Dell Venue 8 7000 review: thin design, great screen, gimmicky camera

Engadget doesn’t review many tablets anymore. When it comes to Android devices, we’re far more likely to write about phablets, those supersized smartphones that for many people have eliminated the need for a dedicated slate. Meanwhile, iPad sales haveslowed, and Apple has made so few changes to its products that in some cases we actually recommend you buy the previous-gen model to save money. Still, there are some companies that continue to not just build tablets, but also produce interesting designs. One of them is none other than Dell, a company whose track record includes some sensible Windows slates, a series of forgettable Android tablets and a phablet that wasahead of its time.

Lately, though, the company has been undergoing a reawakening, with a series of striking products that includes the XPS 13 and the Venue 8 7000, a $399 Android tablet. The Venue 8, as I’ll call it from here on out, is notable mostly for its design, marked by a stunning OLED display and a skinny 6mm-thick frame. It also happens to be the first tablet with Intel’s RealSense 3D camera setup. All told, that combination of specs was impressive enough to win it a Best of CES Award. But does that mean you should go out and buy one?