Dell - Venue 8 7000 Series - 8.4" - Intel Atom - 16GB - Black

I've already written about my experience with the Dell Venue 8 7000 elsewhere so here it is edited for what Bestbuy considers inappropriate language: I've been agonizing over what to do about my light computing needs at home. I've got a workstation laptop at work which I take home, 10lb powerful behemoth which is great for technical work, but not so much when I'm just chilling on the couch or lazing around and doing light stuff. I'd been very tempted by the Surface Pro 3, in part because of my almost 10 years (school, work, grad school) of using thinkpad convertibles, but every time I tried one out, couldn't shake the feeling that it was too heavy for extended couch use and too redundant with the behemoth. I saw news on the 7840's release and was tempted to give it a try, especially since a local BestBuy had it available. Maybe I could leave the Windows ecosystem for my home needs. . . after all, I do have the behemoth when work needs to be done. . . So, I bought both a 7840, liked it, but wasn't quite sure I'd made the best choice. But I was disappointed by all the Windows tablets in BestBuy so I went back to the net to search for alternatives (or reasons to get a SP3) and was reminded of the Nvidia Shield tablet. The specs seemed promising and while it wasn't as high res as the Dell and had subpar reported battery life, the graphics potential seemed really good, so I pulled the trigger and ordered one from Amazon so I could compare them side by side. The Shield has a much better camera, the stylus is great (for those like me who like that stuff), and in certain situations, the Shield speakers are better (otherwise, they sound about the same to the Dell being slightly better), is much better for graphics intense games, and $100 less than a similarly specced 7840. On the other hand, for just about any activity other than intense gaming, the Dell's screen is much better, brighter, higher contrast ratio. The Dell also has better battery life and a bit lighter. The biggest plus for the Shield is when playing high quality graphics games (Grand Theft Auto just isn't going to stress things that much). After being disappointed that the Shield and Dell pretty much were the same when it came to rendering HD video, I was blown away by how much better the Shield was in a graphics intense game - even with scenes where there wasn't much going on, it was clear the Shield's graphics processing was superior. That said, I bet if there was a native Shield video player, it would kick the Dell's butt too. So, for me, I'm keeping the Dell. While it would be nice to pocket the $100 difference, I rarely play games at the level where I'd appreciate the Shield. Most of my use is web browsing and apps where the awesome screen on the Dell excels. That the Dell appears to have 2X+ the battery life (both from reviews and my personal use of the tablets) of the Shield is also a huge factor. Both tablets are gorgeous IMHO and if you are looking for a Android gaming device that doubles as your lazing around tablet, I'd hands down recommend the Shield over the Dell. I entertained getting rid of my FireTv and just keeping the Shield for tablet and TV duty but unless my game playing habits make a big change, I'll stick with the Dell. In unrelated news, this is cool to me because I got the Dell Streak when it first came out - they blazed the Android phablet trail and at least for the moment, are pretty compelling again. Edit: In response to a comment, I went and played with a Nexus 9 for a bit to compare against the Dell, here's what I found: Ok, got to use an N9 for a bit side by side and played a game (Modern Combat 5) on both. The N9 screen is brighter (likely due to a powerful LCD backlight) and resolution-wise comparable to the Dell. The Dell edges it out on crispness and likely sunlight readability. The screen tech in the Dell also strikes a blow in battery life, in just the 30 - 40 minutes I spent comparing the two, the N9 battery dropped twice as much as the Dell. Speaker-wise, they're on par with the N9 slightly edging out the Dell. UI responsiveness was about the same, game play in Modern Combat 5 was identical, though I did notice that the N9 loaded Modern Combat faster than the Dell (they were neck and neck for the first few sets of graphics / textures and other game elements, but then the N9 pulled away - ended up finishing about 5s sooner than the Dell). The Dell screen length and N9 screen length are about the same. So side by side, the N9 looks like someone took the screen and squared it up a bit. When browsing websites, the extra pixels on the Dell did give it a slight advantage when looking at things in portrait mode. In landscape, it was a bit nice to have images be bigger (on the N9). Even though the N9 weighs a bit more than the Dell (and Shield), it actually felt just as easy to hold as the Dell. I'm not sure if it has better weight distribution and perhaps I'd need to hold it for much longer, but over my demo time, my wrist felt the same holding either one. And the camera. Once again, the Dell is trounced camera wise. I'm still keeping the Dell so I"m really hoping there's an update that removes some of the awful camera performance. Note, there seem to be reports of less than stellar build quality on the N9 so you may want to do a comparison of product reviews on a big source like Amazon.

I am a tablet and phone geek. I just cannot help myself. Ive had 4 Nexus 9`s recently (due to shabby hardware), the Tab S and the G Pad 8.3 and i will say that hands down the new Dell 7840 is hands down the finest of the lot. The build quality on this tablet is 2nd to none, it is the best built Android tablet on the market in terms of quality. The all aluminum finish feels great and is reminiscent of the HTC One M8. The screen is just WOW and the sound is really nice for a tablet. The almost edge to edge display makes the screen pop even more so, the blacks are wonderful and the colors are bright, the whole thing just pops at you, equally as good as the Tab S 8.4 if not slightly better. The speakers, yes we have 2 speakers but they are next to each other on the chin of the tablet meaning you lose some of that big sound but in comparison with the Nexus 9 with the HTC Boom Sound i have to say that the dell out performs its competitor, once you tweak the audio with the MaxAudio app this is where you can really make the tablet loud and more full. It`s running an almost stock version of Android Kitkat 4.4.2 i only say almost as we do have some Dell apps which are needed. Its fast and responsive and will supposedly soon be getting the Lollipop update. The Intel Atom processor has no issues pushing all those pixels around, the new Moorefield 64bit processor seems to have some real good power in it. The 16gb onboard storage is low, but most tablets have this and fortunately we have an SD slot which once Lollipop drops will make storage somewhat easier if the app developers choose to go with apps to sd like in other versions of android other than kitkat. The realsense camera...... let me just point out that the camera on this things seems to be very noisy, a really poor camera and i dont seem to have realsense working like it is in the 1st look demo`s you see online. Maybe this is an issue that Dell can fix with an update. One thing this tablet does need and is obviously missing is double tap to wake. This is due to the power and volume buttons being on the left side of the tablet at the top making the power button a pain to reach. Hopefully this can be implemented by Dell in the future. If you are looking at buying a new tablet i highly recommend stopping and looking at this tablet, for me its much better than the competition

this tablet is essentially the Samsung Pro 8.4 with Shield-like ROM/launcher ... fairly close to AOSP I had a hard time deciding between 3 or 4 stars ... let's say 3.5 ... I started with 5, and took off for the following ... • despite possibly being the thinnest tablet of its kind, the edges are no thinner than the middle, are squared off, and not particularly comfortable trying to palm ... Lenovo S8-50 and Asus ME572 are far more comfortable • this is supposed to be a particularly lightweight tablet for its size ... the S8-50 is almost 10% lighter, for less than half the price ... this may be nitpicking, but if you're thinking you're getting a featherweight tablet here, think again • while plugging into the headphone jack is very tight/secure, once in, the whole thing wiggles around ... it wasn't an issue with earbuds, but aesthetically, it feels shoddy ... particularly for something at this price point • there was an immediate OTA update, that failed twice ... once I rebooted, it worked ... although, while working, the green guy had nothing but what looked like Korean writing on the screen ... the update appears to be fine ... no clue if it was actually the reboot that did the trick ... again, very shoddy • not necessarily a minus for me, but playing Asphalt 8, the back got pretty hot after only one race ... it didn't seem to affect performance ... and once I closed the app, it cooled right down ... I'm guessing they did a fine job of bleeding the heat sink into the aluminum body ... but some people don't like their electronics getting particularly warm ... if that's you, and you like games, look at the Shield • the wi-fi radio appears to be in the lower-left corner, as you hold it portrait, with the speaker at the bottom ... trying to palm it with your left hand, this drops my reception from 4 bars to 2 ... it didn't seem to affect performance too badly, but I didn't do much with it ... for Netflix/Youtube, I don't see this as an issue, as you would likely hold it 90° clockwise, with each hand in each lower corner ... at which, you should get 4 bars, easily ... otherwise holding it portrait, basically upside down, is not really a good option, as that puts your fingers right on the buttons none of these are necessarily show-stoppers ... more like caveats ... if this were a $200 tablet, I'd say this was a bargain ... as it is, even with the positives below, for less than half the money, I fail to see what the S8-50 or ME572 don't do as well, or better ... for not quite as less money, but including a pretty darn nice stylus, I think most people would be every bit, if not moreso, happy with the Shield • the screen looks great ... I bought Samsung Pro 8.4's for the kids, and I can't tell the difference • even with what looks like only one speaker, the sound playing Asphalt 8 was great ... and there's also a sound app you can access from the notifications ... turning it off, listening to music with earbuds, the music was laughably better with it on • while it offers no substantial value, the aluminum body does have a quality feel/look to it ... if you're into that • the power/volume buttons have a nice positive feel to them ... unlike the Shield • the ROM/launcher has a very stock look/feel to it ... the setup offers to install some popular apps ... you can uncheck them all, if you like ... I disabled maybe a half dozen others with no issues ... considering the few apps Nvidia puts on the Shield, I'd say these two are very comparable ... and if ROM/launcher/bloat is your #1 hangup, I'd say either of these is the tablet you want ... ROM is 4.4.4, even after the OTA, BTW • I didn't get a chance to play with the camera .. basically, there's three sensors on the back to help "triangulate" the object of focus? ... with only an 8mp rear shooter, I guess I'm not sure what the big deal might be ... but vs other tablets, if it works as advertised, I presume this would be better • the top/side bezels are about 3/16in ... IMO, that's about perfect • usually, when I play Asphalt 8 on any tablet, the battery drains pretty fast ... and on this tablet, it was certainly quicker than while not playing ... but vs the Shield, S8-50, and ME572, I'd say this battery will last as long, if not longer ... you're just not gonna get a ton of battery life, with a fast CPU, a game that uses it, in a lightweight tablet ... I'd say the level of compromise in this tablet is very good is it a good tablet? yep! is it worth $400? vs. what else is available, I'd say most certainly not. at this price, they had to not screw up most anything. IMO, they've billed it as a particularly thin, lightweight tablet that does not feel thin at all, and also feels, and is, heavier. granted, AFAIK, this is an 8.4in screen vs 8.0 of the S8-50, but I believe the Galaxy S 8.4 is still lighter. had they done a better job with the headphone jack, better wi-fi radio placement, tapered the body to a thinner, more rounded edge, debugged the OTA update, shaved another ounce off, and priced it more competitively with the Shield, it'd definitely be a 5-star device.

Let me start off by saying that before i purchased this product i had the asus zenpad s 8.0 (long name) and i found it to be a beautiful product but was a bit sluggish when it came to web browsing. At the time that i bought the zenpad s i saw this Dell Venue but it was priced at $349. When i went to exchange my zenpad i saw the Dell on sale for $269! So i picked it up and boy was there a difference. i mean it was like night and day. The screen is so beautiful it just pops out at you. Very similar to sansung galaxy s devices, but in a tablet form. Ive had this device now for about 5 days and i love how fast it is in every aspect. Much faster than the zenpad. The only complaint i have is that i wish the 32 gb version was available at best buy as the 16 gb version really only has about 8 gb usable for the owner, actually less once all the preinstalled apps update. So your looking at about 7 or 6 1/2 gb free. Yup. From a 16 gb tablet, all you can use is about 6 or 7 after updating. So just know that going into it. Luckily you can buy a micro sd card up to 512 gb but even then you will eventually run out of space because some data has to remain on the internal storage anyway. Also, not all apps allow transfer to external sd. Another con i suppose would be the cameras, but like you didint expect that. It actually has 3 cameras in the back. Thats right. 3!! and it STILL takes mediocre pictures. Not to mention you cant even hold the thing while trying to take your mediocre pictures. Anyways all in all i will keep this product regardless because of its speed and display and build. Second to None. Although mine has restarted 7 times today but i think it may just be my tablet so ill exchange it and get the same one. Just wish bestbuy had the 32 gb version there instead. I dont know why they always have the low end models of their tablets there. Same thing goes for the zenpad s 8.0. Great product but they dont offer the faster version at the store, only online at the Asus website. Whats with these guys? All said, i definately recommend this product, but if your an app head or into large files, your better off with the 32 gb version online but good luck. theyre $400 there.

I was totally awed by the design and qHD screen on the Venue 7840. The screen is the best display I have seen on an Android tablet. I looked at the Samsung Tab Pro 8.4, but TouchWiz was a deal-breaker. I was curious about performance with the Intel Atom chip and it has not disappointed. The is slight lag, but I suspect this may be more Kit Kat related. Apparently Dell has not provided a release date for Lollipop. The camera is a bit gimmicky, the features advertised in the Intel commercial are NOT functional in the software. I found this to be odd. Sony just got popped for advertising unavailable features on the PS Vita. Not that I would ever use the feature, but it was a bummer when I went to test it out only to receive a message that it was not yet available. The 16GB has not been an issue but the is a MicroSD card to expand. I have not had tom use it yet. The chin on the 7840 houses speakers and the front-facing camera. It's a little odd but is a good compromise for the thin bezel on the sides and top. It comes in handy holding it landscape. I use the tablet primarily at right as a reader or as a second screen when I don't wanna watch dumb reality shows the wife is watching. If she gripes about Sports or Sci-Fi I'm watching, the 7840 gives me the option to abdicate and give her the bedroom TV. Live to die another day. Thanks Dell!!

I picked this tablet 5 days ago and so far have been really enjoying it. The screen is amazing, the Intel Z3580 with 2GB of RAM absolutely flies, the build quality is top notch, the power/volume buttons feel nice, and I love the way this device feels in the hand. For me, this device has two fatal flaws: 16GB of memory is an ABSOLUTE joke. After taking the immediate OTA update, you are left with 9.XXGB of free space. This is 110% unacceptable in 2015. The ability to add and SD card is nice, but Android has made external storage much less appealing over the years. The second is no MHL or HDMI/slimport support whatsoever. (same as Nexus9) I imagine this is to drive users to the new dell cast, which may be nice, but forces users to drop an extra 80$. Overall, I love the device, but may end up taking it back and waiting for Dell to release a 32GB+ option. If this were included off the bat, I would say without hesitation that this is the best tablet on the market right now.

Now who thinks of Dell when thinking of exciting tablets? I sure didn't. That may be about to change. I must agree with Calebiam from Tulsa: This tablet is blazing fast, super thin, very light and ... that display!!! I could not stop looking at it for about 3 hours. I simply could not put this tablet down! I was looking for a viable upgrade from the Nexus 7 2013 - running stock Android, but with more speed and a larger display. Tried the Nexus 9, hated it. Tried the Galaxy 10.5, returned it after an hour. But this Venue 8 7840 is really, really nice. The 8.4" display is very easy on the eyes. And the fact that the display extends so close to the edge of the tablet is really nice and in my opinion, adds to the appeal of the device. What keeps it just short of perfection? Two things IMHO. One, they really should have separated the stereo speakers on either side, rather than placing them adjacent to each other the way they are now, which reduces the "bigness" of the sound. And secondly, something about the way the wireless radio receiver is positioned on the tablet makes a weaker wifi signal drop out more than expected. This won't be an issue with a strong wifi signal, but a weaker signal might cause you some frustraton. These two issues aside, this is a truly spectacular tablet.

Picked this up on Saturday the 3rd of Jan. It has a fantastic build quality - as nice as an iPad, if not nicer. The battery is ~5500mAh and the Intel processor is very fast. Screen is jaw droppingly awesome. 2gigs of RAM is enough, I guess, BUT 16gigs (~9 free on first boot) is a joke. I may still keep it, but what in the world Dell? It's 2015. 32 is the bare minimum. The speakers (yes, there are Right/Left on the chin) are LOUD and bassy. Very nice. Hoping Lollipop lands on this thing sooner rather than later because KitKat has too much restriction on the use of the microSD card. I mean, it's nice to have external storage, but you can only load music and videos (and files) on it. No apps. Shame, really. It's expensive for what it is, but so far it's as good as a Nexus. I sure hope Dell has it's stuff together for OS updates. I'm a skeptic, but am willing to forego my concerns because the hardware is beautiful. Strange launch though. Just showed up. Not a good splash, Dell.