Tablets by stefan @ 2015-04-23
If you are looking for a professional looking convertible with the latest available low power consumption Intel Core M processor which is paired with 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and comes with a fully-fledged Windows 8.1 Pro operating system, then look no further, your answer is here!
At first we would like to thank DELL and Intel for sending us a sample of their latest Venue 11 Pro 7140 Convertible for testing and reviewing.
“Listen. Learn. Deliver. That’s what we’re about.
Dell empowers countries, communities, customers and people everywhere to use technology to realize their dreams. Customers trust us to deliver technology solutions that help them do and achieve more, whether they’re at home, work, school or anywhere in their world.”
With Windows 8.1 — for a smooth, versatile PC experience.
Versatile productivity
With a full-size mobile keyboard and desktop docking station, you can switch easily between desktop, laptop and tablet modes for a more flexible and versatile tablet experience. The Venue 11 Pro gives you 2-in-1 productivity with the portability of a tablet and power of a laptop plus the added experience of a desktop.
Access. Share. Connect.
Engineered to impress: The high-resolution 10.8" Full HD (1080p) display and wide viewing angles are perfect for creating a stunning presentation or watching your favorite HD movie.
A tablet that works for you
Personalized interaction
Pinpoint accuracy and easy annotation is made possible with 10-point touch typing capability and optional Dell Active Stylus support.
Conference technology
Meet remotely with the 8mp (rear)/2mp (front) cameras, SRS premium audio and adaptive noise cancelling using 2 mics for video conferencing and soft phone.
Better portability
The lightweight design makes Venue 11 Pro easy to carry with you while you’re on the go.
Leave your charger at home
Power through a full work day with the Venue 11 Pro. The new fanless design helps extend battery life and is virtually silent as you work. Add the optional Mobility Keyboard with embedded battery and extend battery life even longer between charges.
Performance you can count on
Do more and plug-in less
Powerful and efficient Intel® Core™ M processors boost application performance.
Give your productivity a boost
Connect multiple monitors, plug straight into your network for faster speeds and transfer files faster with USB 3.0.
Multitask like you mean it
The innovative Windows 8.1 operating system powers your current, Windows 7 and Windows XP applications, so multitasking is a snap.
Quicker access
With up to 128GB of expandable micro SD memory you’ll get generous file storage and quick transfer times.
To protect and secure
Anytime, anywhere protection: Dell Data Protection|Encryption (DDP|E) offers nondisruptive endpoint encryption solutions designed to protect data wherever it goes.
Built-in security
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a security hardware device that helps avoid attacks by hackers looking to capture passwords and encryption keys to sensitive data.
Restricted access
An optional biometric fingerprint reader and smart card reader provide multi-level authentication.
Industry-endorsed
The Venue 11 Pro meets industry certified security standards including FIPS and HIPAA.
Peace of mind
Protect your investment from drops or spills with available Accidental Damage Protection.
Your content. Anywhere, anytime.
Retrieve that document you forgot to take to the meeting. Edit a photo and share it with friends. Collaborate on a project. Show a video. With Dropbox, you can easily access all of your content anywhere on any device.
Dropbox
Put your stuff in Dropbox and get to it from any device. Dropbox lets you edit docs, share photos, and show off videos from anywhere. Even if something happens to your PC, your stuff is always safe in Dropbox. Get 20GB of Dropbox space included for a year with your purchase of a new Dell PC.
My Dell for your peace of mind
My Dell is an easy-to-use support tool that consolidates the information you need about your PC.
Proactive
Advice and alerts let you know about issues before they happen, and tools to fix them if they arise.
Simple
Get easy access to Dell support, warranty information and services to help you save time and reduce hassle.
Trustworthy
Dell Back-up and Recovery provides flexible, automated backup and recovery to ensure your precious pictures, music and files remain safe. This feature is accessible through the My Dell interface.
Expect more
Rest easy. Incredible value is standard at Dell. With services and support that stands out, you can always count on getting much more than just a PC.
Operating System
Windows 8.1 64-Bit
Processor
Intel® Core™ M 5Y71 Processor vPro (4MB L3 Cache, Dual –Core, 1.2GHz Base, 2.9GHz Max Turbo)
Display
10.8 inch wide angle viewing Display with FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution with 10-pt capacitive touch.
Graphics Card
Intel® HD Graphics 5300
Memory
8GB 1600MHz Memory
Storage
256GB Sold State Storage
Connectivity
Intel® 7265 Dual-Band 2x2 802.11 ac WiFi + Bluetooth® 4.0
Power
Battery
38Whr Lithium Ion battery (Field Replaceable)
Power Adapter
24 Watt AC adapter (micro USB charging)
Charge via optional docking station
Dimensions
Starting weight
722.6g (1.59lb) Venue 11 Pro (7140 WLAN)
Dimensions:
Width: 11.01” / 279.8mm
Depth: 0.42”/ 10.75mm
Ports, Slots & Chassis
Weight
757.3g (1.69lb) Venue 11 Pro (7140 WLAN/LTE)
Dimensions
Width: 11.01 inches / 279.8mm
Ports, Slots (WLAN)
USB 3.0 full size,micro HDMI, BT 4.0, Dual band Wi-Fi: 2x2 11ac,Intel WiDi, Miracast, Sensor Hub (Gyro, G-sensor, Proximity),microSD™ card slot
The Dell Venue 11 Pro is one of the latest convertibles from the company, which proposes to replace both ultrabook and tablet functionality with a single device. In order for the Venue 11 Pro to attain “ultrabook” status, it would need purchasing additional accessories like a keyboard dock. This tablet is equipped with the Intel Core M-5Y71 Processor on 14nm, with is a dual-core part with enabled Hyperthreading; the TDP of this processor is configurable between 3.5W and 6W, comes with Intel HD Graphics 5300 for delivering better 3D performances than the previous gen and in order to be able to run multiple applications at once, Dell has equipped the product with 8GB of RAM. The tablet also comes with a 256GB SSD on which we have pre-installed Windows 8.1 Pro, ready to be integrated inside a domain. Let’s go ahead with the product presentation and see what we are dealing with here; the Venue 11 Pro comes shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard box, without a lot of technical presentations and features/specifications on the top layer:
On the bottom side we will be only able to spot a serial number:
After removing the said layer, we will end up with a smaller enclosure, which holds the main product on the top, wrapped inside a transparent plastic cover:
The rest of the bundle can be spotted on the bottom layer of the box:
Speaking of the accessories, we will get the USB charging cable, the power adapter and plug, but also some documentation:
The plug assembly is quite compact and was thought in such way so it consumes minimal space inside our travel bag:
The power adapter comes with the manufacturer logo printed on it and in front we can also spot a small white activity LED:
On its back, we can read that this adapter is rated at 24W:
Here is a view with the complete assembly:
The documentation is composed from two parts: Warranty, Safety and Regulatory Information but also one Quick Start Guide
The Quick Start Guide will guide us on how to perform the initial steps in order to get everything in order for using the tablet:
Dell has printed onto the protective plastic layer the location of the main interfaces which we will use before the first initialization: the Power button along with the charging port:
The Venue Pro 11 7140 tablet weighs about 722.6g and its dimensions are 279.8mm x 176.4mm x 10.75 mm (W x D x H), which does not exactly recommend it to be used outside for taking photos or shooting videos, but for productivity reasons the product does very well. The display comes with 10.8’’ dimensions and is an 16:9 IPS FHD, which features 10-point multi-touch capabilities (Samsung SDC4C48 8-bit panel to be more exact); in the lower area of the screen we have the Windows capacitive button, which can be also used to wake up the tablet when in stand-by :
On top we have the 2MP shooter for conferences:
If we turn the tablet on the other side, we will be able to spot the removable cover, which has a rubberized finish to it; thanks to this feature, we will be able to replace the M.2 SSD with another, more spacious one, but keep in mind that it would only fit type 2260 as some forum members of TabletPCReview have already investigated:
The top camera comes with an 8MP sensor and is a bit angled:
In the middle we have a nice, chromed Dell logo:
Further down we will get to see the Intel Core M logo, along with an additional sticker with plenty of serial numbers:
The Windows 8 Pro logo is also present here in order to remind us that we are dealing with a fully registered, authentic release:
Upon a closer inspection, we could spot a NFC logo a little bit to the left:
Dell has designed the Venue 11 Pro in order to be able to be kept comfortably by using rounded edges and all interfaces will be found on the sides of the product; on the right side we’ve got the chassis lock port, one speaker, the microSD card slot which is accompanied by a small screw which needs to be removed in order to get the back cover off, one Power button but also the charging LED:
In the lower area we’ve got the docking connector around with two openings for the keyboard lock dock:
To the left, we have got one combo headset jack, the volume rocker, one Reset port hole, the second speaker, the micro-USB 2.0 for charging purposes only, one micro-HDMI port, but also a full-sized USB 3.0 port:
On the top side of the tablet we have one small microphone port available:
After the initial settings setup, we will be presented with the usual Windows 8.1 start screen, which is quite handy in case we are using a laptop (not the same thing we can say with desktop PCs):
The full list of pre-installed applications can be easily located here:
Before activation, the Windows 8.1 Pro and build number watermarks will still show on the desktop, and Dell saw fit to also pre-install some software of its own:
In order to be able to activate Windows and perform the necessary updates, we will connect to a suitable nearby Wi-Fi network:
Logging in to a Microsoft account is not necessary in order to access the Store and here we will be able to browse lots of applications, free or paid:
From here we will pick up TabletMark benchmarking software, which we will later use in order to compare this tablet performances with the previously tested iPad Air 2 16GB:
After we have checked the Display section, we have seen that Dell has saw fit to use a magnification factor of 150%, in order to make the text easier to read, but also to help with the touch screen interface; with this type of magnification, some applications might show blurred text and in order to switch back to 100%, a log-out -> log in procedure will be required:
One of the Dell applications takes care of the Security Tools like Encryption, Enrollments, Password Manager and other Administrator Settings:
From the Encryption area we will be able to see the status of the currently installed partitions on the drive:
The Enrollments section comes with multiple sub-menus on the left side, for facilitating security:
Dell Backup and Recovery menu comes in its Basic Edition form and presents us with a similar interface for performing different tasks like data backup, bootable backups, backup manager and more:
From the Power Manager section, we will be able to see more details regarding the battery status and also options for optimizing the battery life:
One very useful feature is the Update section, which, depending on the setup we have, it will search for the latest driver updates, BIOS, firmware and install them as well:
Next we could remind of the Dell Digital Delivery, which will also help with updating Dell-specific software:
After all applications have been updated, we will surely get asked to register our product in order to gain additional support:
If we do not prefer the Dell software Update section offers, we can always download all available drivers/BIOS updates/firmware from the manufacturers’ website and install them one-by-one:
A trial version of Office has also been pre-installed, which we can try anytime:
As we have mentioned before, this convertible is equipped with one of the latest processors from Intel, the Broadwell-Y series Intel Core M-5Y71 which can go up in frequency till 2.9GHz if the conditions are met and does also feature HyperThreading:
Also thanks to CPU-Z, we will be able to find some more details on the installed mainboard:
This Venue 11 Pro model has pre-installed 8GB of DDR3 RAM which is clocked at 1600MHz:
The presence of the Intel HD Graphics 5300 IGP is also confirmed here, but we will find more about it via AIDA64:
Speaking of the wonderful AIDA64 software, we can check the temperature sensor status of the CPU, along with the voltages and very low power consumption of Core M while in IDLE:
The CPU section will inform us more about the processor characteristics along with current usage per each HTT core:
The Motherboard section confirms the tablet code name, along with some extra memory bus frequencies information:
Next, we can check out both Broadwell IMC and PCH info:”
AIDA64 is also able to offer us more details regarding the display:
The integrated graphics controller is also baptized Broadwell-Y GT2 and here we will learn of its operating frequencies, in both IDLE and Turbo modes:
The SanDisk X110 M.2 2260 256GB SSD is pre-installed inside the unit and we will check out its performances a little bit later:
Let’s begin our testing saga by using the CrystalDiskMark disk benchmarking software and see what we have got:
PCMark v8 is offering quite a bit of testing scenarios: Home conventional, Creative conventional but also Work conventional; here are the detailed results:
Next we will proceed with the CineBench R11.5 and R15 suites; we would like to think that the performance is quite relative with these ones since they consume quite of CPU power and throttling might kick in:
Here we also have multiple SuperPi runs at 512K, 1M, 2M and 4M:
After we have ran the full 3DMark Suite, here we have the detailed results:
Fire Strike
Sky Diver
Cloud Gate
Ice Storm
The BAPCo TabletMark v3 software is more interesting because we can compare the results with our previously tested tablet:
With the same software, we have also ran the Battery Life test, which ran for an impressive 632 minutes, in default mode, without adjusting anything in terms of screen brightness and so on:
In order to get a closer look at the performance differences versus the iPad Air 2 16GB, we have built some charts:
Here is also the comparison of the scores in all 13 iterations, which ran during the Battery Life test:
As expected, the Full-HD Samsung SDC4C48 8-bit panel offers very good viewing angles, without any color distortions.
Thanks to the new 14nm Broadwell processors from Intel, the Dell Venue 11 Pro tablet no longer needs active cooling, it is all passive but as soon as the processor is reaching near 90 degrees Celsius, the throttling process will drop the multiplier in the 1.9-2GHz zone. With AIDA64 on one side and with the X264 encoding benchmark on the other, we could see the temperature raise rapidly and it settled at the throttling point:
IDLE
Throttling temperature
Throttling temperature + TDP drop
CPU-Z multiplier while throttling
The current direction of the convertibles is very interesting, because we can have two devices in one by just purchasing the additional keyboard dock as an accessory and thanks to the full-sized USB 3.0 port we can connect one of the available extension devices as we have seen from HIS in order to get additional video outputs, plenty of USBs (2.0 and 3.0), LAN but also extra audio ports. The stereo speakers are of good quality and do not distort even at higher volume levels.
With the ability of installing regular applications on a fully-fledged Windows 8.1 Pro release we could say we have a winner on our hands; we could add to this the upgrade-ability feature thanks to the removable back cover and the very good battery life (38Whr capacity).
Regarding playing games, we are a little bit reserved and we would say that users should stick to old titles and use a system with a dedicated video card for running the latest and the greatest; titles from the Windows Store should play alright though.
The device as tested can be acquired from Dell for about $1099 and if we would like to acquire the keyboard too, the Slim model will set us back about $69.99, while the Mobile version $154.
We would like to thank again to DELL and Intel for making this review possible!
