Dell Venue Pro round-up

The Dell Venue pro is finally being shipped to selected orderers (supposedly in the order in which they are ordered, but is seems more like a lottery actually) and a few early reviews have started popping up.

PhoneArena  had a first look at the device and were impressed by the build quality.

Initially taking hold of the device, we’re blinded by its beautiful and articulated industrial design that quite easily stands tall amongst other existing handsets out there. Granted that it feels a bit overwhelming when grasping it, everything from its quality construction and choice of materials makes for one undeniably sweet handset that’s worth flaunting. When looking straight at the device, it might look pretty similar to other WP7 handsets boasting WVGA (480 x 800) resolution, but its stark difference is the fact that it employs an AMOLED panel instead. Sure it’s not at the same level as the Super AMOLED panel in use with the Samsung Focus, but the Dell Venue Pro’s curved glass is one striking characteristic. Now even though it doesn’t improve visibility in any way from our initial look, it’s just a unique looking design that differentiates itself from everything else out there.

Pocketnow.com also had a hands-on with the handset and similarly commented on the imposing handsets construction.

The Windows Phone 7-running Venue Pro device is a commanding smartphone. The screen is huge, the device is heavy, but it feels very high-quality in-hand. It’s a substantial phone that is ready to get down to business. The curved glass, while serving really no purpose in terms of utility, looks and feels good, and does a really good job at staying free of fingerprints. The keyboard of the Venue Pro is also quite nice, and can easily be exposed with a flip of a thumb.

MobilityDigest had the most comprehensive review, and found much to like.  They were also impressed with the build of the device, and also the by the sound quality from the built-in speakers.

Build quality is amazing.  I don’t think I can stress it enough.  It feels like a tank compared to the HD7.  It definitely has a premium feel to it.  I would put it on par with the iPhone 4, if not slightly above it.  The Venue Pro isn’t all that much larger than the HD7.  Even with the keyboard, it’s maybe only 2-3mm thicker.  Height is identical when you stand them up together and the Venue Pro is actually slimmer around the sides. 

The keyboard is what this phone is all about, and I’m sad to say I was slightly disappointed with it.  This isn’t to say it’s bad, it’s not.  I just wished the keys were a little more pronounced.  Other than that it works without a hitch. 

Sound quality from the speaker grill is leaps and bounds above the HD7.  The HD7’s speakers have a very teeny sound to them.  In contrast, the Venue Pro’s speakers are not only louder, but provide deeper sounds(without sacrificing the higher end when compared to the HD7).  The HD7 managed to output the save volume of sound at 23 as the HD7 did at 30(the max setting), all the while still sounding better.  I did notice some distortions on the Venue Pro when the sound was cranked up all the way though, but this was minimal.  I was disappointed to discover that it’s not a stereo speaker as we had been lead to believe in videos from the Windows Phone launch, but the single speaker gets the job done quite nicely. 

Be sure to read their full review at the link provided.

Have any of our readers received their Venue Pro? Let us know your likes and dislikes in the comments below.