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Dell Venue Pro 11 comes in three configs, includes removable battery (hands-on)

Dell Venue Pro 11 is a Surface competitor with a removable battery.

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Eric Franklin
2 min read

Almost exactly like the new Surface Pro 2, Dell's Venue 11 Pro is one tablet that works in three different ways. You can use it as a typical Windows 8.1 tablet, snap it into a keyboard dock and use it like a laptop, or remotely connect it to a dock hooked up to a monitor or TV to play movies and TV shows on a larger screen.

The 3-in-1 Dell Venue 11 Pro tablet (pictures)

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The Venue is a black-bodied tablet that looks pretty much how all Windows 8 tablets look, with a moderate-size bezel around the screen and the standard Windows logo Home button. It has a 10.8-inch IPS screen with a 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution.

The convertible Venue 11 Pro. James Martin/CNET

The Venue 11 Pro is available with either a Core-i processor or a Bay Trail CPU. That Bay Trail processor can handle tablet-size apps and games, while the Core-i can run full-fledged desktop programs, like Microsoft Word or Portal 2. It ships with 8GB of RAM and includes up to 256GB of storage.

One thing that sets the Venue 11 Pro apart, however, is that the back cover can flip off, revealing a removable battery. Both versions of the tablet are pen-enabled, and each includes an 8-megapixel back camera. Accessories include a $99 dock that allows you to push the tablet's display to a larger monitor, a keyboard with a back stand, and a full keyboard dock with USB ports.

You can snap the tablet into a keyboard dock. James Martin/CNET

The Dell Venue 11 Pro appears to be more than just another Windows tablet, with standout features like its removable battery and desktop docking capability. Its appeal, of course, will depend heavily on price, which is something Dell has yet to reveal.