NEW YORK, May 6: Microsoft is expanding its Surface lineup with the launch of more compact devices — a 12-inch Surface Pro and a 13-inch Surface Laptop — following last year’s significant Copilot+ AI PC rollout and the introduction of surprisingly capable Arm-based Surface models. While 2023 brought performance gains and OLED options, the overall design remained largely unchanged. This year’s additions mark a shift toward portability, offering smaller, lighter alternatives rather than replacements for the current Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models.

Though the size reductions may seem minimal — from 13 to 12 inches for the Surface Pro, and 13.8 to 13 inches for the Surface Laptop — Microsoft has managed to significantly cut weight. The 12-inch Surface Pro weighs just 1.5 pounds, half a pound lighter than its 13-inch counterpart, and 0.2 pounds lighter than the Surface Pro X. The new Surface Laptop comes in at 2.7 pounds, 0.3 pounds less than the existing 13.8-inch version.

Both devices are powered by an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processor, featuring a 45 TOPS NPU (Neural Processing Unit), Adreno GPU, and 16GB of RAM. Storage options include 256GB or 512GB of UFS (Universal Flash Storage), which, unlike SSDs in other Surface models, is non-upgradable.

However, the more compact form factors come with trade-offs. The 12-inch Surface Pro features a 2,196 x 1,464 resolution LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, compared to the 13-inch model’s higher-resolution 2,880 x 1,920 screen with 120Hz and optional OLED. The new 13-inch Surface Laptop offers a basic 1080p, 60Hz LCD, falling short of the 13.8-inch version's sharper 2,304 x 1,536 display at 120Hz.

Microsoft is also moving away from its proprietary Surface Connect charging port on these models, relying solely on USB-C. Both devices include two USB-C/USB 3.2 ports, with fast charging capabilities of 45W (Surface Pro) and 60W (Surface Laptop). Notably, the Surface Pro does not come with a USB charger in the box, while the Surface Laptop includes a 45W power adapter. The Surface Laptop also retains a USB Type-A port and a headphone jack — features missing from the Pro model.

The 12-inch Surface Pro starts at $800, which is $200 less than the 13-inch model’s original price — though the latter is currently on sale for the same amount. The Surface Keyboard is sold separately for $149, and Microsoft says the keyboard has been redesigned specifically for the 12-inch version.

The 13-inch Surface Laptop is priced from $900, although the larger model is also discounted to $800 at the moment. Microsoft may be banking on the smaller, lighter designs to appeal to users despite the reduced specifications. How these trade-offs affect real-world performance and usability remains to be seen.