same boat and pissed I missed the surface pro deal.

annilation said:

Did you ever decide on anything? I am in the same boat and pissed I missed the surface pro deal.

Click to expand...

Decided on the Miix 2 10 inch tablet.
It has what I want. The 1920x1200 resolution seems a better ratio than what the Venue 11 offers.
I like the idea of these new quad core Atom powered tablets better than the Surface Pro tablets. Thinner, longer battery life, passive cooling and less heat. I really have no need for a laptop replacement tablet. I want something light like my old iPad 1.

Order placed!

Purchased the Barnes & Noble Gold discounted model.

• Windows 8.1 32
• 2 Cell 25 Watt Hour Li-Polymer
• Intel Atom Z3740 Processor (1.33GHz 2MB)
• 2.0GB LPDDR3 1066 MHz
• Bluetooth Version 4.0
• Lenovo BGN Wireless
• One year
• 128GB eMMC

Also ordered an additional charger to carry with me in the OR to keep it charged up on long days.

Total cost for the unit, charger, and tax (free shipping) is $612.

Estimated delivery date: Next Tuesday. Not bad for free shipping.

Edit: Miix 2 10 tablet already shipped, dang, that was fast! Separate 2nd charger hasn't shipped yet. Will provide some updates once I get it in my hands.

Did you get the laptop yet? Like it so far?