The Dell Venue 8 Pro is a small, inexpensive Windows tablet that was first launched in late 2013. Now it looks like Dell is expanding the Venue 8 Pro family with a few small updates.

The company quietly started selling models with a slightly faster graphics processor recently. And starting in November there’ll be a new, cheaper option available in some markets.

dell venue 8 white

When Dell first introduced the Venue 8 Pro tablet in 2013 it featured an Intel Atom Z3740D quad-core Bay Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB to 64GB of storage. The tablet has an 8 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display touchscreen display with an active digitizer.

While Dell doesn’t include a pressure-sensitive digital pen in the box, you can buy one separately and use it with any of the original Dell Venue 8 Pro models.

Now a glance at Dell’s online store shows that the company now offers select models with Intel Atom Z3745D processors. These chips are a lot like the Atom Z3740D processors found in the older tablets, but they support higher graphics burst frequencies.

That doesn’t mean Dell is done selling tablets with Atom Z3740D chips. In fact, the folks at TabTec noticed that Dell seems to have a new model with that processor on the way.

This new model has the same screen size, storage, and operating system as the original. But the new Dell Venue 8 Pro has 1GB of RAM instead of 2GB and seems to lack the active digitizer.

Sure, the new model isn’t quite as powerful as the older version… but it’s cheaper. Amazon Germany is taking pre-orders for the new Dell Venue 8 Pro for 159 Euros. It’s expected to ship November 4th.

There’s no word on whether the new, cheaper model will be available in the United States anytime soon, but it’s not like the Dell Venue 8 Pro with an active digitizer is expensive in the US. Dell sells the tablet for $250 and up, and you can pick one up for around $200 from Amazon.

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40 replies on “New Dell Venue 8 Pro Windows tablets: 1 is cheaper, 1 is (a little) more powerful”

  1. Please tell me they fixed the crappy usb charging socket that let users plug it in the wrong way! That was the biggest failing of the original!

    Edit: like that they did update it!,

  2. I wish Venue Pro 8 with 2GB of RAM was under 200 euros over here, but its not, its close to 300 euros!
    Lenovo Miix 2 8 with 2GB+64Gb sells for 185 euros and Acer W4 goes as low as 159 e.

  3. Please don’t be it. I finally decide to get a tablet … please don’t be it …

  4. I find it very strange that they’d totally overhaul their Venue 8 7000 (Android) model, which is x86, with a QHD display, and not just throw some extra RAM in there and make that the new V8P. They had a new model on their (leaked) roadmap for 2014. I am having a hard time believing this is it.

  5. Calm down people. They did a processor refresh, not a redesign. They didn’t increase the RAM because 2gb is all either processor supports. They didn’t add ports or change digitizers because that would require a redesigned chassis and innards plus drivers and this way they can sell a cheap version with maximum overlap with this version.

    Sure, I’d like more and I’d love it for the same price but Dell’s consumer group doesn’t work that way. Maybe they’ll make a Latitude tablet one day with better specs.

    Right now, Lenovo has a Thinkpad 10 tablet with everything everyone is clamoring for. Unfortunately it’s more than twice the price and it’s a 10 incher. If they ever make an 8″ with similar specs, I’ll buy it, but otherwise I’ll make do with my current Venue 8 Pro.

    1. If a Windows 8 tablet with 1gb of ram is sufficient for you, then buy it.

      My complaint is that it was a downgrade, when the original Dell Venue 8 Pro was already insufficient for my needs.

      1. I was looking at the Venue 8 Pro 5000 (why not 2?) currently on the Dell website which is the old Venue 8 Pro with a newer CPU. I’d also be dubious about the 1gb version (which is not listed on the US website). Then again, if someone is just surfing and watching videos it might be adequate.

        1. Sure, on paper it is adequate. But as long as we’re shopping in the $150 price range, why not a $150 Android tablet?

          If we’re only surfing and watching videos (as you suggest), Android is more likely to have an app to stream my content.

          1. But Windows has full versions of your browser of choice and support for extensions like flash. To each his own.

          2. Normally i would agree with you, having a real browser is the best solution. But 1gb of ram isn’t going to cut it. I would even want to run youtube on 1gb

  6. Wow, huge disappointment. I was expecting more ram, if anything.

    Sorry, Dell. not even slightly interested.

    1. If you consider the horrible UI scaling in Windows 8.1 and the fact, that a 8″ tablet would be totally useless on native resolution without it, I write down 1280×800 as a necessary evil. Also more games will work on native resolution this way. As long as MS won’t sort out it’s screen scaling issues, I’d choose a 1280×800 tab over a FullHD one, and since Windows 10 don’t seem to improve on this front, I think this will be like this for years.

      1. Agreed. I wouldn’t consider getting a 1080 res 8″ Windows 8 tablet. Windows high DPI scaling is terrible. Microsoft was talking about a fix for this in a future update, but Windows 8 already has one foot in the grave.

        Try using a program like Photoshop on a 1440 res screen any smaller than 22″, and the UI is unusable.

        Even 13″ laptops with 1080 res, I have a hard time reading menus.

  7. Refreshing their current tablets by bumping components makes sense. They do that with their notebooks. This is normal for most PC makers.

    I wonder what next generation Venue 8 will be like

  8. yeah no! needs 4 GBs of ram, and ffs dell have a separate charger port and usb port! you literally cant charge the device with anything plugged in to only freaking usb port…because it is the charging port.

    1. With a couple of small changes I would go for one of these.
      One thing to address is the port situation for sure.

    2. If a company goes with separate ports for charging and USB connectivity then I hope they stick with USB based charging. If not then I’d rather have a single USB port for charging and data even if not at the same time.

      Also, companies could implement the part of the USB spec that actually allows to simulatenously charge the tablet and connect to peripherals. This would require at least a dongle between a USB charger and the tablet with a USB port for peripherals but at least it’ll be universal across compliant devices. The dongle would tell the tablet not to output power but should be receiving it but still operate in USB host mode.

      The current hacks for some tablets does something similar except they don’t send the command to the tablet to not output power. The hacks just drive the 5 V pin. This is dangerous and could shorten the lifespan of the tablet or worse.

    3. Well, there is an Adapter for the Dell Venue 8 Pro that allows simultanous charging and USB Connectivity, it’s called the “+Port”. It got successfully funded via Kickstarter and now is sold via Amazon or the Manufacturers Website directly.

      Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1094775787/port-power-usb-at-the-same-time
      Manufacturer: https://mobiledesignlabs.com/port/purchase
      Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Port-Power-same-mobile-devices/dp/B00J5S2TS4#cm_cr_dpwidget

          1. I still use the original Dell charger, just put this USB hub between it and the tablet. I don’t think it would harm it. I’ve used it enough that if it were gonna blow me up it would have done it by now.

          2. Interesting!
            Bookmarked these two adapters, thanks!
            I wish DV8pro was cheaper over here, but it costs 250 euros for 32Gb version and around 100 euros more for 64Gb version, go figure their pricing since their laptops are at competing prices while tablets not that much.
            Dell Venue 7 with Android costs 150 euros and up!

          3. From what I’ve read, they have a Chip in the +Port that supposedly prevents that, it’s not just short circuiting the +5 Volt Rail.

  9. This would have been the perfect opportunity to create the ideal Win8 tablet. Keep the hardware, include a HDMI output, change the Synaptics digitizer to a Wacom one, sell it for the same or slightly higher price. The perfect tablet… Too bad everyone is diving for the minimal system requirements, I tried Win 8.1 on a C2D system with 1GB of RAM and it was not pleasant, even thou the CPU was faster than a 3735F you get in these systems…

  10. They should make one with hdmi port so you can hook it up to external display without using a dock. I have the dell venue 11 pro, I like it but it is really thick and the vent blows sometimes. I guess they will update it with intel core m to make it fanless. I have the i3 model, is the ssd upgradeable?

    1. I wouldn’t expect HDMI anymore on the 8″ devices.

      They want you to use these as consumer grade tablets for a cheap price, not as PC desktop replacement hooked up via HDMI.

      Then later upsell you to a more traditional full blown PC experience with a laptop.

      That’s also why manufactures who did offer HDMI last year are starting to remove it. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was a Intel/MS requirement in order to qualify for a subsidy. They had even shadier tactics in the netbook era.

      1. The Winbook TW801 8″ windows tablet sold at Microcenter for $139 has HDMI. Still hoping Brad Linder can get one of these and give us a review.

        1. I have a Venue 8 and the Winbook TW801. The Winbook is a better device overall – however, it only has five touch points, whereas the Dell has 10, and the included Office license is only a year. For $139, plus a ~$40 gigabit USB+hub and UltraVNC, though, it’s absolutely a desktop replacement for Office, VM management clients and other light tasks that don’t work on a non-Windows machine. Pretty fantastic, really, and replaced a clunky, aging HP AMD Win7 laptop I was using for the job.

      1. The problem is that theres only one USB port and you can either connect it to dock or connect it to power adapter.

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