Microsoft's new Surface Pro could solve our biggest issue with the previous gen

Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch tablet on a blue and purple gradient background.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft seems to have taken our biggest complaints about the Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition) to heart.

While we appreciated the Surface Pro (11th Edition)'s fantastic performance, stunning display, and superb battery life, it's price tag was a bit steep for a Windows tablet.

But that should change soon.

Microsoft announced new Copilot+ Surface devices during today's Surface AI event. The new Surface devices include the smaller, more budget-friendly Surface Pro 12-inch tablet, which was the subject of rumors earlier this year.

Starting at just $799, could the new Surface Pro 12-inch tablet be our new favorite Surface product?

Surface Pro 12-inch: Specs

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Price:	$799 starting
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (8-core)
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
NPU:	Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (45 TOPS)
RAM:	16GB
Storage:	256-512GB
Display:	12-inch, 2196 x 1464,"PixelSense" LCD
Battery:	Up to 12-hours of "active web usage"
Size:	10.8 x 7.47 x 0.30 inches
Weight:	1.5 pounds

Surface Pro 12-inch: features

Like the other Surface Copilot+ PC devices, the Surface Pro 12-inch tablet features an AI PC chipset with an NPU capable of over 40 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) of AI performance.

This gives the Surface Pro 12-inch access to the full Copilot+ suite of AI applications including Live Captions, CoCreate, and Recall.

The Surface Pro 12-inch is also the thinnest and lightest Surface device, measuring just 0.3 inches thick and weighing just 1.5 pounds, making it the most portable of the Surface lineup. And that makes it ideal for students, artists, and commuters.

Microsoft has also revamped the keyboard for the new Surface tablet, with a full-size backlit keyboard and precision touchpad with adaptive touch controls. The keyboard lies flat when open and folds completely back against the Surface Pro tablet for easier use when writing or sketching in tablet mode.

Finally, the new Surface Pro 12-inch tablet comes in multiple colors: Slate, Ocean, and Violet.

What's next

Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition) — (Image credit: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)

With the addition of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (8 core) Surface devices, Microsoft has options for most budgets in this most recent Surface generation. Between the high-end Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surface Laptop (7th Edition) and Surface Pro (11th Edition), to the work-focused Intel Lunar Lake Surface Laptop and Surface Pro for Business that were announced earlier this year, and now the two budget-friendly options, there's soon to be Surface product for most everyone.

The Surface Pro 12-inch will be available starting May 20, with configurations starting at $799.

We can't get too excited about the new Surface Pro 12-inch until we get a chance to test it out and see if it truly makes up for the faults of the Surface Pro (11th Edition), but based on what we know so far it looks like it should address most of our issues.

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A former lab gremlin for Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, and TechRadar; Madeline has escaped the labs to join Laptop Mag as a Staff Writer. With over a decade of experience writing about tech and gaming, she may actually know a thing or two. Sometimes. When she isn't writing about the latest laptops and AI software, Madeline likes to throw herself into the ocean as a PADI scuba diving instructor and underwater photography enthusiast.