Microsoft has just added two new devices to its Surface lineup: the Surface Pro 12 and the Surface Laptop 13. Both are set to launch on May 20, with prices starting at $799 for the Surface Pro 12 and $899 for the Surface Laptop 13. The focus this time is on portability, longer battery life, and a handful of AI-powered features, thanks to Microsoft’s new Copilot+ PC initiative.

The idea here seems pretty straightforward: offer more affordable Surface models that still tap into Microsoft’s growing push for AI in Windows, without overwhelming buyers with high-end specs or prices.

If you’ve used a Surface device before, these new models won’t feel like a radical departure. The Surface Pro 12 keeps the familiar 2-in-1 design with its built-in kickstand and detachable keyboard (sold separately), but scales things down to a 12.3-inch display. It’s light, at just 1.5 pounds (686 grams), and measures 7.8mm thick—thin enough to slide easily into a bag or backpack. The screen has a resolution of 2196 x 1464 and supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which helps with smoother scrolling and pen input.

The Surface Laptop 13 is, as the name suggests, a traditional clamshell laptop with a 13.8-inch display. It weighs about 2.7 pounds and features a 3:2 screen ratio—ideal for browsing and document work. The resolution is a bit higher than 1080p at 2304 x 1536, though refresh rate is capped at 60Hz.

Design-wise, Microsoft has kept things clean and minimal on both devices. There’s nothing flashy here—just two streamlined, lightweight PCs designed to get everyday tasks done.

Both devices run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus processor, an ARM-based chip designed to balance solid performance with longer battery life. It’s an 8-core processor, and while it’s not the most powerful chip in Microsoft’s Copilot+ lineup, it comes with a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit) that handles AI tasks directly on the device.

That NPU powers some of the new features Microsoft is building into Copilot+ PCs, like Recall. This lets you search through your computer activity—documents, web pages, emails—using natural language prompts. Another feature, Cocreator, assists with image generation and drawing tasks using AI, right inside certain Windows apps.

These tools are built to run locally, so they don’t rely on the cloud and can work even when you're offline. That could be a plus for privacy or performance, though it’s still early days for figuring out how useful these tools will be for everyday users.

Battery life looks promising—at least on paper. Microsoft says the Surface Pro 12 can last up to 16 hours during video playback, and the Surface Laptop 13 might stretch to around 20 hours. Of course, your actual results will vary depending on how you use the devices, especially if you’re multitasking or running AI features in the background.

You’ll get up to 16GB of fast LPDDR5X memory and storage options of 256GB or 512GB, but it’s worth noting that Microsoft is using UFS (Universal Flash Storage) here instead of the faster NVMe SSDs you’ll find in pricier laptops. That trade-off helps keep costs down but may result in slower file transfers or app loading for heavier users.

As for the Surface Pro 12, the keyboard and pen are not included. The new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard is detachable and works wirelessly, even when it’s not attached—something that might appeal to folks who like to keep their workspace flexible. The Surface Slim Pen is also sold separately.

One notable change: Microsoft is finally phasing out its proprietary Surface Connect charging port. Both new models charge via USB-C 3.2 ports, which also handle data and display output. It’s a small but significant step toward standardizing Surface devices with the rest of the tech world—and also helps meet new regulations in places like the EU that require universal charging options.

The Surface Laptop 13 goes a bit further by also including a USB-A port and a headphone jack—features you won’t find on the Surface Pro 12. Both models support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, so wireless performance should be solid out of the box.

With their modest price tags and smaller footprints, the Surface Pro 12 and Laptop 13 clearly aren’t trying to compete with high-end ultrabooks or gaming rigs. Instead, they’re aimed at students, casual users, or folks looking for a lightweight secondary device that still supports the latest Windows features—including Microsoft’s AI tools.

That said, they do come with a caveat: both models run on ARM chips, which means there could be app compatibility issues depending on your workflow. Microsoft has been working to improve Windows on ARM, and many popular apps now run just fine. But some legacy software—especially older Windows apps that haven’t been updated—may not behave as expected.

So if your daily computing mostly revolves around the web, Office apps, or streaming, you’ll probably be just fine. But it’s worth double-checking your must-have programs before diving in.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Touchscreen-Snapdragon-Platinum/dp/B0DZB622B2Both the Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 13 are set to launch on May 20, 2025, and are available for preorder now through Microsoft’s website and select retailers. The Surface Pro 12 starts at $799 on Amazon, and the Surface Laptop 13 starts at $899 on Amazon. Both models come with 16GB of RAM and offer storage options of 256GB or 512GB.