I had been in the market for a new tablet for about six months. I'm heavy on Samsung equipment (Note Edge for a phone, two generations of Galaxy Tabs, wife has a Galaxy S5), but I was getting bored with their offerings so I decided to see what else was out there. When I came here and read the reviews on the Venue 8 as well as previews of the Venue 10, I decided to give it a go. I have to say, I'm quite pleased thus far with my decision.
I purchased the 32GB version along with the Keyboard and Dell's own carrying case. My first impression when I pulled it out of the box was the tablet itself felt solid. Since it has the battery / speaker barrel at the bottom, it does add a little extra weight when compared to other tablets, but it's not so noticeable that it makes your arm tired when holding it. Dell specifications state that the tablet itself weighs 1.31 lbs. My hand cradles the barrel and makes it easier to hold (that's always been a gripe of mine, flat tablets are a pain to hold). The casing has a durable build and the screen has a thin bezel.
When I turned it on and finalized set up, I couldn't help but notice the quality of the 2560 x 1600 display. Though the brightness was set half way, the dark colors on the default 3D wallpaper (which is kinda cool in its own right) were vibrant, crisp, and clear. I upped the brightness a bit and the images popped off the screen. Videos play with smooth transition, high def is truly "high def"; the OLED display is definitely the way to go.
Battery life is excellent, it has been three days of normal use without shutting it off or recharging and I still have 44% left. Charging isn't as fast as my Note Edge (which is lightning fast), but it's definitely faster than my Galaxy Tabs. I haven't actually timed how long it takes to go from low to full charge, I would say that it's no more than a couple hours. The manual says 7 hours (!!) from zero to 100%, but that doesn't seem right to me; I'll time it and let you know.
The speakers are mounted in the barrel and produce a very good, loud, clear tone. The bass is not as deep as I would like, but then again, this is a tablet, not a stereo system. They are FAR better than any other tablet (or non-gaming laptop) design; you can turn it up and not lose quality.
The outside casing has a typical power button next to a volume up and down bar on the left hand edge. There are three microphone pick-ups, two on the top left edge and one on the left side edge. There are two cameras - a 2MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear facing camera. The rear camera also has a camera "bar" that pairs with Dell's software allowing you to take photos with a greater feeling of depth; Dell calls this RealSense technology. We're not talking 3D, but, it does add more clarity to the image and provides a feeling of depth when compared to normal photos. Along the right edge, you will find an micro SD card slot, a headphone port and a micro USB charging port.
The keyboard attaches to two magnetic, gear looking slots on either side of the barrel. Removing the keyboard is as easy as opening the tablet beyond a 45 degree angle. Hold the tablet in one hand and the keyboard in the other and they disengage with little effort. I saw others posting their problems with keyboard pairing, but I have none of that here. Line up the slots, the magnet pulls it in and android immediately pairs the two together.
You can definitely tell that the keyboard and tablet are of two different designs. The tablet feels like a strong aluminum case, while the keyboard is made of lightweight plastic. It's not that it feels flimsy (by any means), it's exactly where it should be. Anything heavier would only add to the overall weight of the unit when paired together. When paired with the tablet, the entire unit is just over .5 inches thick (but the barrel is about .75 inches thick).
The keys are flat, but have a good feeling "click" to them (I hate keyboards that don't give some sort of feedback that they've been pressed). They don't feel crammed onto the keyboard at all; I find that I can keep my hands in the same position as my desktop keyboard without issue. Also worth noting is the back light behind the keyboard that illuminates with a "white blue" hue when you touch a key or the pad. If you don't like it, you can turn it off via a function key, but it's fantastic for low light situations and doesn't appear to drain the battery any faster with it turned on.
Speaking of function keys, here's what's included:
Back button
Mute
Volume Down
Volume Up
Previous Track
Pause / Play
Next Track
App Drawer pop-up (shows in a scrollable list rather than full screen)
Action Menu
Search
Backlit Keyboard Toggle
Brightness Down
Brightness Up
Screen Lock
There's also an Android Home button to the left of the space bar as well as a set of arrow keys on the right with alt actions including page up, down, home, and end.
If there's one gripe that I have it would be with the sensitivity of the mouse pad. You can't be lazy and lay your palms on the front casing or you're definitely going to hit the edge of the pad. Sometimes I catch myself barely brushing it and it registers the action. Unfortunately, there are no controls to turn it off (hardware or software) and you can't adjust the sensitivity. So, I'm forced to teach myself to stop being lazy and bring my hands up off the keyboard. Actually, it's probably a good thing; I type a lot and my hands tend to ache (probably getting carpal tunnel); forcing me into better habits can only help in the long run.
Also worth note, I've never really been a fan of mouse pads to begin with, I've always considered myself a "mouse man." So, I purchased a bluetooth mouse from Amazon; it paired and is working flawlessly. Now, I can log into work through VMWare Horizon View app and use it like a normal laptop - mouse and keyboard.
In the terms of apps that came pre-bloated when I powered on, most of them were ones I would download anyway. I recall Dropbox (one-year, 20GB free through Dell), Flipboard, Dell Cast, Flixter, McAfee Security, Polaris Office 5 (full version), Skitch, Skype, Pintrest, Vine (but interestingly enough, no Facebook or Twitter, had to load those on my own).
All in all, I am extremely happy with my purchase. I would recommend this combo to anyone that can afford it. The sleek design, the functional features and the vibrant display make you feel like you're in a Lexus.
I purchased the 32GB version along with the Keyboard and Dell's own carrying case. My first impression when I pulled it out of the box was the tablet itself felt solid. Since it has the battery / speaker barrel at the bottom, it does add a little extra weight when compared to other tablets, but it's not so noticeable that it makes your arm tired when holding it. Dell specifications state that the tablet itself weighs 1.31 lbs. My hand cradles the barrel and makes it easier to hold (that's always been a gripe of mine, flat tablets are a pain to hold). The casing has a durable build and the screen has a thin bezel.
When I turned it on and finalized set up, I couldn't help but notice the quality of the 2560 x 1600 display. Though the brightness was set half way, the dark colors on the default 3D wallpaper (which is kinda cool in its own right) were vibrant, crisp, and clear. I upped the brightness a bit and the images popped off the screen. Videos play with smooth transition, high def is truly "high def"; the OLED display is definitely the way to go.
Battery life is excellent, it has been three days of normal use without shutting it off or recharging and I still have 44% left. Charging isn't as fast as my Note Edge (which is lightning fast), but it's definitely faster than my Galaxy Tabs. I haven't actually timed how long it takes to go from low to full charge, I would say that it's no more than a couple hours. The manual says 7 hours (!!) from zero to 100%, but that doesn't seem right to me; I'll time it and let you know.
The speakers are mounted in the barrel and produce a very good, loud, clear tone. The bass is not as deep as I would like, but then again, this is a tablet, not a stereo system. They are FAR better than any other tablet (or non-gaming laptop) design; you can turn it up and not lose quality.
The outside casing has a typical power button next to a volume up and down bar on the left hand edge. There are three microphone pick-ups, two on the top left edge and one on the left side edge. There are two cameras - a 2MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear facing camera. The rear camera also has a camera "bar" that pairs with Dell's software allowing you to take photos with a greater feeling of depth; Dell calls this RealSense technology. We're not talking 3D, but, it does add more clarity to the image and provides a feeling of depth when compared to normal photos. Along the right edge, you will find an micro SD card slot, a headphone port and a micro USB charging port.
The keyboard attaches to two magnetic, gear looking slots on either side of the barrel. Removing the keyboard is as easy as opening the tablet beyond a 45 degree angle. Hold the tablet in one hand and the keyboard in the other and they disengage with little effort. I saw others posting their problems with keyboard pairing, but I have none of that here. Line up the slots, the magnet pulls it in and android immediately pairs the two together.
You can definitely tell that the keyboard and tablet are of two different designs. The tablet feels like a strong aluminum case, while the keyboard is made of lightweight plastic. It's not that it feels flimsy (by any means), it's exactly where it should be. Anything heavier would only add to the overall weight of the unit when paired together. When paired with the tablet, the entire unit is just over .5 inches thick (but the barrel is about .75 inches thick).
The keys are flat, but have a good feeling "click" to them (I hate keyboards that don't give some sort of feedback that they've been pressed). They don't feel crammed onto the keyboard at all; I find that I can keep my hands in the same position as my desktop keyboard without issue. Also worth noting is the back light behind the keyboard that illuminates with a "white blue" hue when you touch a key or the pad. If you don't like it, you can turn it off via a function key, but it's fantastic for low light situations and doesn't appear to drain the battery any faster with it turned on.
Speaking of function keys, here's what's included:
Back button
Mute
Volume Down
Volume Up
Previous Track
Pause / Play
Next Track
App Drawer pop-up (shows in a scrollable list rather than full screen)
Action Menu
Search
Backlit Keyboard Toggle
Brightness Down
Brightness Up
Screen Lock
There's also an Android Home button to the left of the space bar as well as a set of arrow keys on the right with alt actions including page up, down, home, and end.
If there's one gripe that I have it would be with the sensitivity of the mouse pad. You can't be lazy and lay your palms on the front casing or you're definitely going to hit the edge of the pad. Sometimes I catch myself barely brushing it and it registers the action. Unfortunately, there are no controls to turn it off (hardware or software) and you can't adjust the sensitivity. So, I'm forced to teach myself to stop being lazy and bring my hands up off the keyboard. Actually, it's probably a good thing; I type a lot and my hands tend to ache (probably getting carpal tunnel); forcing me into better habits can only help in the long run.
Also worth note, I've never really been a fan of mouse pads to begin with, I've always considered myself a "mouse man." So, I purchased a bluetooth mouse from Amazon; it paired and is working flawlessly. Now, I can log into work through VMWare Horizon View app and use it like a normal laptop - mouse and keyboard.
In the terms of apps that came pre-bloated when I powered on, most of them were ones I would download anyway. I recall Dropbox (one-year, 20GB free through Dell), Flipboard, Dell Cast, Flixter, McAfee Security, Polaris Office 5 (full version), Skitch, Skype, Pintrest, Vine (but interestingly enough, no Facebook or Twitter, had to load those on my own).
All in all, I am extremely happy with my purchase. I would recommend this combo to anyone that can afford it. The sleek design, the functional features and the vibrant display make you feel like you're in a Lexus.
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