Brooke Crothers

The Microsoft store has begun selling an Intel Core i5-based Dell tablet that competes with the Surface Pro 2.

Microsoft has added an Intel Core i5 4210Y-based Venue 11 Pro to its lineup of Dell tablets, which already includes an Atom-based Venue 11 Pro and the Venue 8 Pro.

The i5-based Venue 11 Pro differs from the Intel "Bay Trail" Atom model in some important respects, performance and price being the most salient. The Core i5 variant is faster and more expensive than its Atom counterpart. The i5 model is priced at $899, compared with $499 for the Atom-based model.

That gets you a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD) and 4GB of RAM. The $499 Venue comes with 64GB of storage and 2GB of RAM.

Comparing the Venue 11 to the Surface Pro 2, for $899, the Surface Pro comes with only a 64GB SSD. Bump the Surface up to 128GB like the Venue, and it jumps to $999.

The Surface does come, however, with a faster 1.9GHz Core i5 4300U processor.

Other specs for the i5 Venue 11 Pro include a weight of about 1.75 pounds (the Surface Pro 2 weighs in at 2 pounds) and a chassis that is slightly thicker than the Atom-based Venue but thinner, at 0.48 inches, than the Surface Pro 2 (0.53-inches).

Both Venue 11 models have a 10.8-inch 1,920x1,080 display, which is the same resolution as the Surface Pro 2 but with a slightly larger display (the Surface as a 10.6-inch display).

The i5 Venue 11 Pro has been available at Dell's online store since last year but the estimated ship date, as of Wednesday, is February 14.

Dell Venue 11 Pro i5-7130BK :



Processor: Intel Core i5-4210Y 1.50GHz



Intel Core i5-4210Y 1.50GHz Storage: 128GB SSD



128GB SSD RAM: 4GB



4GB Display: 10.8-inch IPS (1,920x1,080)



10.8-inch IPS (1,920x1,080) Media drive: Micro SD card reader



Micro SD card reader Ports: 1 USB 3.0, Mini HDMI



1 USB 3.0, Mini HDMI Weight: 1.75 pounds



1.75 pounds OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit



Windows 8.1 64-bit Price: $899



Microsoft Surface Pro 2:



Processor: Core i5 4300U, 1.9GHz



Core i5 4300U, 1.9GHz Storage: 64GB SSD



64GB SSD RAM: 4GB



4GB Display: 10.6-inch (1,920x1,080)



10.6-inch (1,920x1,080) Media drive: Micro SD card reader



Micro SD card reader Ports: 1 USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort



1 USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Weight: 2.0 pounds



2.0 pounds OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit



Windows 8.1 64-bit Price: $899



See video here of optional Dell Venue 11 Pro keyboard.