Need a two-in-one hybrid device but are torn between the 12-inch or 13-inch Microsoft Surface Pro? This guide covers the key differences you need to know.
While their respective sizes are the obvious difference between them, there are actually a few more technical specs that separate the 12-inch Surface Pro from the 13-inch.
We explain the key differences between the Surface Pro 12-inch and 13-inch below, to help you decide which two-in-one device might suit you best.
Price and Availability
Naturally as it’s the smaller of the two, the Surface Pro 12-inch has a cheaper starting price of £799/$799.99 for the 256GB model.
The Surface Pro 13-inch is considerably more expensive, with a starting RRP of £1,029/$999.99 for the model running Snapdragon X Plus.
It’s worth noting that neither the 12-inch and 13-inch Surface Pros come equipped with a keyboard or stylus, so you’ll need to factor this into your costs. While the keyboard will set you back £149.99/$149.99, its stylus is slightly cheaper at £99.99/$99.99.
Considering the Surface Pro is designed as a two-in-one device, and is essentially unusable without the keyboard, we do think selling it separately is unreasonable.
Surface Pro 13-inch offers the Snapdragon X Elite processor
While the Surface Pro 12-inch is only available with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus processor, the Surface Pro 13-inch offers two options: the Snapdragon X Plus or Snapdragon X Elite.
The Snapdragon X Plus found in the Surface Pro 12-inch is an eight-core Arm chip with a Hexagon 45 TOPS NPU for AI tasks and an Adreno GPU too. As it’s a mid-range processor, it’s certainly not the most powerful around and does have a tendency to lag, however it still remains quiet and cool for the most part.
The cheaper Surface Pro 13-inch runs on a slightly more powerful 10-core Snapdragon X Plus whereas the pricier model runs on the flagship Snapdragon X Elite. With 12 high-performance cores, Adreno GPU and the ability to run generative AI models at over 13 billion parameters on-device, the processor is a seriously powerful offering.
Surface Pro 13-inch has the option of an OLED display
Unlike the iPad Pro, which sports a tandem OLED display across its entire series, the screen type of the Surface Pro will vary depending on which size you go for. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the entry-level Surface Pro 12 is fitted with an LCD display while the Surface Pro 13-inch with Snapdragon X Elite sports an OLED.
Plus, the 13-inch Surface Pro with Snapdragon X Plus is also fitted with an LCD.
It’s worth noting that despite its LCD and the fact it lacks the true blacks of the Surface 11 predecessor, we still found the Surface Pro 12-inch to offer a decent experience overall, with natural skin tones and good vibrancy.
Surface Pro 12-inch has a longer battery life
If you’re looking for a more portable device, then the Surface Pro 12-inch might be a better option as it’s not only naturally smaller but it also boasts a higher battery life. In fact, we found in our review that the computer outlasted Microsoft’s own claims of up to 16 hours, and offered around 17 hours of video playback.
In real terms, we found the device can offer anywhere between six and ten hours of active use.
Comparatively, the Surface Pro 13-inch falls slightly short and is promised up to 14 hours of video playback.
Surface Pro 13-inch has a 1440p front-facing camera
While the Surface Pro 12-inch has a 1080p webcam, which we hailed as merely “simply adequate but not standout”, the Surface Pro 13-inch boasts a slightly higher resolution 1440p alternative.
Both tablets also have a rear 12MP camera, which we found to be nondescript, although decent for scanning documents.
In addition, the two Surface Pros are fitted with AI tools within their webcams, including Eye Contact which uses the NPU to give the impression your eyes are looking straight ahead, even if you’re not actually doing so. Although it may be easily dismissed, we found it’s a useful tool for video calls.
Surface Pro 13-inch has double the memory
RAM, or simply memory for short, is a crucial component for computers; the more RAM a device sports, the easier it can deal with multitasking.
The Surface Pro 12-inch is equipped with a generous 16GB, which is larger than the 256GB and 512GB iterations of the iPad Pro, however the Surface Pro 13 boasts double that with up to 32GB. However, just note that this is only for the Surface Pro 13 that’s equipped with Snapdragon X Elite.
Verdict
Considering the Surface Pro 12-inch scored a fairly low 3.5-star rating, we’d be wary to recommend it or even its 13-inch counterpart.
Having said that, if you are set on investing in a Surface Pro, then we’d recommend opting for the 12-inch version if you travel a lot and want a slightly smaller device with a longer-lasting battery. However, if you want a larger display and a more powerful processor, then the 13-inch Surface Pro is a better bet.
One factor that we can’t quite get over is the fact the Surface Pro’s keyboard is sold separately. In fact, once you factor in the cost of the keyboard with even the cheapest Surface Pro 12-inch model, then you’re edging closer to the iPad Pro, which is an easier device to recommend.
