Dell Venue 8 Pro Or Toshiba Encore

[Milan Bassi]

Hey guys,
I want to get one of these 2 tablets for multimedia purposes and productivity purposes the Toshiba isn't out yet but seems very appealing and has a gorgeous Camera but then the Dell Venue 8 has the Pen. So I wanted to ask which one would you suggest to get?

Dell : Dell Venue 8 Pro Windows 8.1 HD Tablet Details | Dell UK
Toshiba : Toshiba Encore - Toshiba

Thanks Guys

 

[kevin2577]

Played with a Venue 8 Pro at a store, haven't seen an Encore yet. I find the home button placement on the Venue 8 Pro strange (top corner in portrait, like a power button), so all things equal my preference is the Encorem since their specs and dimensions are largely the same

 

[jfa1]

There's a review of the Encore here on WPCentral. Its a bit heavier than the DV8P and its pretty much a tossup Daniel Rubino is suposed to be doing a comparison between the miix the DV8P and the encore soon.

 

[jdandison]

I've got the 64gb Dell. Great tablet, didn't feel like waiting for Lenovo and Toshiba to release theirs. The size differences are trivial and about the only odd thing about the Dell is the start button placement (along the top, vs. the front bezel). I liked the look of the Lenovo until I saw that huge logo on the front.

But a word about the pen. It has a pen, yes...but I wouldn't buy it just for that. I'd give the pen maybe a 5 of 10. It works, usually, but it's just too odd. Like, I'll get all kinds of weird squiggles all over the letters (especially where I pick it up, like at the end of a letter) and if I hover, i'll see the 'ripples' like the pen is constantly clicking. I've read reviews and it sounds like I may be having a specific issue (i.e., this isn't expected behavior), but you may want to read up on the pen reviews before committing, especially if that's a big reason for your purchase.

But other than that, it's a great tablet. I have an old Lenovo resistive tablet with a pen that works *great*, it's just not finger friendly - but it gets me by for note-taking.

 

[NFLPLAYBOOK]

The main differences between the 2 are the processor. The Dell uses the D version which is single channel. Not much speed difference if any at all though. The Encore has the Windows button on the front for easier access. The Encore has an HDMI output but the Dell has Miracast so I would say the Dell wins that. Wireless beats wired any day. The Encore also has dual mics and stereo speakers. The Dell is loud though. Oh yeah the Bamboo works really good on the Dell.

 

[Citizen X]

I haven't done a full analysis of both products. I got the Dell Venue Pro 8 for $99 for a relative and played with it for a few days. It's nice. It looks better than the Toshiba. It is all black. Also it has a door that covers the microSD card slot. But the Toshiba has microHDMI. So you can use it connected to a full size monitor or even play back movies on it onto a TV. The one problem the Dell has is it is powered through the microUSB port. So you can't hook up a wireless keyboard and mouse or any other USB device for that matter when the tablet is connected to the mains. I am not sure if the Toshiba suffers from this as well. During a cursory once over I didn't see a separate power plug like on the Nokia Lumia 2520. The Dell and presumably the Toshiba has bluetooth and I had no problem hooking up a bluetooth keyboard to the Dell. If all things are equal between the two and you can find some kind of bluetooth keyboard/mouse solution maybe for the same price the Toshiba gets the edge because you can essentially use it as a regular computer when not using it as a tablet.

I don't know though. You will have to go over the specs thoroughly yourself. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[bilzkh]

Honestly, you couldn't go wrong on either. But from a value perspective I'd choose the DVP8 because it has the pen, and although the pen has its problems, it's there.

 

[James8561]

Toshiba Encore may be a bit faster at gaming due to using a faster memory system.
Not that anyone would do much gaming on an Atom system though...

 

[philxor]

Yeah I don't think the memory speed will make much difference, the CPU itself is the limiting factor.

The Encore also supports Miracast, I think it's built into the Intel chipset all of these tablets are using so they will all have it.

Has only the one USB port so you can't charge and use it at the same time, same as the Dell.

Encore has an actual GPS if that's important to you.

If they can sort out the active pen issues, I think the pen will make the Dell a much better device. The fit and finish of the Dell is superior to the Encore IMHO.

 

[unstoppablekem]

Besides the home button placement, venue 8 pro FTW!

 

[markk132]

i picked up a Dell Venue 8 Pro for my sister and I. It's a fantastic tablet, my sister loves. I don't really have a use for a tablet I realized, I'm just constantly on my 13" laptop and don't think I'd use a small tablet. But i helped my sister set hers up and it's great, runs full windows, very fast and impressive. Mine is still sealed and unopened, i'm selling it. contact me if interested, it's on craigslist as well.

 

[QOAM]

The home button is in the perfect place for me ... i am almost always using the DVP in landscape and being left handed the button is in the most convenient place. Waiting for my pen to arrive. Some things are too small for touch and i end up touching something other than what i intended to touch. some things require multiple touches before it responds. gotta touch it in the PERFECT place. i guess everything has a sweet spot for touch.

 

[etad putta]

I've boxed this thing up 3 times to return it and each time i can't come up with anything that's better at the price i paid. It's not perfect, but Dell continues to roll out updates that show at least they are trying to fix things. Not that the problems are all that bad considering that i bought it just to have a low price tablet.

 

[QOAM]

Me too. Kept thinking about returning my DVP but only Dell has the pen in an 8" tablet (even if it sucks.) sometimes I think that an 8" tablet isn't a good thing. I need to stop thinking negative things about the Dell. The pen just arrived 2 days ago and my case is on a slow boat from China. Tomorrow my Lumia 1520 will be here, looking forward to that.

 

[RStock521]

I got the dell at the $99 price through Discover Price Protection and if this thing had micro-HDMI out and the Windows capacitive button on the front bezel rather than on the side, it would be nearly perfect. I can't tell you how many times I've hit that button on the top wanting to wake up the device because that's just naturally where I look for the sleep button. I am getting used to swipe in from the right side charms bar to hit the Windows button, but it's taking some getting used to. If I had to choose between button placement and micro-HDMI, I would choose the micro-hdmi. Also the fact that this tablet can't power my WD Passport is kind of a bummer. Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with either. For the price I got mine at, I have no regrets. If I was paying full price, I'd want the micro-HDMI and Windows button on the bezel.

 

[John Wiskowski]

I am still using the Toshiba Encore 8 (after playing with Dell Venue 8 Pro and returning two lenovo Miix 2 devices). Drivers are older but far more stable IMO. The added weight pays off thanks to a longer battery, at least for mu usafe. I can easily go two full days of heavier, but normally can hit 4 with more mild usage. Everything is great IMO.