Review: Dell Venue Pro 10 5055

Introduction and design

The question of classroom technology has been asked, without a substantial answer, ever since the days of fjording the rivers in Oregon Trail. While some companies make pledges to sell bulk amounts of well-built units at a discount, some argue that the best thing that can be done for the masses is to make cheaper-to-produce devices that can be sold at an affordable price.

Enter Dell's new line of Venue 10 Pro tablets, which combine an updated Atom processor with all the standard requirements for modern computing. The 5055 model, as reviewed with Dell's Venue Keyboard and Active Stylus, will set you back $464 (around £310 or AUD $595), and is the spec'd out version of the educational set of the Venue product line. It features a larger hard drive (64GB rather than 32GB) and it's 10.1" display has higher pixel dimensions (1920x1200 as opposed to the entry level 1280x800).

The bottom line of the budget may play the largest role when purchasing a computer for the education set, so I was pleased to see the 5055 come in at such a low price. Sure, Apple's iPad Air 2 is a mere thirty-five dollars more at $499 (£399, AU$619), but that's without the keyboard and stylus. And while Microsoft's now offering a bag-lunch-budget-friendly Surface 3 (also for $499) that's also prior to adding on their keyboard and stylus, which bring your total to $679.

If you're not tied to the Windows platform, and you're considering an Android tablet to center your studies around, there is the 2014 edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 to consider. As its name suggests, it has the same size display as the 5055, but it also shares uninspiring performance, something that can't justify its $740 ( around £450, AU$820) price tag. It's a feature rich and experience-thin device that our review can turn you away from if need be.

Design

Measuring 10.34 x 0.39 6.92-inches (26.26 x .99 x 17.59 cm) (W x D x H), and weighing in at 1.45lb (656.9g), the Venue 10 Pro 5055 is barely different in heft and footprint from Dell's higher end Venue 11 Pro 7000, which sells for $700 (£437, AU$800) before any keyboard or stylus accessories, weighs in at 1.6 pounds (0.72kg) and measures 11.01 x 0.42 x 6.95-inches (27.97 x 1.07 x 17.65 cm).

If budget restraints are keeping you from even considering the Pro 7000, there's a chance you're comparing the 5055 to a hybrid model that's slightly more expensive, such as the Acer Aspire Switch 11 ($550, £369, AU$720), which weighs 1.85 lbs and measures 11.7 x .43 x 8.1 (29.8 x 1.1 x 20.5cm) (W x D x H). While these computers may look alike in their hybrid nature, size, and weight, everything else about the Aspire Switch 11 has a major problem hidden within the way it manages data storage, one that ruins the experience.

Aesthetically, there is not a whole lot to say about the Venue Pro 5055's design. With its price, though, I didn't go in expecting that to be a big difference maker. The 5055 does have a nice rubberized edge, which makes it very grippable. For kids, that's a great feature. It's not exactly ruggedized or shockproof, though, something that would make it even more classroom-friendly. At the same time, the frame of the 5055 isn't that well thought out, since the power button and the Windows button are of the same size and shape, on adjacent corners of the tablet.

The other major problem in the build of the 5055 comes when you dock the tablet into Dell's Venue Keyboard. The first few times I thought I had connected the two devices, the keyboard failed to securely attach, inevitably leading to awkward accidental detachments. It mostly happened during my first days with the 5055, but it would even occur after audible chimes had signified the two had docked. My advice is to check each and every time you connect the two, I ended up having a first-attempt success rate of about 75%.

The keyboard is okay, but the trackpad has some problems. It may not be jumpy and finicky like other low-end input devices, but most of its surface does not allow for physical clicks. Only the bottom third of the trackpad allows for that kind of clicking, and it always requires what feels like far too much force to register a click. The keyboard was good enough for typing quickly, though. On the 10FastFingers test, I eked out 66 words-per-minute, a very slight decrease from my standard of 67 wpm on my personal mechanical keyboard. The keys feel a little cheap, but not to any severe detriment.

Display and performance

Dell loves to tout this machine as having a full HD 1920 x 1200 display, and I can't fault them too much for that ebulliency. Marvel's Daredevil looked great streaming off of Netflix, with all those pixels showing off great details, and the colors never looked saturated.

When it comes to the Dell Active Stylus, I've got mixed feelings. It works great with the tablet screen, with very accurate touch recognition. As great as it feels to press the nib against the tablet screen, the stylus is built upon a choice I find very frustrating: requiring a AAAA battery.

I didn't even realize this would be a problem, but I discovered that this is a battery format that's barely available in retailers. Sure, it's sold on Amazon, and teachers can bulk buy in advance, but neither Best Buy nor Walgreens carry this battery format, and to find one in NYC, I wound up wandering from store to store eventually finding AAAA's at a professional photography store. I understand that Dell wants to use the smallest batteries they can, to reduce the diameter of the stylus' barrell, but this is ridiculous.

Specs

• Processor: Intel Atom Processor Z3735F @ 1.33 GHz
• Display: 10.1 inch 1920x1200 IPS Multitouch Display
• Memory: 2GB DDR3L-RS RAM
• GPU: Intel HD Graphics
• Storage: 64GB
• Wireless: Broadcom AH691A-2x2 (802.11 a/b/g/n)
• Camera: 1.2-megapixel webcam; 5-megapixel rear camera
• Ports: USB 3.0 full size,micro HDMI, BT 4.0, micro SD card slot
• Weight: 1.45lb pounds (.66 kg)
• Size: 10.34 x 0.39 6.92-inches (26.26 x .99 x 17.59 cm)

Performance and battery life

Running our standard benchmarks on it, there's a not-so-subtle message to be read. The 5055 will punish any student trying to goof off on and play games. 3DMark's Cloud Gate had an average score of 1130 with a crawling 4 frames per second (fps), the Sky Diver test had an average score of 441, and a flat-out static 1.8 fps. Those results should make teachers laugh with confirmation that these laptops are good for the class, but not for procrastination. We couldn't even get a result for 3DMark's more strenuous test, the Fire Strike benchmark, since the test crashed both times we tried to use it.

• 3DMark Cloud Gate: 1130, 4 fps
• 3DMark Sky Diver: 441, 1.8 fps
• PCmark Work Conventional 1253
• PCmark Battery life: 5 hours, 9 minutes, 12 seconds

Unfortunately, when you line these scores up with other models, the PCmark scores aren't fantastic. It's Work score is dwarfed by the 2634 that the Venue 7000 netted, and only a notch or two above the Aspire Switch 11's, 1163. The 5055 did manage to meet my needs in my everyday use, even though it was sometimes slower than I'd like. For this price, I'm not expecting a workhorse, and students shouldn't complain either.

In my day-to-day use, I was able to regularly get more than six hours of battery life out of the 5055, and that was from a mix of document writing, streaming video, and internet usage. Thinking about this tablet with the classroom in mind, it's great to note that the battery lasts long enough, if not longer, than the average school day. One would hope the teacher isn't having their students work in the screen from start to finish, but even if that's the case, the 5055 does last without excuses. Which is great, because the charging cable is not long enough to suggest working while tethered.

Unfortunately, while the battery can last long enough for a school day on a single charge, my experience wasn't problem-free. One night, when the charging cable connector wasn't perfectly lined up inside the USB 2 Micro port, (despite it being connected right-side-up) the 5055 drained completely. Coming home to discover this, and finding that re-plugging the cable wouldn't even turn on the light that signifies a connected charger, I was worried the unit had died completely. About 24 hours later, I tried again, and it began to take a charge. What I learned is that I should have checked to see that the charging light had turned on after I plugged it in.

Dell is going to need to do more work to secure their power port and make connections child-proof, especially since many (teachers and students alike) may already be used to the carefree nature of plugging in Apple's MagSafe or lightning ports.

My colleague Chuong Nguyen experienced a similar problem with previous iterations of this form factor, something he mentioned in his review of the Venue Pro 11 with Atom processor. While Dell has told us the port had been reinforced, my experience was not positive. This is a problem when it comes to the education environment, since some may be more used to tablet power connectors that easily and safely dock, such as Apple's Lightning, or other USB connectors.

Bundled software

Thankfully, the Venue 10 Pro 5055 gets a clean bill of health when it comes to pre-installed bloatware. This has been a pattern with recent Dell devices, including the higher end Venue 11 Pro 7000, but with the 5055 being marketed toward schools, this was definitely a situation in which Dell had to provide an untampered with experience. Teachers can be handed these computers out of the box, set up a free year of Microsoft Office, and have these devices as student-ready as they'll ever be.

Final verdict

You can't expect miracles if you're not willing to pay for them. If you require a budget device that can withstand some wear and tear, while providing a decent user experience, then you've come to the right place. Unfortunately, there will be issues that influence your opinion about this machine, none of which should completely turn you off.

We liked

For budget-conscious students, especially those younger and in-the-classroom, the 5055 can definitely power a full day of learning. Dell's accessories, the Active Stylus and Venue Keyboard, both added to a solid experience, with the Stylus performing as well as any I've ever used. The display is of good quality as well, the accuracy of both finger and stylus touch was always unquestionable

We disliked

The decisions made to keep this unit affordable left me scratching my head. The USB 2 Micro is the most particular and fragile port there is, and could lead to problems with students and teachers hurriedly trying to connect it. Further, the hinge, which can give an incorrect audio-cue that it's docking process is done, is far from great.

Final verdict

For the price you pay for the tablet, the Venue Keyboard and the Active Stylus, the 5055 offers a deal, just one that you'll have to treat with kid gloves. When you take a risk on a low-end device, you sometimes expect to be penalized for it down the road. As long as you make sure to take care when connecting power, and to give a firm hand when docking to the keyboard, the 5055 should be a good solution for your student's needs. Sure it may not have the flashy TouchID or A8X that the iPad Air 2 can boast, or the stellar 10-hour battery life and processor power that makes the Venue Pro 7000 a suitable option, but the 5055 is enough for your average student, especially on the lower end of the age-spectrum

from TechRadar: All latest feeds http://ift.tt/1E2pFNm
via IFTTT