Microsoft Surface Pro 13 vs Pro 12
74
out of 100
VS
63
out of 100
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Pro 13
- Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 90 Hz
- Can run popular games at about 71-97% higher FPS
- Around 32% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Thinner bezels and 2% higher screen-to-body ratio
- Features a bigger (~24%) battery – 47 against 38 watt-hours
- Better webcam recording quality
- Provides 50% higher max. screen brightness: 600 vs 400 nits
- 21% sharper screen – 266 versus 220 pixels per inch (PPI)
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Pro 12
- Easier to carry: weighs 210 grams less (around 0.46 lbs)
- Much smaller footprint: 13% more compact case (80.8 vs 93 square inches)
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 0.89 kg (1.96 lbs) | 0.68 kg (1.5 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 287 x 209 x 9.3 mm 11.3 x 8.23 x 0.37 inches |
274 x 190 x 7.8 mm 10.79 x 7.48 x 0.31 inches |
| Area | 600 cm2 (93 inches2) | 521 cm2 (80.7 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~83.9% | ~82.4% |
| Side bezels | 6.2 mm | 10.2 mm |
| Colors | Black, Gray | Gray, Blue, Purple |
| Material | Top: Aluminum |
Aluminum |
| Transformer | Yes | Yes |
| Opening angle | 360° | 360° |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Active | Passive |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | No | No |
| Number of fans | 1 | - |
| Noise level (max. load) | 47.2 dB | - |
Display
| Size | 13 inches | 12 inches |
| Type | OLED | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | Yes (60-90 Hz) |
| PPI | 266 ppi | 220 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 |
| Resolution | 2880 x 1920 pixels | 2196 x 1464 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10 | No |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Coating | Glossy (Antireflective) | Glossy (Antireflective) |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
Screen space comparison
Surface Pro 13
13″ (3:2 ratio) = 78 in2
Surface Pro 12
12″ (3:2 ratio) = 66.5 in2
~17% more screen space
| Contrast | 1000000:1 | 1200:1 |
| sRGB color space | 98.8% | 98.1% |
| Adobe RGB profile | 89% | 73% |
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 98.8% | 72.7% |
| Response time | 1 ms | 25 ms |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Full charging time | - | 2:05 hr |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes, 45 W | Yes, 45 W |
| Charging port position | Right | Right |
| Charge power | 39 W | 45 W |
| Weight of AC adapter | - | 173 grams |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 4.04 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | - | 3.4 GHz |
| Cores | 10 | 8 |
| Threads | 10 | 8 |
| L3 Cache | 6 MB | 6 MB |
| Integrated GPU | Adreno X2-45 | Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 4 nm |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
Graphics Card
GPU name
| Type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 4 nm |
| GPU base clock | 500 MHz | 280 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1700 MHz | 1107 MHz |
| FLOPS | 3.9 TFLOPS | 1.7 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | System Shared | System Shared |
| Memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Memory bus | 128 bit | - |
| Memory speed | 9.52 Gbps | 8.45 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 1152 | 768 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 72 | 48 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 36 | 24 |
| GPU performance | 3.9 TFLOPS | 1.7 TFLOPS |
| Solar Bay | - | 4592 |
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 2x8 GB | 2x8 GB |
| Clock | 9523 MHz | 8448 MHz |
| Type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Upgradable | No | No |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) | Custom |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 1x256 GB | 1x256 GB |
| Upgradable | Yes | No |
| Total slots | 1 | - |
| NVMe | Yes | No |
Sound
| Speakers | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Power | 2x2W | 2x2W |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Loudness | ~84.9 dB | ~82.1 dB |
| Microphones | 2 | 2 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v7 | v7 |
| Bluetooth | v5.4 | v5.4 |
| Fingerprint | No | No |
| Infrared sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1920 x 1080 |
| USB-A | No | No |
| USB Type-C | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 | No |
| HDMI | No | No |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | No | No |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | No | No |
| SD card reader | No | No |
| Proprietary charging port | No | No |
Input
Further details
Notes on Surface Pro 12:
- All Surface Pro 12 laptops come with UFS type of memory.
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 2