Dell Venue 11 review

Unlike 8in Windows tablets, such as the Toshiba Encore, we had no trouble working on the Windows Desktop with the Venue 11 Pro. We could see icons and text clearly because Dell has enabled 150 per cent text scaling by default. If you connect a USB keyboard, though, you’ll quickly bemoan the lack of a built-in kickstand.

If you use the optional docking station (£139, www.dell.co.uk), you can turn the Venue 11 Pro into something approximating a desktop PC. The dock has three USB3 ports, DisplayPort and HDMI video outputs, a 3.5mm headset jack and a Gigabit Ethernet port. The docking station conveniently holds the Venue 11 Pro in place.

You can also buy an optional keyboard dock (£160, www.dell.co.uk) for the Venue 11 Pro, but unfortunately Dell didn’t have a keyboard dock available for us to use in this review. However, it does look like a worthwhile purchase, as it has Chiclet keys, a small touchpad and an integrated battery. Dell claims the battery can extend the tablet’s battery life by up to 50 per cent. Of course, without testing the keyboard dock’s battery we won’t know how much longer you can expect the tablet to last with the keyboard dock attached.

By focusing on the business market with the Venue 11 Pro Dell has sensibly avoided any comparisons with Android, iOS and even Windows RT tablets. Instead, the Venue 11 Pro’s main rival is Microsoft’s own Surface Pro 2, although the Surface Pro 2 costs almost twice as much as the Venue 11 Pro.

If you fancy the Venue 11 Pro it might be a good idea to invest in the keyboard dock, as the touchscreen simply is best used for typing a quick email and web browsing rather than working on involved MS Office documents. Even so, for sheer flexibility, the Venue 11 Pro provides a good alternative to the Microsoft Surface Pro 2.