Dell continues its foray into the tablet market. As reports of product announcement came around October, there are now sources saying that the company will be shipping another slate this month. Dell Venue 8 promises to rival the likes of Nexus 7 but can it truly deliver?

Whereas, there are still those doubtful whether Dell can compete already with other companies on the market the Dell Venue 8 looks promising enough. At least, it offers a good deal for a budget slate. The Dell Venue 8 is one step closer to what Intel's CEO Brian Krzanich promised: a new wave of quality but affordable $150 tablets.

The $180 price tag offers consumers a WXGA 1200x800 pixel screen. It may be at par with the 1920x1080 (1080p) panel in the Nexus 7 but the price cut should justify it. The device is $50 cheaper compared to Google's slate for the 16GB model. The Dell Venue 8 compensates for its lower res screen with better processing power.

The Dell Venue 8 packs on a dual-core 2.0 GHz Intel Z2580 Atom Processor (32 nm, Clover Trail) including a PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPUunder Imagination Technologies Group. Nexus runs on a Snapdragon S4 chip with Krait CPU cores and an Adreno 320 GPU. Based on the design, Intel wins in the CPU category especially for intense tasks. However, it falls short when it comes to GPU-demanding tasks such as 3D gaming.

Running on a 1550 mWh battery, the latest Dell Venue 8 provides up to 7.5 hours of battery life. The Nexus 7 lasts up to 8.5 hours, so Dell falls behind on this aspect. This means, Dell Venue 8 falls slightly behind the Nexus 7 but its price justifies the cut on features. People looking for a cheap alternative on Nexus 7 or iPad Mini can find the slate a good deal.

The iPad Mini, on other hand, starts at $315. Its asking price is twice of Dell's Venue 8. Apple's first generation slate offers 1024x768 pixel, 7.9-inch display and longer battery life. Holiday shoppers looking for a friendlier slate can stick to Venue 8. Otherwise, higher performance requirements mean other competitors like Nexus 7 or iPad Mini.