The Surface Pro 12-Inch measures just 0.30 by 10.8 by 7.5 inches (HWD) and weighs a remarkably totable 1.5 pounds. That’s about half the weight of a clamshell ultraportable laptop, which makes sense, given that this is roughly half the size of a laptop, thanks to its tablet design.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The aluminum chassis is available in three colors: Platinum gray, Violet, and the blue-tinted Ocean. The slim design is comfortable to hold and use, with a comfortably rounded edge around the chassis and the classic Surface kickstand on the back. The kickstand utilizes a full-friction mechanism to remain open in any position up to 165 degrees, allowing you to tilt it at just the right angle on a desk or table. However, you still can’t prop it up on your lap without the edge digging into your thighs or knees.
The 12-inch tablet is also fanless, which makes it silent even under load, and gives it a slimmer profile, making it easy to hold and use one-handed. It can run a little warm at times, but the trade-off is that quiet running.
The 12-inch PixelSense LCD features Microsoft’s unique 3:2 aspect ratio and a 2,196-by-1,464-pixel resolution, complemented by glare-reducing glass coatings and calibrated color. Full 10-finger touch and stylus support come standard, even if the stylus doesn’t. The LCD panel is sharp for its 12-inch size, but its colors and contrast can’t match the vibrant, deep blacks of the OLED display on the 2024 Microsoft Surface Pro or key competitors. The display’s 90Hz adjustable frame rate is impressive, looking smooth in any scenario, and its touch capabilities are superb. At this point, Microsoft has touch screens down to a science.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
You’ll find no fingerprint sensor here, even on the Surface Pro 12-inch keyboard, so you’ll use the tablet’s 1080p front-facing webcam for Windows Hello facial recognition logins. It’s a step down from the 1440p camera on the 2024 model, but that’s the sort of premium feature that’s lost when you drop in price. For snapping photos on the go, you’ll find a 10-megapixel rear-facing camera, which is sufficient but sometimes struggles under challenging lighting conditions and has inconsistent autofocus performance.
