Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 Tablet Review Update

For the original German review, see here.
We're already familiar with the Dell Venue 11 Pro: In January 2014, we reviewed a model from this line. That version ran on a Core i3 processor; our current test device boasts of a Core i5. The new processor looks better on paper, but does the tablet really gain anything? Is it worth it to pay the higher price compared to the Core i3 model? Our review reveals the answers.
The Venue 11 Pro's competition consists of business tablets manufactured by other companies, for instance the Lenovo ThinkPad 10 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 3.
Since the two Venue 11 Pro models are structurally identical, we won't cover the case, connectivity, display or speakers in detail. See our review of the Core i3 version of the Venue 11 Pro for more information on these subjects.
Display
The Venue 11 Pro is equipped with the same display as its sister model. This is a bright, high-contrast IPS display with stable viewing angles. The measurements we recorded were a little different for the two panels, but this is normal. Two structurally identical displays never register 100% identical results.
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Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 397 cd/m²
Contrast: 916:1 (Black: 0.43 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.43 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 8.04 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
Gamma: 2.38
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 HD Graphics 4200, 4300Y, LiteOnIT LJT-256L6G-11 M.2 2260 256GB | Dell Venue 11 Pro HD Graphics 4200, 4020Y, 128 GB SATA SSD | Lenovo ThinkPad 10 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3795, SanDisk SEM64G | Microsoft Surface Pro 3 HD Graphics 4400, 4300U, Hynix HFS128G3MNM | Dell Venue 11 Pro 5130 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3770, Samsung MCG8GC | Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro HD Graphics 4000, 3337U, 128 GB SATA SSD | Microsoft Surface Pro 2 HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hynix HFS128G3MNM | HP ElitePad 1000 G2 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3795, 128 GB eMMC Flash | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | ||||||||
Display P3 Coverage | 64.1 | 45.89 | 63.6 | 65.6 | 39.18 | 44.23 | ||
sRGB Coverage | 93.2 | 66.6 | 88.8 | 90.8 | 57.7 | 66.2 | ||
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 65.4 | 47.31 | 65.6 | 67.5 | 40.19 | 45.74 | ||
Screen | 2% | -12% | 8% | 28% | -35% | 1% | 11% | |
Brightness middle | 394 | 409 4% | 426.2 8% | 355.3 -10% | 486.4 23% | 287 -27% | 375 -5% | 308 -22% |
Brightness | 370 | 370 0% | 388 5% | 338 -9% | 435 18% | 254 -31% | 358 -3% | 298 -19% |
Brightness Distribution | 88 | 85 -3% | 85 -3% | 91 3% | 83 -6% | 81 -8% | 91 3% | 88 0% |
Black Level * | 0.43 | 0.45 -5% | 0.844 -96% | 0.33 23% | 0.404 6% | 0.38 12% | 0.55 -28% | 0.32 26% |
Contrast | 916 | 909 -1% | 505 -45% | 1077 18% | 1204 31% | 755 -18% | 682 -26% | 963 5% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.43 | 5.04 7% | 5.17 5% | 4.72 13% | 2.3 58% | 11.89 -119% | 3.53 35% | 4.1 24% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 8.04 | 6.81 15% | 4.77 41% | 6.53 19% | 2.47 69% | 12.38 -54% | 5.31 34% | 2.89 64% |
Gamma | 2.38 92% | 2.63 84% | 2.33 94% | 2.17 101% | 2.16 102% | 2.95 75% | 2.55 86% | 2.34 94% |
CCT | 6346 102% | 7042 92% | 7700 84% | 6707 97% | 6926 94% | 15561 42% | 6504 100% | 6546 99% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 54 | 43.87 | 59.37 | 60.49 | 37 | 40 | ||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 2% /
2% | -12% /
-12% | 8% /
8% | 28% /
28% | -35% /
-35% | 1% /
1% | 11% /
11% |
* ... smaller is better
Performance
The Dell Venue 11 Pro is primarily designed for business people. The processor's performance is more than sufficient for everyday office tasks. Dell offers this tablet in a variety of configurations, including versions with 3G modems. Our test device costs around 1,000 Euros (~$1222). Dell is also producing less expensive models with Atom processors, starting at around 380 Euros (~$464).
Processor
The tablet runs on a Core i5-4300Y dual-core processor (Haswell). The “Y” at the end indicates that this is a very energy-efficient CPU. At 11.5 Watts, the TDP is even lower than that of a “normal” ULV processor (15 Watts). The CPU's base clock rate is 1.6 GHz; using turbo, the speed can be increased to up to 2.3 GHz. However, the processor almost never utilizes its full performance capacity. The CPU completed the Cinebench benchmark's single-thread tests at 1.4 to 2.3 GHz, while the speed generally hovered around 2 GHz. The processor performed the multi-thread tests at 1.3 to 1.4 GHz. The CPU's behavior was identical in both AC power mode and battery mode.
The processor's results in our various benchmarks were disappointing. Because the Core i5 didn't use its turbo in the multi-thread tests and even ran below its base clock speed, the processor's results are lower than those of its sister model's (outfitted with a Core i3-4020Y). Our test device's single-thread performance, however, proved to be superior to that of the Core i3-4020Y Venue. The processor can use its turbo for single-thread applications.
Cinebench R15 | |
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 | |
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 |
Cinebench R11.5 | |
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro | |
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro |
Geekbench 3 | |
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro | |
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro |
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 |
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 |
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
Together, the Core i5 processor and speedy solid state drive make for a fast and stable system. Windows starts up quickly. The tablet's PCMark 7 score is very good, thanks to the fast SSD. But the PCMark 8 results are disappointing -- even with a weaker processor, the sister model obtained a higher score. One look at the CPU and GPU speeds reveals the heart of the matter: As soon as the CPU and GPU are simultaneously under load, their speeds drop significantly. In the gaming portion of the PCMark 8 Home benchmark, the CPU ran at 600 MHz and the graphics core at just 400 MHz.
PCMark 7 Score | 4015 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated | 2463 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1783 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated | 2364 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 1913 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated | 3777 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 2782 points | |
Help |
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 | |
Home Score Accelerated (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro |
Storage Devices
A solid state drive from Lite On serves as the tablet's mass storage medium. This is an M.2 format model and offers a capacity of 256 GB. The drive's transfer rates are good, though it can't keep up with top SSD models like the Samsung 840 Evo.
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 HD Graphics 4200, 4300Y, LiteOnIT LJT-256L6G-11 M.2 2260 256GB | Dell Venue 11 Pro HD Graphics 4200, 4020Y, 128 GB SATA SSD | Microsoft Surface Pro 3 HD Graphics 4400, 4300U, Hynix HFS128G3MNM | Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro HD Graphics 4000, 3337U, 128 GB SATA SSD | Microsoft Surface Pro 2 HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hynix HFS128G3MNM | HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 HD Graphics 4400, 4300U, Lite-On IT L8T-128L6G-HP | Schenker XMG P724 GeForce GTX 880M SLI, 4810MQ, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB mSATA | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AS SSD | -40% | 15% | -33% | -145% | 18% | 49% | |
Seq Read | 426.1 | 408.8 -4% | 493.7 16% | 323.8 -24% | 504 18% | 494 16% | 504 18% |
Seq Write | 406.6 | 112.1 -72% | 303 -25% | 824 103% | 313.3 -23% | 293.7 -28% | 483.6 19% |
4K Read | 23.3 | 15.73 -32% | 22 -6% | 24.69 6% | 22.53 -3% | 30.95 33% | 40.83 75% |
4K Write | 42.83 | 24.42 -43% | 73.7 72% | 33.49 -22% | 69.1 61% | 70.6 65% | 109.9 157% |
4K-64 Read | 260.3 | 254.3 -2% | 358.3 38% | 150.1 -42% | 331.8 27% | 228.7 -12% | 355.2 36% |
4K-64 Write | 259.3 | 161.1 -38% | 215 -17% | 50.8 -80% | 255.2 -2% | 271.6 5% | 270.5 4% |
Access Time Read * | 0.122 | 0.178 -46% | 0.087 29% | 0.328 -169% | 0.74 -507% | 0.094 23% | 0.097 20% |
Access Time Write * | 0.087 | 0.161 -85% | 0.075 14% | 0.119 -37% | 0.72 -728% | 0.051 41% | 0.03 66% |
* ... smaller is better
Graphics Card
The HD Graphics 4200 graphics core takes care of graphics tasks. It supports DirectX 11 and runs at speeds of between 200 and 850 MHz. The Venue 11 Pro's sister model is equipped with the same GPU. The two tablets' results in the 3DMark benchmark are on par with each other. Both obtained normal results for devices outfitted with this graphics core. In terms of performance, the HD Graphics 4200 core falls towards the lower end of our table (see below). AMD offers stronger GPUs in this segment of the market, for instance the Radeon R4 (Beema) core.
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 3080 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 487 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 21853 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 2333 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 271 points | |
Help |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro | |
1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro |
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad 10 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 5130 |
Gaming Performance
The Venue 11 Pro fluidly renders games that don't demand too much of the hardware. The games available in the Windows Store shouldn't be any problem for the device. Just like in the PCMark benchmarks, the Venue's sister model achieved better results in our gaming benchmarks -- in the form of higher frame rates. Here again we see the outworkings of the fact that the processor and graphics core both slow down substantially when the two are under load simultaneously.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
Tomb Raider (2013) | 18.6 | 10.3 | 7.4 | |
Fifa 15 (2014) | 15.3 | 10.9 | ||
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) | 9.7 | 3.4 | ||
Alien: Isolation (2014) | 12.9 | 9 | 5.1 | |
Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) | 6.2 | 4.2 | ||
The Evil Within (2014) | 6.6 | |||
F1 2014 (2014) | 16 | 12 | 12 | |
Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014) | 7.3 | 4.2 | ||
Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) | 3.3 | |||
Far Cry 4 (2014) | 6.1 | |||
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) | 8.5 | 5.7 | ||
The Crew (2014) | 7.8 |
Emissions & Energy
The Venue 11 Pro is equipped with a fan. In idle mode, the fan generally stands still, which means the whole device runs silently -- as is true of the Venue's sister model as well. Of course, under load the fan gets going, but the sound pressure level is relatively low.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 29.6 / 29.6 / 29.6 dB(A) |
Load |
| 37.3 / 36.5 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Temperature
The Venue 11 Pro completed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running simultaneously for at least an hour) in the same way in both AC power mode and battery mode: While the processor ran at about 600 to 800 MHz, the graphics core went about its task at 300 to 400 MHz. The tablet didn't heat up excessively. We measured temperatures of over 40 °C (104 °F) in four spots during the stress test. The Venue's sister model remained somewhat cooler.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 46 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 34.1 °C / 93 F, ranging from 21.2 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 33.6 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.1 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
Power Consumption
The Venue 11 Pro's energy consumption rates explain its poor performance in our benchmarks compared to its competitors: Under medium (3DMark06 running) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark running simultaneously), the tablet's power usage lay at 16.6 Watts and 15.11 Watts, respectively. These numbers are considerably lower than the 21.1 and 22.1 Watts we recorded for its sister model. Remember, the latter is outfitted with a weaker processor. Our test model's CPU and GPU don't run at anywhere near their full speed, and especially not at the same time. At lower speeds, the cores require less energy.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
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Battery Life
In our WLAN test, which is designed to simulate practical, everyday use, we run a script that automatically loads a new webpage every 40 seconds. The energy-saving profile is active, and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². The Venue 11 Pro reached a battery run time of 4:40 h. Directly compared to its sister model (6:42 h), this not a good result. The two tablets are equipped with the same battery. We repeated the WLAN test several times with our current review device and ended up with the same result every time: The stronger Core i5 processor simply needs a little more energy in idle mode than its sister model's Core i3 processor.
Battery Runtime - WiFi (sort by value) | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 | |
HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro | |
HP ElitePad 1000 G2 | |
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | |
Wortmann Terra Mobile Pad 1160 Pro | |
Dell Venue 11 Pro 5130 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad 10 |
Verdict
The Dell Venue 11 Pro offers sufficient performance for everyday tasks. Unfortunately, however, its Core i5 processor is unable to utilize its full performance capacity. As a result, the new device only offers a minimal increase in performance (at best) compared to the Core i3 version of the tablet. The rest of the hardware components don't differ much from those at work in the sister model. The bright, high-contrast IPS display with stable viewing angles is nice as ever. A quick solid state drive with a capacity of 256 GB joins the ranks here too. It would be easy to switch out the drive, as the back side of the tablet can be removed without any tools.
There isn't much of a reason for owners of the Core i3 version of the Venue 11 Pro to replace their tablets with the Core i5 version -- the increase in performance is simply too small. In fact, the Core i5 model performed worse in some of our tests, and its battery life is shorter.