Relegated, but surely cute

The 12-inch Surface Pro is the most iPad-like hybrid tablet Microsoft has made so far, but to get there, the company has to make a lot of compromises. It weighs 1.5 pounds and weighs nearly the same as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and its 7.8mm thickness also makes it the thinnest surface ever. However, its processor is also running slower than last year's 13-inch Surface Pro, and the screen is getting worse and worse. Its keyboard is again sold separately for $149, and it also doesn't tend to ergonomic typing.

So, is it all worth it for the more compact $800 Surface Pro? It depends on what you are looking for. If you've been looking for an incredibly lightweight window tablet that sometimes turns into a cute 12-inch laptop, the Surface Pro is a success. Just don't expect too much. Just like the Asus Zenbook A14, its weight and thinness are significant, but it is also full of compromises.

New features in the 12-inch Surface Pro

The Surface Pro 12-inch is basically a reduced version of the 13-inch model: it's lightweight and 1.5mm thin. Therefore, iPad comparison. In your hands it feels more like a real tablet, and the previous surface devices always feel a little clumsy, as if they were laptops being pushed into a slate-like case (admittedly, surely).

Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon X Plus is the main driver behind the redesign. As a low-power arm chip, it allows Microsoft to make more compact tablets instead of sticking to its older boxes, which must support hotter Intel chips. Even last year's 13-inch Surface Pro was powered by Qualcomm hardware (10-core Snapdragon X Plus and 12-Core X Elite), and isn't far from the early Intel models.

Similar to the MacBook Air, the Surface Pro 12-inch is not a fan either, which can be a problem if you work in a warm environment. Of course, that also means the device is completely silent, but honestly, I have no problem with boundary noise in other modern ultraportable items. It has become a problem primarily in gaming systems and high-end workstations, but these devices are also hot, so fan noise is inevitable.

Since the goal is to make 12-inch surface professionals smaller and cheaper, Microsoft has also lowered its screen a bit. There is no OLED option, such as the 13-inch Surface Pro, whose LCD refresh rate is 90Hz instead of 120Hz. The resolution also narrows to 2,196 to 1,464 (3.2 megapixels, 220 pixels per inch), which is a far cry from the 2,880 by 1,920 (5.5 megapixels, 267ppi) on the larger size. While the smaller Surface Pro has a screen that is nowhere near as sharp as the 264 PPI retina display on the iPad Pro and iPad Air, it doesn't look like a cheap LCD either. The color pops up and is still bright in the sun. However, if you are doing serious photo or video editing, this is not ideal, whether it's its size or sufficient resolution.

Another surprising step down? This surface Pro has no magnetic surface connection charging port. Instead, you have to charge it on one of its two USB-C ports. Oh, and when it comes to charging, Microsoft only includes a USB-C cable in the box – you have to provide your own AC adapter. You can buy an overpriced 45W Surface USB-C charger for $70, but I recommend checking out one of the many cheaper, more powerful products in the Quick Charging Guide instead.

Last but not least, Microsoft has also designed a new 12-inch Surface Pro keyboard. Even if it should be bundled with the Surface Pro (who will buy it without a keyboard?!), Microsoft again says it provides consumers with a “choice” by making you pay an extra $150 for this accessory.

Apparently, the company wants to sell the $800 Surface Pro, which is impossible if the keyboards actually tied together. But it remains a deceptive practice for Microsoft, an approach that is essentially anti-consumer and ultimately continues to hurt the credibility of the surface lineup. If other companies are building their own keyboards, that would be another story that can be magnetically locked onto the ground – Microsoft won't comment when I ask if this is possible.

In use: The cute surface of basic knowledge

The 12-inch surface professionals of Zippiness that I saw in the Snapdragon X ultra-power 13-inch model didn't surprise me. Of course, this didn't shock me like the Apple M1-powered MacBook Pro. On the contrary, the smaller surface is simply… good. It handles my typical workflow – juggling dozens of browser tabs, Evernote, Spotify and Light Image edits – without much problem. But I can tell from the performance of the benchmark that I really can't emphasize too much.

Honestly, though, slow performance has been plaguing 12-inch laptops, such as Apple's Last MacBook. You're not buying a small laptop for speed, but because it's cute and super portable. In this regard, the 12-inch surface Pro succeeded. Along with the 0.3-pound surface keyboard, the entire Surface Pro package weighs about 1.8 pounds. It's still about 0.2 pounds lower than the 13-inch surface professional without a keyboard! Needless to say, it was easy to put the 12-inch Surface Pro into my Messenger bag to get the town done. After a while, I completely forgot that I was carrying it.

Although I had no expectations for the new Surface keyboard, I found it to be pleasant and responsive. I was worried that these keys would be more cramped than the 13-inch model, but my fingers couldn't tell too much of the difference. I'll definitely miss the bigger trackpad, but the 12-inch keyboard is still smooth and accurate. If you want some stylus moves, grab the $130 Surim Slim Pen and install it magnetically on the top of your tablet. I personally don't like tablet phones, but the surface pen has a good graffiti and handwritten notes on the 12-inch Surface Pro.

As a standalone tablet, the Surface Pro is enough again, but it is blocked by Windows' small touch targets and generally inaccessible slate. I would browse the tablet like an iPad, but instead I usually use the Surface Pro in the form of a laptop and then pull it out of the keyboard to read longer posts.

Back to these benchmarks: Like the Zenbook A14, it actually reflects the results of the surface, the 12-inch tablet is truly lightweight. But at least it's a little cheaper than the A14, and even includes an additional surface keyboard. Both systems scored in both Geekbench 6 CPU and GPU tests, although Surface Pro is faster for single-threaded performance. They are all bad 3D performers, some of the lowest 3Dmark wildlife limit scores we've seen in years.

However, given its size and weak hardware, I don't think anyone has any gaming expectations for the 12-inch Surface Pro. Yunliu is the best choice for such a system – I can start Halo infinite Through the Xbox app in about 15 seconds, and the activity streams smoothly on Wi-Fi without icing. You may find some light games that work on the Surface Pro, but because of its arm building, popular games like Fortnite and Overwatch 2 Not even launching. (It's not that I expected them to perform well.)

Unfortunately, when I was trying to test the battery of the Surface Pro in PCMark 10, I kept getting weird software errors. I will continue to try to complete the test, but now I can say that after about eight hours of benchmarking, it has a battery of 53%. As for real-world performance, I use 30% of battery life throughout my working day. Microsoft claims that the 12-inch surface Pro should last 16 hours. In our tests, the 13-inch model ran in the PCMark 10 for 12 hours and 15 minutes.

Should you buy a 12-inch Surface Pro?

The 12-inch Surface Pro is something you buy with your heart, not your brain. I can tell you that the 13-inch Surface Pro is a faster, more capable computer. I can tell you that the larger surface is the steal, when it was purchased for $800, $200 less than the typical base price. But if you just want a cute Windows PC, none of these matters.

I won't blame you for being confused by Microsoft's pricing strategy, though. The company recently removed the cheapest 13-inch ground professional from its online store, which led the company to actually raise the surface price. Currently, we are in a weird situation where the 12-inch and 13-inch models are priced at $800.

The result of all this? Microsoft may just be sold through its existing stock of the base 13-inch model, so your cheapest option in the end is the $1,400 configuration (currently sold for $1,030).

wrap up

The Surface Pro is lightweight, thin, and will keep up with most of your basic productivity tasks. It's also so cute that you probably don't mind that it has sub-par performance, with a screen less than the 13-inch model. Microsoft finally designed a Surface PC that actually feels like an iPad, and for some people, that's the only reason to buy it.