Dell Venue 8 Pro and Venue 8 Do Windows and Android

We like both of Dell’s Venue 8 tablets, but they’re entirely different devices, with different hardware and operating systems. They’re likely to appeal to different segments of the market, too. So, while our HotHardware Approved award applies to both tablets, we’re separating our conclusions here.



The Dell Venue 8 provides a nice balance of quality and performance for $179.99. The screen is eight inches of IPS, HD goodness, and although there are plenty of tablets with higher resolutions, we found the Venue 8’s display to be plenty bright and crisp for ordinary use. And while some of its hardware isn’t high-end, the Venue 8 covers the bases: it has solid front and back cameras, standard wireless connectivity options, and reasonable internal storage, with support for expanded storage (in the form of micro SD cards).

The Venue 8’s shortcomings aren’t surprises, given the price point. For one thing, it doesn’t offer the performance that we see in systems with higher price tags. The battery life, on the other hand, is an area where the Venue 8 could stand to improve.

The Venue 8 faces stiff competition from the Nexus 7, which sells for around $229. For a bit more, the Nexus 7 is better performer in our benchmarks and has a 1080p screen – not to mention a more recent version of Android.

Value for the price Impressive design: slim, light, and comfortable to use	Battery life lags behind its peers Middling graphics performance

Windows 8.1 looks good on the Dell Venue 8 Pro’s 8-inch screen. The display is easy to see from most angles and its multi-touch responsiveness is very good. Unless you absolutely insist on having a physical or in-bezel Start button on the front of your tablet, you’ll probably find the Venue 8 Pro to be well-designed and fun to use. It’s light enough for one hand, even when covered by the Folio case.

The quad-core Intel Atom Z3740D processor is a good choice, and the Venue 8 Pro performed well in normal usage benchmarks, but the tablet isn’t a graphics hero. If you’re a heavy duty entertainment buff, that might pose a problem, and a tablet with more graphics power and a higher resolution might be what you’re looking for.

The tablet carries a higher price tag than its Android-based cousin, but at $299.99, it’s not even a dollar more expensive than one of its close rivals, the new 8-inch Lenovo Miix 2, which has the same screen resolution and similar specs. Overall, the Venue 8 Pro has a lot to like. Its battery life is excellent and the tablet’s dual-band wireless chip means you can enjoy faster connections on dual-band networks than tablets with ordinary Wi-Fi. Not bad.

Solid Windows 8.1 experience on an 8-inch display Strong battery life Dual-Band Wireless	Trailing but decent graphics performance