The Pros
Sturdy yet handsome design; Bright and colorful 1080p display; Long battery life with optional keyboard dock; Fingerprint and smart card reader
The Cons
Performance trails closest competitors; MicroSD card access requires paperclip; Heavy with keyboard dock
Verdict
The Dell Venue 11 Pro delivers an Intel Core i5 processor, versatile docking and strong security for a premium price, but it's not as fast as other hybrids in its price range.
Thanks to its long battery life and versatile docking options, the $499 version of the Dell Venue 11 Pro is one of the better Windows 8 tablet values. But what if you're looking for more oomph than an Atom processor and stronger security? The pricier, $1,080 version of the Venue 11 Pro packs a more powerful Core i5 CPU and both security software and a fingerprint reader. Add in the $139 keyboard, and you have a compact hybrid that could replace your laptop.
Design
The Venue 11 Pro looks all business, with a removable, black, soft-touch rear panel that's resistant to fingerprints. It's surrounded by a hard-plastic, matte-gray border, which holds the rear-facing 8-megapixel camera and a large security-card slot. A chrome Dell logo in the center of the back is flanked by a NFC sticker and fingerprint scanner, a major addition for this version of the device.
Around the front of the tablet you'll see the 10.8-inch display surrounded by an inch-thick black bezel. A 2MP camera sits in the top center, while a Windows Home button rests along the bottom.
The 11 x 6.96 x 0.4~0.6-inch Venue 11 Pro is just as bulky as before, weighing a hearty 1.8 pounds. It's slightly heavier than the Atom-powered Venue 11 Pro (1.6 pounds, 11 x 6.96 x 0.4~0.6-inches), and the device's weight jumps to 3.3 pounds when combined with its keyboard dock.
Compare that to the 12-inch Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (11.45 x 7.8 x 0.36 inches), which weighs 1.76 pounds by itself and 2.4 pounds with the Type Cover attached. In other words, you get a bigger screen in the Surface in a thinner and lighter design.
The Toshiba Portege Z10t (11.8 x 7.4 x 0.49 inches) weighs 1.9 pounds by itself and 3.2 pounds with its keyboard dock. Coming in at 2.38 pounds, the Apple Macbook Air 11-inch is only slightly thicker (11.8 x 7.56 x 0.11-0.68 inches) than the Dell with its keyboard dock.
