Microsoft Surface Pro (2025, 12-Inch) Review: Budget-Friendly Innovation or Compromised Experience?

In the world of detachable 2-in-1 Windows tablets, Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup has long been the benchmark for design, functionality, and innovation. However, with increasing competition from ARM-powered rivals and budget-conscious buyers, Microsoft has made a strategic shift with its 2025 Microsoft Surface Pro (12-Inch) model. The result is a thinner, cheaper, lighter, and more accessible version of its iconic tablet—built for portability, productivity, and everyday use. But does it hold up against its more premium predecessors and competitors?

In this comprehensive review, we explore whether the Microsoft Surface Pro (2025, 12-inch) is a smart budget-friendly choice or whether downsizing leads to too many sacrifices. We examine its design, performance, display, accessories, battery life, and comparison with top alternatives.

Overview and Key Highlights

💡 Affordable, lightweight, and ultra-portable
❌ Charger, keyboard & stylus sold separately
❌ No SSD, uses UFS storage (slower performance)

Why Microsoft Made a Smaller, Cheaper Microsoft Surface Pro

The 12-inch Microsoft Surface Pro marks a calculated move by Microsoft toward affordability and portability. Unlike previous Pro models that emphasized power and high-end features, this variant shifts toward mid-range performance at a sub-$1,000 price.

Starting at just $799.99 (tablet only), it offers a Snapdragon X Plus processor, 16GB RAM, and 256GB UFS storage. While attractive on paper, it’s important to note that the keyboard, charger, and stylus are sold separately, making the true cost significantly higher.

The tested configuration ($1,049.98) includes:

• Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100)
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB UFS Storage
• Surface Keyboard ($149.99 separate purchase)

While it runs smoothly, the shift from SSD to UFS is a significant downgrade for speed and long-term performance.

Design and Build: Premium Looks, Practical Limitations

One thing Microsoft still gets right is design. The Microsoft Surface Pro (2025) maintains an excellent build quality with a sleek aluminum chassis, weighing just 1.5 pounds and measuring 0.30 inches thick. It’s perfect for travel, note-taking, and tablet-style usage.

Available Colors: Platinum, Violet, Ocean (blue-tinted)

Key Design Highlights:

The design remains visually stunning, but its fanless architecture limits performance in longer workloads. Also, its lap usability is still lacking, a long-standing issue with Microsoft Surface Pro tablets.

Display Quality: Sharp but Not Quite Premium

At 12 inches, the PixelSense IPS LCD display offers:

• Resolution: 2,196 x 1,464 (3:2 aspect ratio)
• Refresh Rate: 90Hz
• Touch and Stylus Support: Yes (Stylus sold separately)

It’s sharp, smooth, and well-calibrated, with great touch accuracy. However, it falls short when compared to last year’s OLED-equipped Surface Pro or the Asus ProArt PZ13, which features a vibrant OLED display with deeper blacks and richer contrast.

The 90Hz refresh rate keeps content smooth, while touch performance remains top-tier. Still, for creative professionals or media enthusiasts, OLED remains the superior choice.

Ports & Connectivity: Minimal and Modern

The Microsoft Surface Pro 12-Inch keeps things minimalist—perhaps too minimalist.

Ports Included:

• 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (Charging, DisplayPort, Data)
• Magnetic keyboard connector

Missing Ports:

• No headphone jack
• No microSD slot
• No USB-A
• No proprietary Surface Connect port

While Thunderbolt 4 is versatile, losing the headphone jack and microSD slot makes it less creator-friendly. However, premium wireless support includes:

• Wi-Fi 7
• Bluetooth 5.4

These ensure fast internet connections and smooth wireless peripheral compatibility.

Accessories: Bring Your Own Everything

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2025 takes a minimalist approach—almost too extreme.

Shockingly, even the charger is not included. You only get a USB-C cable in the box.

For a “Pro” device, this omission feels frustrating, especially for students and professionals who rely on quick charging and frequent travel.

While the keyboard is high-quality and comfortable, it’s not the detachable Bluetooth Flex Cover available for the 13-inch model.

Performance: ARM-Powered but Thermally Limited

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus, this tablet competes well in multitasking and general productivity. However, its fanless design restricts sustained performance.

Performance Ranking (Based on Benchmarks)

While it beats Intel’s Framework Laptop 12 in CPU-intensive tasks, it falls behind other ARM-based competitors due to thermal throttling.

Graphics: Decent for Work, Not for Gaming

The Adreno GPU inside the Snapdragon X Plus does surprisingly well for everyday use—streaming, graphics, light editing, and basic creative work.

It struggled in Solar Bay ray-tracing tests, falling behind even the similarly configured Surface Laptop. Again, thermal limitations held it back.

Conclusion on Graphics: Good for productivity, poor for gaming, decent for light creative workloads.

Battery Life: Good, Not Great

Despite its low-power processor, the Microsoft Surface Pro delivers 17 hours and 35 minutes of continuous video playback at 50% brightness. That’s excellent—but not class-leading.

Given its tablet size, 17+ hours is respectable, though full laptops easily outperform it.

Who Should Buy the Microsoft Surface Pro (2025, 12-Inch)?

Best for:

✔ Students who prefer portability
✔ Writers, note-takers, and travelers
✔ Professionals who need Windows + touch functionality
✔ Users who prioritize silent, fanless operation

Not ideal for:

❌ Digital artists or creatives (no OLED, UFS storage)
❌ Gamers or power users (thermal throttling)
❌ Professionals who need multiple ports
❌ Value buyers (when accessories are added, price jumps)

👉 Also Read: OnePlus 15 Launch Review.

Final Verdict – Microsoft Surface Pro

The Microsoft Surface Pro (2025, 12-inch) is a well-designed, ultra-portable Windows tablet that serves productivity and portability very well. But its compromises—UFS storage, lower display quality, limited thermal performance, and no included charger or keyboard—make it harder to recommend over competitors like the Asus ProArt PZ13.

If you value portability, ARM efficiency, and Microsoft’s iconic design, it’s a solid mid-range option. But if you’re hunting for value, performance, and a premium user experience, better alternatives exist at similar prices.