Pros & Cons
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- All-day battery life.
- Bright, 1080p HD IPS touch display.
- Uses microUSB charging.
- Keyboard dock adds battery power.
- Desktop dock option.
- Swappable battery.
- Active stylus.
- Biometric security and TPM.
- Windows 8.1 Pro.
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- Only one USB 3.0 port.
- No stylus storage.
- Limited recline angle on keyboard dock hinge.
- Aggressive default screen dimming.
Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) Specs
| Battery Life | 6 hours 29 minutes |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-4300Y |
| Dimensions | 0.61 by 11 by 7 inches |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro |
| Screen Resolution | 1,920 by 1,080 pixels |
| Screen Size | 10.8 |
| Storage Capacity | 128 |
| Weight | 1.9 |
The Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) ($1,252.37 as tested) is the top-of-the-line version of our current Editors' Choice for entry-level business slate tablets, the Dell Venue 11 Pro. The Venue 11 Pro (7139) has an upgraded ultrabook-class processor and a similarly upgraded price. Our review unit had all the bells and whistles, including biometric security and TPM (Trusted Platform Module). Read on for a few minor nits to pick, but the short version says the Venue 11 Pro is our Editors' Choice for high-end business tablets.
Design and Features
The Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) is physically almost identical to the budget model Venue 11 Pro. As a slate tablet, it weighs 1.8 pounds and measures 0.61 by 11 by 7 inches (HWD). It fits well in the crook of your arm and you can comfortably use it with the Active Stylus ($31.49 when purchased separately) all day. You can purchase the tablet alone without the keyboard dock and stylus for $1,080.89. The Synaptics-based stylus has palm rejection and supports mouse hover so you can look at mouseover text on websites or easily work with graphic arts programs. About the only drawback to the stylus is that there isn't any storage for it in the tablet body or the Dell Tablet Keyboard dock. This is only slightly worse than the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, which uses a fragile plastic loop to hold the stylus.
View All The 10.8-inch, 10-point touch screen is a bright and clear IPS display, once you defeat the aggressive automatic screen dimming by fiddling with the tablet's power settings, that is. The default settings dim the screen so much that you can barely see it in a moderately lit room. You can view multiple page spreadsheets on the 1,920-by-1,080 resolution display, or kick back and enjoy streaming 1080p HD movies from your favorite online video service.
You'll find a fingerprint reader and a NFC reader on the back panel of the tablet, which is one of the reasons why it is 0.2 inches thicker than the budget Venue 11 Pro. TPM 1.2 is standard on this 7139 security version of the tablet, which you may need to fulfill IT or contract requirements. This is more convenient than the security jacket you have to buy separately and install on the HP ElitePad 900. Our previous Editors' Choice for high end slate tablets Dell Latitude 10 Enhanced Security also had a fingerprint reader and TPM 1.2. The back panel opens with a fingernail, so you can remove the standard 36-watt removable battery. Extra batteries are available (36Wh for $80.99; 32Wh for $71.99). That's a significant business coup, since most tablets come with sealed batteries.
