"Whether you're a consumer or a business user, you can't go wrong with
the Venue 11 Pro 7140. Its weight and performance are among the best in
the business. I just wish they'd kept the detachable rear panel and
added an 8 megapixel front camera."
When TechRadar Pro reviewed the original Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130
in April, we praised it for its versatility and power. The machine,
which we gave a rare 4.5 out of 5 stars, stood toe-to-toe with the best
enterprise tablet on the market at the time - Microsoft's Surface Pro 2. Since that review, Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 3 (starting at $799, £495, AU$900) and Apple launched the iPad Air 2
(starting at $499, £399, AU$620), two near-perfect machines that will
force enterprises to rethink whether or not to convert from laptop to
tablet fleets. Not
to be undone, Dell has updated the Venue 11 Pro with a faster and
lighter model capable of holding more information. The new tablet, the
10.8-inch Dell Venue 11 Pro 7140, (starting at $699, £430, AU$795) which
will launch on November 11, features improved battery life and nearly
inaudible fan-less performance.
Dell's enterprise devices
When
you think of sexy devices for work and play, Dell probably doesn't pop
into your head. The company's CEO and namesake Michael Dell, who
famously proclaimed Dell "no longer a PC company" in 2012, has
dramatically shifted Dell's focus from PC powerhouse to back-end
enterprise solutions provider. From 2001-2006 Dell was the big dog in
the PC market, with its market share hovering around 17%. Today, Dell is
lucky to crack 12%. Despite its consumer PC slump, Dell
has always been excellent at listening to the wants and needs of the
business user, a characteristic that has propelled it toward the top
echelon of enterprise workstations and and laptops. Although we found
the Dell OptiPlex 9030 and Dell Latitude 13 7000 2-in-1 to be duds, we were generally impressed by The Dell Precision M6800 laptop, the Dell Precision T7610 workstation, and the Dell Wyse 5123 all-in-one. None
of these devices receives higher marks than the Dell Venue 11 Pro 7140 -
an ideal tablet capable of outgunning the best enterprise laptops and
tablets on the market.
Speed and quiet
The
first thing users will notice is how much lighter the 7140 is compared
to its earlier counterpart. The original model, which weighed 1.70
pounds, featured a Core i5 processor that required cooling fans to
regulate temperature. The updated model, which weighs only 1.55 pounds,
is packed with an Intel Core M Broadwell processor. Core M processors
don't require fans, which not only reduces the heft associated with
tablets, it also reduces the noise you'll hear. I tested this device for
an hour and never heard a peep. The weight reduction
puts the Venue 11 Pro in rarified company among elite enterprise-capable
tablets. The Surface Pro 3 and Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro, for example,
weigh-in at 1.75 and 2.6 pounds, respectively. The Venue 11 Pro doesn't
even come close to being the lightest business-ready tablet on the
market: the iPad Air 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 weigh in at 0.96
pounds and 1.03 pounds, respectively.
Cons and early verdict
Battery life
The device, when coupled with Dell's
Tablet Keyboard, can run for approximately 18 hours (nine hours for the
tablet and nine hours with the accompanying keyboard). This is a
dramatic improvement over the original Venue 11 Pro, which ran for a
measly 3 hours and 54 minutes sans keyboard and 7 hours and 2 minutes
with the keyboard. However, the new device is still neck-and-neck with
the Surface Pro 3 and iPad Air 2, which feature isolated battery lives
of 9 and 10 hours, respectively. The
updated Venue 11 Pro offers excellent port access for a tablet, even
without the Dell Tablet Docking Station. As a standalone model, users
have access to a Full USB 3.0 port, a Micro USB port, a Micro HDMI port
and a Full SD card slot.
Camera fail
When
we reviewed the 7130 in April, we weren't happy with the 2 megapixel
front camera. Unfortunately, nothing has changed with the update.
Because of its awful quality, the front camera should not be used for
snapping pics. As our reviewer noted in April, users are best advised to
use the front camera for video calls only. The 7140, like the 7130,
features an 8 megapixel camera on the backside of the device, which is
industry standard. One thing we loved about the 7130 was
its removable rear panel, which gave users access to a removable
battery, and SSD and wireless chips. We'd never seen a feature like this
prior to the 7130 … and it looks like we'll never see one again. Dell
decided to scrap the removable panel. So long, do-it-yourself battery
replacement. Hello, field service calls. Bad choice, Dell.
Can't complain
Other
than these two gripes, users will absolutely love the 7140. The screen -
like the 7130 - is crisp at 1920 X 1080 resolution (although it doesn't
compare to the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2's 2560 X 1900 resolution). The
MaxxAudio by Waves-powered audio produces powerful volume and bass (as
tested by Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance) and the touchscreen keyboard is
full-width, with perfectly spaced keys that make grizzled tech
journalists gleeful. Applications respond immediately
when activated, and the machine's soft-touch plastic and magnesium alloy
build make it a pleasure to handle. As with any
enterprise-ready Dell device, the Venue 11 Pro 7140 comes equipped with
Dell's industry-leading security tools. The 7140 features Dell's Data
Protection and Encryption and Dell's Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The
Data Protection tool will help your IT department enforce encryption
policies for sensitive information that lives in a system drive or in
external media. TPM is ideal for businesses that are trying to fend off
hackers looking to capture passwords and encryption keys, which should
be top-of-mind for any business with a large digital presence.
Early verdict
Dell
may not have surpassed the iPad Air 2 and the Surface Pro 3 in terms of
quality and performance just yet. But the Dell Venue 11 Pro 7140, like
its predecessor, puts Dell among the highest ranks of enterprise-ready
tablets. If you want something designed specifically for the business
user (as opposed to the consumer-focused iPad Air 2), but you don't want
to spend $100 extra bucks on the Surface Pro 3, then you can't go wrong
with the Venue 11 Pro 7140.
