Microsoft Surface Pro 3
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Dell Venue 11 Pro
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Features
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7
4650U 1.70 GHz
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Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 4300Y
processor (3MB Cache, 1.6 GHz Dual Core) vPro enabled
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256
GB flash storage
|
256 GB flash storage
|
8GB
RAM
|
8GB RAM
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12’’ display (2160 x 1440 Resolution)
Intel HD Graphics 5000
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10.8” display (1920 x 1080 Resolution)
Intel® GT2 Graphics
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1 USB 3.0 port
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1 USB 3.0 port
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1 mini display port
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1 mini hdmi port
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Micro SD card reader
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Micro SD card reader
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Magnetic power adapter
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Plug-in power adapter (micro usb)
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Dock port
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Dock port
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Typecover (keyboard and screen cover all-in-one)
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2 keyboard options: Dell table
keyboard-mobile w/internal battery and dell tablet keyboard-slim
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2.5lbs including typecover
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3lbs including Dell Tablet Keyboard-mobile
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Pros of the dock:
The keyboard can be left connected when docking the surface pro 3.
2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports
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Pros of the dock:
The dock is smaller and is slightly easier to use(in my opinion) Dual
display output from dock(hdmi and full display port)
2 USB 3.0 ports
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Cons of the docking station:
The dock is a little larger and only features one mini display port.
To connect second monitor, you’ll need to run another mini-display cable off
of the tablet itself.
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Cons of the docking station:
Display profiles; I’ve noticed after using for a while, when the
tablet is put to sleep for a period of time, the display profile will reset
and may not find one of the monitors. The fix; create and name a profile
using the Intel graphics preferences, then you can open the preferences and
select that profile when it resets on you upon waking the computer.
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This is
my opinion about the Dell Venue 11 Pro and the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. These
are my observations whilst using both systems for roughly a 2 week period each
in an enterprise environment. I’m very big on the typing experience of
computers. If it’s something you’ll be using quite a bit, it has to be
comfortable to use right?
Surface Pro 3’s typecover: The
typing experience is surprisingly comfortable for how thin the cover is. You
can lay the keyboard flat or it can tilt up magnetically on the tablet. The
tilted position is a little more comfortable for me. It’s also backlit, which I
found really nice.
Dell Venue 11 Pro’s keyboards (remember
there are two options from Dell): First, the Dell tablet keyboard-slim, about
the same thinness of the surface pro 3’s typecover, but it’s not as comfortable
to type on as the surface’s keyboard. I also noticed the space bar is actually
kind of hard to press when typing a document. I found myself having to delete
words to go back and make sure I depressed the space bar all the way. The keys have a very short travel distance.
Dell tablet keyboard-mobile: first
thing you’ll notice, it looks like a full laptop sized chicklet keyboard. It’s a comfortable typing experience, much
better than the slim keyboard. The keyboard does add some weight because the
keyboard features a built in battery that will increase the Venue’s battery life
around 50%. When the Venue is connected to the mobile keyboard and you have the
Venue plugged in to charge, it’ll actually charge the keyboard not the Venue,
but the Venue does draw a charge from the keyboard.
For both the Microsoft Surface Pro
3 and the Dell Venue 11 Pro, they support Bluetooth devices, so the keyboard
options are pretty well open to personal preference. We only tested the
keyboards that were available from the manufacturer of the devices.
Overall Conclusion:
After
using both of these devices for two weeks a piece, I agree that you can replace
your current laptop with one of these devices. I’ve used them in an enterprise
environment and mostly used them with their docking stations and having this capability
makes them a great computer for that purpose. I will also state that it would be best if you’re
planning on replacing your current system with one of these devices to get the
extended warranty. The devices work great, when they work. Out of 4 Surface Pro 3's we had purchased, we had to send back one to
have it replaced, and then that replacement has been replaced again because it
wasn’t communicating with the dock properly. Also, with that in mind, it's good to constantly back up your data and keep a system image just in case you have to reload windows.
The
real question is, would I buy one to replace my current system. If I were
looking to buy a windows computer, I would definitely purchase one of these
devices. I would probably lean more towards the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 because
of the larger screen and having the kickstand in the back for multiple viewing angles,
which is a great feature, something that the Dell Venue 11 Pro doesn’t have. With
the Venue you get one viewing position with the slim keyboard cover and the
mobile keyboard gives you more of a laptop range of motion but it’s still
limited on how far back it can adjust, much less than the Surface.
Using both
of these devices as a tablet is really nice. I like that you can use them as
desktop workstations with the “desktop” environment and then using as a tablet
you can either use desktop environment or use the mobile tiles (apps) to navigate the
tablet. I didn't use them as a tablet very often but for the few times I did, it
was a decent experience.
Feel
free to leave any questions or concerns regarding these two devices and I will
do my best to get back to you and answer them to the best of my ability.
