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New Surface Pro & Laptop go compact for 2025, trading high-refresh displays & ports for portability. Is it worth it? The sleek new designs are certainly eye-catching, but will they meet the needs of demanding users? Only time will tell if this shift in priorities pays off.
Microsoft's 2025 Surface family, announced on May 6, brings a new 12-inch Surface Pro and a 13-inch Surface Laptop, both driven by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus processor.
These compact devices value mobility but raise questions about cut specifications such as reduced refresh rates and reduced ports. This article covers the design, specifications, sacrifices, and what these small Surfaces imply to users, using recent reports and discussion on X.
The 12-inch Surface Pro begins at $799, and the 13-inch Surface Laptop begins at $899, both pre-ordering now with sales commencing May 20, 2025. Both prices undercut the Surface Pro 11 and Laptop 7 last year, priced from $999, and target budget shoppers.
India follows suit on July 15, with domestic pricing not yet announced. The lower price tag has sacrifices, as Microsoft cuts corners on specs to reach this price, a decision that has enthusiasts abuzz with conflicted emotions.
The fanless 2-in-1 12-inch Surface Pro is 7.8mm thin and 1.5 pounds, thinner and lighter than the 13-inch Surface Pro 11. It has an aluminum design with a built-in kickstand in Ocean, Violet, and Slate colors. The 13-inch Surface Laptop, Microsoft's thinnest so far at 0.61 inches and 2.7 pounds, has an anodized-aluminum case in Platinum, Ocean, or Violet.
Both machines downsize screens to make them more portable. The Pro's 12-inch PixelSense LCD display is 2196x1464, whereas the Laptop's 13-inch touchscreen is 1920x1280. Thin bezels and a removable keyboard on the Pro provide more flexibility, yet the Laptop's clamshell structure maintains tradition. These tiny constructs yell mobility, but some trade-offs hide in the sleek looks.
Each utilizes an 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor, with a 45 TOPS neural processing unit, and shares 16GB of LPDDR5x memory and 256GB or 512GB of storage. The Laptop is supposedly 50% faster than the Surface Laptop 5 and edges out the MacBook Air M3 in multi-core performance, according to Microsoft, but there are few hard data points to test this claim.
The fanless Pro uses passive cooling, convenient for silent performance but possibly at the cost of throttling performance under load.
Battery life is incredible, with the Laptop providing 23 hours of web browsing or video viewing, and the Pro providing 16 hours of video or 12 hours of web browsing. Yet the 8-core processor of the older 10-core X Plus model on 2024 models suggests lower performance progress.
The streamlined designs come at significant sacrifices. Both displays top out at 60Hz, a reduction from the 120Hz screens of earlier models, making animation and scrolling less silky. The Surface Pro's 90Hz option is better but still falls behind.
Ports get a pounding: the Pro loses the Surface Connect port in favor of two USB-C 3.2 ports, with no power adapter included, and the Laptop eliminates USB-A altogether. Soldered storage in the Pro constraints predetermination makes us wonder about upgradability.
Those sacrifices are controversial. X posts exhibit enthusiasm for the thin designs but disappointment with the "downgraded" displays and ports. Some contend the 2024 Surface Pro 11, with its 120Hz screen and 10-core chip, is an improved value for similar prices.
Microsoft's value push follows tariff-driven price hikes, like Xbox's $100 hike. Surfaces' little brothers target mobile business users and students, going head-to-head with Apple's iPad Pro and MacBook Air.
Lower prices and AI features may entice upgraders, especially given Windows 10 support expires in October 2025. However, the trade-offs risk upsetting power users wanting high-refresh displays or good connectivity. The MacBook Air M4 is a threatening presence, with improved display options.
Microsoft's 2025 Surface Pro 12-inch and Laptop 13-inch offer portability and battery life at enticing prices but at compromises—60Hz displays, fewer ports, and a weaker chip—that split enthusiasts.
The slim designs and AI benefits sway on-the-go consumers, but the sacrifices might drive some towards 2024 editions or competitors. With tariffs looming, Microsoft's thinning bet might reimagine the Surface series or falter if enthusiasts want more.
