Dell Venue 10 7000 2-in-1 Review: Brains And Beauty
Camera and Battery Life
By and large, cameras are an afterthought on a tablet. Generally, those concerned with image quality either buy a proper camera, or invest in a high-end smartphone that prioritizes optics. Dell's trying something different with its Venue 10 7000. It included a robust 8MP Intel RealSense camera on the device's rear. In fact, there's an 8MP main camera accompanied by two 720p cameras that grab a stereoscopic image and depth information with every shot. Dell's stance is that the added cameras provide the ability for the device to perceive depth, and it's able to create a Z pixel for every X and Y pixel in a photograph.
Essentially, this allows the depth to be tweaked in post-processing, sort of like the Lytro camera. Dell Gallery enables you to make those changes, and while it's a niche feature, it's pretty enjoyable to use. I still wouldn't consider using a tablet this large as a primary shooting device, but some may. Unfortunately, even with the RealSense extras, the Venue 10 7000 isn't ideal for capturing high-quality photos. Each image takes a second to "process," and resulting photos are a touch washed out -- even in broad daylight. It's not terrible, but images aren't quite as nice as even a mainstream point-and-shoot.
There's also a 2MP camera on the front for use with video chats. Below is a gallery of unedited shots compiled with the rear camera element.
On the battery front, Dell includes a 6000mAh (26.5WHr) non-removable battery. The company claims that up to 7 hours can be squeezed out, which is on the low side for a tablet. In our tests, we found that rating fairly reliable, and squeezed out a hair more in our rundown test (which holds the screen brightness at 50% and constantly refreshes a webpage). A 2560x1600 pixel display requires a lot of juice to stay lit, and the 2.3GHz quad-core processor sucks down its fair share of energy, too.
The bottom line here is that road warriors looking for maximum longevity from a tablet should look elsewhere. Dell's trying to split the difference here, providing above-average power for those seeking a laptop replacement with a tablet, but better battery life than any Windows-based 2-in-1 could provide.
Essentially, this allows the depth to be tweaked in post-processing, sort of like the Lytro camera. Dell Gallery enables you to make those changes, and while it's a niche feature, it's pretty enjoyable to use. I still wouldn't consider using a tablet this large as a primary shooting device, but some may. Unfortunately, even with the RealSense extras, the Venue 10 7000 isn't ideal for capturing high-quality photos. Each image takes a second to "process," and resulting photos are a touch washed out -- even in broad daylight. It's not terrible, but images aren't quite as nice as even a mainstream point-and-shoot.
There's also a 2MP camera on the front for use with video chats. Below is a gallery of unedited shots compiled with the rear camera element.
On the battery front, Dell includes a 6000mAh (26.5WHr) non-removable battery. The company claims that up to 7 hours can be squeezed out, which is on the low side for a tablet. In our tests, we found that rating fairly reliable, and squeezed out a hair more in our rundown test (which holds the screen brightness at 50% and constantly refreshes a webpage). A 2560x1600 pixel display requires a lot of juice to stay lit, and the 2.3GHz quad-core processor sucks down its fair share of energy, too.
The bottom line here is that road warriors looking for maximum longevity from a tablet should look elsewhere. Dell's trying to split the difference here, providing above-average power for those seeking a laptop replacement with a tablet, but better battery life than any Windows-based 2-in-1 could provide.
