The 12-Inch Surface Pro like the most iPad has been created by the Hybrid Tablet Microsoft so far, but the company had to compromise a lot to go there. Clocking in 1.5 pounds, its weight is similar to about 12.9 -inch iPad Pro, and its 7.8 mm thickness also makes it the thinnest surface. But it is also running a slow processor compared to the previous year’s 13 -inch surface pro, and is stuck with a bad screen. Its keyboard, which is once again sold separately in $ 149, does not have an angle for ergonomic typing.
So was it all worth more compact $ 800 for Surface Pro? It depends on what you are seeing. If you are craving for an incredibly light Windows Tablet that can sometimes turn into a 12-inch laptop, then Surface Pro is a success. There is not much hope from it. Like Asus Zenbook A14, its weight and thinness is remarkable, yet it is full of compromise.
Microsoft
The surface pro is light, thin and can handle the basic work properly. It is also cute as a button, so you probably will not mind that it has a sub-performance and less screen than a 13-inch model.
- Light and thin design
- Relatively low starting value
- 16GB RAM Standard
- Slow processor
- The keyboard is an additional $ 150
- The screen may be better
- No surface connect port
$ 800 on Microsoft
What is new in 12 inch surface pro
Surface Pro 12-inch is originally a shrunken version of the 13-inch model: it is a half-pound lighter and 1.5 mm thinner. Therefore, iPad comparison. In your hands it makes it feel too much like a real tablet, while previous surface equipment has always felt a little climate, as if they were shaken in a slate-like case (which, which, were, they were).
Qualcomm’s eight-core Snapdragon X Plus is the major driving force behind this redesign. As a low-power arm chip, it allowed Microsoft to create a more compact tablet rather than sticking with its old cases, supporting Hotter Intel Chips. Even last year’s 13-inch surface Pro, which was also run by Qualcomm Hardware (10-core Snapdragon X Plus and 12-O core X Elite), did not depart much from the earlier Intel model.
Similar to MacBook Air, Surface Pro 12-inch is also fan-less, which can be an issue if you are working in a warm environment. Certainly, this also means that the device is completely silent, but honestly I do not have many issues with fan noise in other modern ultraPortables. It mainly becomes a problem in gaming systems and high-end workstations, but those devices also move warm, so fan noise is unavoidable.
Since the target was to make the 12 -inch surface smaller and cheaper, Microsoft also reduced its screen slightly. There is no OLED option such as the 13-inch surface is with Pro, and its LCD is maximum at 90Hz refresh rate instead of 120Hz. The resolution has also been extended by 1,464 (3.2 million pixels, 220 pixels per inch) to 2,196, which is far from 1,920 (5.5 million pixels, 267PI) screen on a large model. While the screen is not as sharp as a 264 PPI retinal display on the Small Surface Pro and iPad Air, it does not look like a cheap LCD. Pop the color, and it is still brightly bright in the sun. But this is not ideal if you are editing severe photos or videos, then for its size and its only adequate resolution.
Another amazing step down? This surface Pro does not have a magnetic surface connect charging port. Instead, you have to charge one of its two USB-C ports. Talking about oh, and charging, Microsoft only includes a USB-C cable in the box-you have to supply your own AC adapter. You can lift the 45W surface USB-C charger with high price for $ 70, but I would advise to see one of many cheap and more powerful offerings in our fast charging guides instead.
Last, but not at least, Microsoft has also designed a new 12-inch Surface Pro keyboard. Even though it should only be bundled with Surface Pro (which is going to buy it without a keyboard?), Microsoft once again states that it is providing “option” to consumers by paying an additional $ 150 for this secondary.
Obviously, the company wants to marketing a $ 800 surface Pro, which would be impossible when the keyboard is really bundled. But it is still a misleading practice by Microsoft, a one who is naturally anti -consumer and eventually continues to hurt the reliability of the surface lineup. This would be another story if other companies were creating their own keyboards that could launch magnetically to the surface – Microsoft would not comment when I asked if it was a possibility.
In-use: a adorable surface for the basics
The 12-inch surface Pro did not surprise me with the zipines seen in Snapdragon X Ultra-Powered 13-inch model. And it certainly did not blow my mind like Apple M1-operated MacBook Pro. Instead, the small surface is just… okay. This handled my specific workflows – a few dozen browser tabs, eovernotes, spotfs and light image editing – without any problem. But I can tell from its benchmarking performance that I can’t really give it too much stress.
Honestly, however, slow performance has always plagued 12 -inch laptops like Apple’s last MacBook. You are not buying a small laptop for speed, you are buying it because it is cute and super portable. And in that regard, the 12-inch surface supporter succeeds. With a surface keyboard of 0.3 pounds, the entire surface pro package weighs about 1.8 pounds. It is still less than a 13 -inch surface of Pro from about 0.2 pounds, without keyboard! Needless to say, it was easy to throw the 12 -inch surface pro in my messenger bag to work around the city. After a while, I completely forgot that I was carrying it.
And when I did not expect much from the new surface keyboard, I found that it was pleasant and responsible. I was worried that the keys would look more tight than the 13 -inch model, but my fingers could not show much difference. I certainly miss having a large trackpad, but the 12-inch keyboard is still smooth and accurate. If you want a bit of stylus action, you can also cry the slim pen of the $ 130 surface, which mounts magnetically to the top of the tablet. I am personally out of love with tablet stylus in general, but the surface pen worked fine for the 12-inch surface Pro doodling and hand-writing notes.
As a standalone tablet, Surface Pro is once again sufficient, but it is conducted back by normal furnace for the small touch target and slates of Windows. It is not a tablet that I will browse with carelessness like an iPad, instead I usually use Surface Pro as a laptop and then close the keyboard to read long articles.
|
PCmark 10 |
Geekbench 6 CPU |
3 demmark wildlife extreme |
Cinebench 2024 |
|
|
Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch (2025, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus) |
12,300 (application) |
2,315/10,915 |
3,140 |
108/530 |
|
Microsoft Surface Pro 13-inch (2024, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite) |
12,615 (application) |
2,769/13,842 |
6,430 |
120/770 |
|
Asus Zenbook A14 (Qualcomm Snapdragon X) |
12,127 (application) |
2,113/10,316 |
3,287 |
96/540 |
|
Microsoft Surface Pro 10 (Intel Core Ultra 5 135U, Intel Graphics) for Business |
5,772 |
2,085/8,827 |
2,546 |
90/524 |
Back to those benchmarks: Like the Zenbook A14, which practically reflects surface results, the 12 -inch tablet is a true light. But at least it is slightly cheaper than the A14, even the extra surface keyboard. The two systems scored the same score on the Geekbench 6 CPU and GPU tests, although the Surface Pro was slightly faster for single-threaded performance. Both of them are poor 3D artists, some of which are the lowest 3DMark wildlife extreme scores we have seen over the years.
Looking at its size and weak hardware, however, I do not think anyone would have any gaming expectations for the 12 -inch surface Pro. Cloud Streaming would be the best option for such a system – I was able to launch Infinite In about 15 seconds, through the Xbox app, and the campaign was streamlined smoothly on Wi-Fi without hiccups. You can find a handful of light games that work on Surface Pro, but due to its arm architecture, such as popular title Fortnite And Overwatch 2 Will not be launched either. (It is not that I expected him to perform very well, either.)
Unfortunately, as I was trying to test the battery of Surface Pro in PCMark 10, I ran into strange software errors. I will keep trying to complete that test, but now I can say that its battery reached 53 percent after about eight hours of benchmarking. For real -world performance, it was about 30 percent of the battery life when I used it for full workday. Microsoft claims that 12 -inch surface supporters should last up to 16 hours. In our test, the 13 -inch model PCmark lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes in 10.
Should you buy a 12 -inch surface Pro?
The 12 -inch surface is Pro is something that you buy with your heart, not your brain. I can tell you that the 13 -inch surface Pro is much faster and more capable computer. I can tell you that the large surface is a theft, while it is on sale for $ 800 on the best purchase, which is $ 200 less than its specific base price. But really no one matters if you just want a cute Windows PC that you can take anywhere.
I will not blame you for confusing the pricing strategy of Microsoft, though. The company recently removed its cheapest 13 -inch surface professionals from its online store, which reported that the company actually increased surface prices. For now, we are in a strange position where both 12 inch and 13-inch models are selling in $ 800.
A result for all this? Microsoft can sell only a 13-inch model through its existing stock, so eventually your cheapest option is $ 1,400 configuration (which is currently on sale for $ 1,030).
Wrap
The surface pro is light, thin and will maintain most of your basic productivity tasks. It is also incredibly adorable, so that you probably will not believe that it has a sub-performance and less screen than a 13-inch model. Microsoft has finally designed a surface PC that actually sounds like an iPad, and for some people, it is a reason to buy it alone.
