A pocketable Windows PC that runs real desktop apps — keyboard sold separately.

Microsoft Surface Pro (12-inch, 2025)

Microsoft

The only tablet here that runs full Windows desktop software — the pick if you need real apps on the go. The 12-inch LCD is good, battery is strong, and it's genuinely portable. But the ARM chip stumbles on games, and you must add the keyboard and pen to make it work.

The 12-inch Surface Pro is the most tablet-like Surface yet, and the only device in this roundup that runs the full version of Windows. That's the whole pitch: real desktop apps — Photoshop, Premiere, the actual Microsoft Office, proper file management — on a 1.5-pound slate you can hold like an iPad. For people whose work depends on Windows software, nothing else here competes. Microsoft pitches it as a portable, more affordable Surface (a spiritual successor to the Surface Go), and the fundamentals are good. The 12-inch 90Hz LCD is sharp and bright enough for cafes; the Snapdragon X Plus handles office work, dozens of Chrome tabs, and even Photoshop and Premiere (via emulation) smoothly; it's fanless and silent; and battery life is strong — reviewers measured nearly 10 hours of video, well ahead of the iPad Air. Windows is also surprisingly good with touch and the Slim Pen now. The catches are real. It's an ARM chip, so demanding games and some legacy apps struggle. Storage is slower UFS rather than SSD, and there's no headphone jack or microSD. Most importantly, the keyboard, the Slim Pen, and even the charger are all sold separately — so the usable price climbs well past the $799.99 sticker, and Windows still really wants a keyboard and trackpad. Buy it as a featherweight Windows laptop that happens to detach, not as a Netflix-and-games tablet.

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Last reviewed Jun 25, 2026

What we like

• ✓Runs full Windows desktop software — real Photoshop, Premiere, Office, and file management
• ✓Genuinely portable at 1.5 lbs and fanless-silent, with a 12-inch size that's comfortable handheld
• ✓Strong battery life — reviewers measured ~10 hours of video, ahead of the iPad Air
• ✓Excellent kickstand, good keyboard and Slim Pen, and surprisingly solid Windows touch support

Trade-offs

• −ARM chip struggles with demanding games, and some legacy x86 apps run only via emulation
• −Keyboard, Slim Pen, and even the charger are all sold separately — the real price climbs fast
• −Slower UFS storage instead of an upgradable SSD, and no headphone jack or microSD
• −Screen is good but LCD-only (no OLED), and Windows still needs a keyboard and trackpad to shine