Microsoft's new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are lighter and cheaper (and I love the new colors)

Microsoft just announced its refreshed 2025 Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, and both have new some design elements. We’ve got new colors, a new keyboard for the Surface Pro, and refined identities as lightweight, ultraportables with long-lasting batteries. 

The tech giant teased the release of the new Surface devices last week on X, just weeks before Microsoft Build, its annual developer conference. Now, we have confirmation of a 13-inch Surface Laptop and new, smaller 12-inch Surface Pro with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor and 16GB of RAM in both. Both devices are available on May 20, 2025. 

Also: Microsoft still has a massive Windows 10 problem – and there’s no easy way out

The starting configurations show both devices with the same storage options as well: 256GB or 512GB universal flash storage (UFS), with price points that are just as noteworthy — the 13-inch Surface Laptop will start at $899 and the 12-inch Surface Pro starts at $799 — competitive devices in an uncertain market. 

The duo offers fewer configurations than last year’s models, with Microsoft betting consumers will respond to a smaller, streamlined catalog and refreshed form factors supported by new AI-powered features in Windows 11. Let’s take a closer look. 

The 12-inch Surface Pro: Even more versatile  

The new 12-inch Surface Pro is smaller and lighter, weighing just 1.5 pounds (without the keyboard) and measuring 10.8 inches long by 7.47 inches tall. It’s also thinner, at 0.30 inches thick — just 0.10 inches thicker than Apple’s iPad Pro 11.

The design intentionally echoes the aforementioned Apple device. With slightly rounder edges, thin bezels, and a redesigned, sleeker kickstand, it looks like a premium tablet, but I’m happy to see this year’s device look a bit more distinct at the same time. 

Also: I tested the cheapest Surface Pro 11 model: 3 main takeaways as a Windows expert

The redesigned 12-inch Surface Pro keyboard forgoes last year’s fabric aesthetic for a matte plastic look in one of three colorways: Violet, Ocean, or Slate. The Violet and Ocean are unique, a refreshing break from the pastels, rose golds, and neutrals that dominate the market. 

The keyboard also folds back completely flat against the Surface Pro while staying magnetically connected, allowing the user to use it as a tablet while the keyboard is still attached. That’s a nice-quality-of-life change that supports the device’s flexibility. Microsoft also says the stylus is more usable, as it now magnetically snaps to the back of the tablet, where it charges wirelessly.

Regarding the display, Microsoft skipped the OLED this year, instead going with a 12-inch PixelSense LCD display at 220PPI and a variable 90Hz refresh rate. The slightly more modest display, no doubt, aims to support the battery, with Microsoft promising up to 16 hours of video playback and 12 hours of use. 

For other hardware, the 2025 Surface Pro features a full HD front-facing Surface Studio webcam and a 10MP Ultra HD rear-facing camera.  

The 13-inch Surface Laptop: Portable and affordable

The 13-inch Surface Laptop continues Microsoft’s theme of portability and competitive pricing in the thinnest and lightest Surface Laptop yet, weighing just 2.7 pounds and 0.61 inches thick. The Surface is intended to be smaller than a standard notebook, with an anodized aluminum chassis in three colorways: Violet, Ocean, and Platinum. 

Under the hood, the device runs an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor with 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB of removable UFS storage. Battery life is the marquee feature here, as Microsoft says the Surface Laptop offers up to 23 hours of video playback and 16 hours of active web browsing — the most battery life of any Surface to date. 

Also: The Surface Laptop is still a solid MacBook Air alternative – and it’s $500 off right now

Regarding performance, the company says the Surface is 50% faster than last year’s model, outpacing the MacBook Air M3. The 13-inch HD touchscreen offers a 1920 x 1280 resolution and 178PPI, capping out at a 60Hz refresh rate and 400 nits of brightness with support for up to two 4K monitors at 60Hz. 

The Snapdragon X Plus chip supports up to 45 TOPS, positioning it as an accessible gateway to new AI-powered features in Windows 11.

AI in Windows 11: Microsoft is betting big

With support for Windows 10 ending this year, Microsoft is focused on retaining customers who may have wandering eyes for a new Mac by showing off a slew of AI-powered features in Windows. 

The hardware on the Surface devices is optimized for on-device AI with Windows Copilot and the new features Microsoft wants to show off: Recall, Click to Do, Live Captions, Relight in Photos, and improved Windows search. 

The new AI-powered Windows search aims to allow users to use their own words to search images, documents, and files, hopefully simplifying the infamously hit-or-miss search function. This is one thing I’ll be waiting to see live in action at Microsoft Build.  

Also: Microsoft is testing a free desktop version of Office – but there’s a catch

Another feature Microsoft is showing off is the new AI-powered photo retouching, which offers pro-grade lighting effects and visual editing capabilities. These AI-driven features work locally on the device, out of the Photos app.

The new devices and their competitive price points come at an opportune time for Microsoft, which is betting on a more accessible, streamlined product line in the wake of economic uncertainty, particularly with rising costs associated with electronics like laptops. 

I’m looking forward to testing the Surface devices. Stay tuned for our full-length reviews in the days to come.

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