I replaced my laptop with Microsoft's 12-inch Surface Pro - here's my buying advice a week later

[ad_1] ZDNET's key takeaways The 12-inch Microsoft Floor Professional is on the market for preorder now beginning at $799 for the Platinum colour, and $899 for the brand new Violet and Ocean colours. The 12-inch model is exceedingly skinny and light-weight with a fast-charging battery, and the refreshed kind issue appears extra premium. The 256GB of storage is just not sufficient for a tool at this worth level, and the associated fee provides up rapidly, because the keyboard, mouse, and even the facility adapter are bought individually. extra shopping for selections

Microsoft's 2025 12-inch Floor Professional is thinner, lighter, and a bit extra reasonably priced, with a battery-efficient Snapdragon X Plus processor and refreshed design. The most recent model of the Floor Professional rounds out the lineup with a extra reasonably priced choice centered on ultra-long battery life, new colours, and redesigned equipment to indicate off Home windows' newest Copilot+ PC options.

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I not too long ago changed my laptop computer with the 12-inch Floor Professional for per week, and the Floor Professional appears to me to be extra of an addition to the present lineup than a standalone improve, notably compared to the enterprise fashions Microsoft launched in January.

The 2025 Floor Professional has comparatively modest {hardware}, with 16GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of UFS storage, as an alternative focusing on a extra on a regular basis client who makes use of on-device AI and appreciates the ultraportability.

Apart from the smaller kind issue, this 12 months's Floor Professional is available in two new colours: Violet and Ocean (a blueish grey). The default Platinum colour begins at $799, whereas the opposite two will run you $899, bringing the beginning worth a bit additional away from that marketed low worth (and we have not even purchased the keyboard but).

I need to admit that the design on the 12-inch pill appears higher. It appears extra like a premium pill (and extra like an iPad) with rounded corners, skinny bezels, and the webcam moved to the again nook of the gadget.

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Moreover, I am a fan of the brand new Violet and Ocean colorways, which are not what I might name "daring", however no less than they don't seem to be the identical desaturated pastels we see all over the place else. The colours prolong to the Floor Professional keyboards, that are up to date by eradicating the alcantara cloth on the entrance of the keyboard for a cleaner, monochromatic matte look.

As a substitute, the material is relegated to the again of the keyboard case, which has a extra premium pill really feel for storage and transport. The Floor keyboard is useful and satisfying to kind on, with springy keys and a responsive, premium trackpad.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Moreover, the pill snaps to the keyboard a bit tighter and nearer to the pill now, with no hole within the hinge, giving it a barely smaller footprint on the desk.

The Floor Pen additionally magnetically snaps to the again of the 12-inch as an alternative of storing on the keyboard. This requires you to retailer the gadget with the material dealing with down, as you do not need to squish the pen. When throwing the Floor Professional in a bag, the Pen additionally tends to remain put however can come unattached should you're not paying consideration.

Microsoft needs to indicate off its new AI-driven Copilot+ options, and the 12-inch Floor Professional is an effective conduit for advertising and marketing them to the buyer, particularly with its engaging worth level and the 45 TOPS Qualcomm Hexagon NPU.

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For instance, the long-awaited Recall characteristic remains to be in Preview mode, however it's getting nearer to a helpful state. Different functions that leverage AI processes, notably ones for creators like Capcut, Davinci Resolve, and DJay Professional ought to really feel clean and snappy. This makes it a really AI-ready gadget for on a regular basis customers who do not want high-end {hardware} for demanding inventive tasks.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Working Home windows on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus chip should not be an excessive amount of of an issue for many customers on this class, because the areas that noticed probably the most points with compatibility, like gaming and connecting to legacy software program, are extra doubtless to not apply to the focused consumer.

The 12-inch Floor Professional's modest {hardware} positions itself as a aggressive gadget within the household's lineup. The aforementioned 16GB of RAM and max 512GB of storage, paired with the Snapdragon X Plus and 2196 x 1464 decision (220 PPI) LCD show that targets on a regular basis customers, whereas its 13-inch siblings will be loaded up with extra premium {hardware}.

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That being mentioned, the Snapdragon X Plus processor is snappy and responsive, excelling at duties that the typical client cares about: quick startup and app load occasions, clean multitasking, and stable battery efficiency, whether or not in laptop computer or pill mode.

Throughout my benchmarking of the 12-inch Floor Professional, I received numbers that place it round different skinny and light-weight laptops in the identical worth vary, together with Asus' Zenbook A14, which additionally options the Snapdragon X Plus processor, and HP's OmniBook X 14, one of many first Copilot+ PCs with the Snapdragon X Elite chip from 2024.

Cinebench 24 MC

Geekbench 6.2.2 SC

Geekbench 6.2.2 MC

12-inch Microsoft Floor Professional (Snapdragon X Plus)

418

2,252

9,555

Asus Zenbook A14 (Snapdragon X Plus)

541

2,133

10,624

HP Omnibook X (Snapdragon X Elite)

470

2,326

13,160

Present extra The show is sharp and crisp, however it does cap out at 400 nits of brightness and a 90Hz refresh price. Since it is a pill, it is also fairly shiny. Within the workplace, for instance, I discovered myself readjusting the gadget's angle quite a few occasions all through the day to account for glare from overhead lighting.

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Talking of utilizing the Floor Professional within the workplace, it really works equally effectively as a laptop computer or a pill, relying on what you want. Indifferent from the keyboard and armed with the Floor Pen, it turns into a quick productiveness pill that enables for be aware taking, prototyping, and freeform thought technology in Home windows' Whiteboard app.

It's also possible to assign totally different actions to the Pen, together with beginning apps or performing features with the button on the gadget or the "clicky" on the tip. I'll say that the Pen's efficiency will be variable, although. In case you're operating a number of applications open within the background, you would possibly discover lag whereas writing, particularly should you're shifting rapidly.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Equally, the situation of the front-facing HD digital camera implies that it has a barely downward-up orientation whereas linked to the keyboard, because the kickstand can solely prop it up so excessive. Take into account a clamshell laptop computer, for instance, which might sit at a 90-degree angle or much less.

In that sense, untethering the keyboard and utilizing it as a pill may be extra optimum for customers who make frequent video calls.

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Relating to battery life, the Snapdragon X Plus processor ensures that it drains at a mere trickle when the gadget is just not in use, and is nice sufficient for over a full day's price of labor on one cost. Microsoft advertises 16 hours of battery life, and I received a bit over 15 in our video playback take a look at. Relating to extra sustained use, I received over 10 hours on a single cost, which is not far off from the marketed 12 hours with out utilizing all of the max battery effectivity settings.

Couple this with the truth that the Floor Professional fees extraordinarily quick. From a very lifeless battery, you may get to about 50% in half-hour, and round 80% in an hour. Of the Floor Professional household, the 12-inch is actually probably the most battery environment friendly and the quickest to cost.

ZDNET's shopping for recommendation The 12-inch Microsoft Floor Professional completes the household's lineup with a thinner, lighter, and extra battery-efficient pill/laptop computer hybrid with refreshed colours and design. It comes with barely extra modest {hardware} (16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage) for a decrease beginning worth of $799.

In case you're in search of a useful 2-in-1 pill/laptop computer, take pleasure in utilizing a stylus, and do not want a ton of native storage, it is an amazing choice, particularly for its long-lasting battery. It is an all-around sharp-looking gadget, and the premium keyboard case supplies a satisfying tactile expertise.

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The price of the Floor Professional can rapidly add up, nevertheless, because the Floor Keyboard, Floor Arc mouse, and energy adapter are bought individually, bringing the ultimate price over the $1,000 mark. Mixed with the low quantity of native storage and modest reminiscence, I might suggest this gadget for customers who're dedicated to the 12-inch kind issue and need dependable battery life.