I wasn’t sold on Windows tablets, but the Surface Pro 12 changed my mind

Price When Reviewed

$799.99

Best Prices Today: Microsoft Surface Pro 2025

Microsoft as soon as pushed tablets as the way forward for Windows, however the world didn’t chew. Now the corporate largely performs it secure with conventional laptops and mouse-friendly interfaces, and but it retains making Surface units. The newest is the Microsoft Surface Pro, extra usually referred to as the Surface Pro 12 or Surface Pro 2025.

This compact pill runs on a Snapdragon X Plus chip and is constructed for informal searching and workplace work. It’s not high-end, nevertheless it delivers a strong, fanless expertise Windows tablets have lengthy struggled to offer. And with Qualcomm’s Hexagon NPU, it’s obtained impressively snappy AI, too.

Mattias Inghe

Microsoft Surface Pro: Quiet and comfortably cool

So it’s fully silent cooling, and I don’t even assume it ever will get annoyingly sizzling to carry the pill. Just a little disturbingly lukewarm, however nothing disagreeable. It throttles with graphics efficiency once I run 3D graphics for lengthy durations, however truthfully, who buys a Surface to play video games?

The value is $799 for a base mannequin with 256GB of SSD storage or you may spend a bit additional ($899) on the configuration with 512GB of SSD storage. You additionally get 16GB of RAM, simply sufficient for all of your common workplace work, media streaming, fundamental photograph enhancing, and communication.

Most of the multitasking I attempt goes easily. I’m in a Teams video assembly with the editorial group, Googling data in a browser (this can be a Bing family–sorry!), have articles in progress open in Word, and am syncing up a big video file for on-line sharing. All on the identical time, with out one interfering with the opposite.

Connection with each Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6 can also be steady and quick, which in fact helps. There isn’t any 5G or LTE model of this pill. Then you need to go up in measurement and value.

Mattias Inghe

Microsoft Surface Pro: Sharp show, however restricted area

What turns into an impediment to productive multitasking is quite the small display screen space—12 inches isn’t a lot. Even although it’s excessive decision, having many home windows and tabs energetic shortly turns into cluttered. You’ll should undertake a extra conventional pill mentality and have one or two seen on the display screen on the identical time and have the others hidden however energetic behind.

The display screen has a semi-high brightness IPS panel, 2196×1464 pixel decision, and a 60 or 90 Hz body price. You’ll should set it up manually; dynamic frequency shouldn’t be supported. It’s not full professional high quality on the display screen, because the gamut solely goes up a bit bit above sRGB degree, however pre-calibration from Microsoft implies that shade accuracy inside the sRGB scale is excessive.

That and comparatively excessive black and distinction and extensive viewing angles improve the standard expertise. It makes watching movies entertaining, even when there isn’t a HDR help. A strong set of audio system with an in depth and wealthy sound for music, speech, and movies additionally helps. At least so long as I don’t flip the quantity as much as the ceiling, which is when it will get the loudest.

The webcam above the display screen supplies an appropriate 1080p picture with out noise and with even, impartial colours. Pale distinction and almost-but-not-quite blurred element drag down the impression. There’s no should be embarrassed within the video assembly, particularly due to good microphones and AI-backed noise filters, however there might be extra punch within the picture.

Mattias Inghe

On the again sits a easy 10-megapixel digicam that takes respectable footage in daylight, however don’t anticipate miracles. Especially its jumpy autofocus could cause issues for each filming and issues like AR purposes.

Microsoft Surface Pro: Compact design with minimal drawbacks

With a 12-inch display screen and 3:2 side ratio, the pill is noticeably compact and quick in width. Its pleasantly rounded corners and edges make Surface Pro excellently grip-friendly with its matte aluminum again that’s mentioned to be constructed from 100 p.c recycled aluminum. The foldable again help is sturdy.

Setting up the Surface Pro as a small digital photograph body or movie display screen could be very sensible. But it’s basically a Windows laptop. So you’ll want a keyboard and mouse controller. And if you wish to make full use of the touchscreen, you’ll want a pen.

Mattias Inghe

You can purchase the matching Slim Pen individually or in a bundle with the keyboard for a total of $249.99. It’s constructed for the Surface Pro with a slot on the again the place the pen can snap on with a magnet and cost.

Everything plugs in and works instantly. I don’t should fuss with guide pairing or calibration. The precision is great from the beginning. The high quality of the keyboard can also be uncompromising. It doesn’t even really feel just like the keys are crammed collectively, regardless of its quick width.

Microsoft Surface Pro: Just two USB ports, nothing extra

If you like to attach your personal mouse and keyboard and maybe a bigger display screen, all that’s doable with an appropriate USB-C dock. The disc’s two ports help all the things it’s worthwhile to plug in a USB-C dock and cost the battery with it. Chargers usually are not included.

Microsoft doesn’t reveal how massive the battery is, however battery life is sweet, from three to 10 hours of energetic use with the display screen brightness cranked all the best way up, and as much as 21 hours of frugal use. If I’m working with generative AI, both Microsoft’s personal options within the Copilot Plus suite or third-party software program, or difficult the graphics card with loads of 3D rendering, I find yourself on the decrease finish of that scale.

Mattias Inghe

If I’m simply browsing the net, checking electronic mail, and operating easy Excel calculations, the Surface Pro handles it a lot better and that’s what most individuals do with their computer systems anyway. For these duties, it’s as succesful as any small, ultralight laptop computer. It might not be fairly as quick, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly quick sufficient.

With the fitting equipment, you get a compact, competent laptop computer that additionally doubles as a touchscreen pill with pen help. It’s good for streaming films on the sofa. Is it sufficient to revive the Windows pill idea? Maybe. Maybe not. But for followers of the shape issue, it’s an amazing machine.