Dell Venue 8 Pro vs. Lenovo ThinkPad 8: With the continuous rise of the tablets, it’s getting harder for users to tell which is which, and which gadget is a cut above the rest. To help you decide, TabletPCReview (TPCR) put the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 in the spotlight.

In a nutshell, the two tablets look the same. But after a series of comparisons and bench tests, which mid-size tablet will come out on top?

DESIGN. With plastic grooves at the back, the Dell Venue 8 Pro provides users a good, solid grip. Meanwhile, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 has a sleek design that can slide right off of your hand. However, its design has a more professional and tougher look than the Venue 8 Pro.

In the initial weigh in, the two are tied at 0.9 lbs. Still, the ThinkPad 8 wins the first round because of its microHDMI port, which allows you to link a tablet to a second screen. Moreover, the Venue 8 Pro has no HDMI output, a definite hindrance in connecting to other devices.

DISPLAY. The two tablets sport 8-inch screens. However, in terms of resolution, the ThinkPad 8 wins again with 1920 x 1200 IPS display (280 dpi) against Venue 8 Pro’s 1280 x 800 IPS display (188 dpi). In fact, the ThinkPad 8 can match the iPad Mini 2 with its Retina display.

PERFORMANCE. The two mid-size tablets sport a complete Windows 8.1 OS. Both provide users the complete Windows experience, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

To further gage the performance and battery life of each tablet, TPCR ran four benchmark tests.
And the results are in…

In terms of battery life, the Venue 8 Pro lasted longer than the ThinkPad 8. In fact, it was quite a disappointment how the Lenovo lasted only for seven hours. But in the overall performance, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 emerges as the winner.

So we now return to the question: Which is the better choice?

Truth be told, the Dell Venue 8 Pro is still a good choice for a mid-sized tablet, especially if you want a more budget-friendly device. The Lenovo costs around $400 for the 64 GB model, while the Dell can be sold for $300 for the 32 GB model. But if you have an additional $100, why not go the extra mile and buy the Lenovo ThinkPad 8?