Now, there’s a surprise new model available: the Surface Pro 12. The slightly smaller tablet is a great idea in theory, offering a more compact design and a lower starting price. Unfortunately, some pricing wonkiness makes the Surface Pro 12 a lot less attractive an offer than it should be, even compared to other Surface devices you can buy.

The 12-inch Surface Pro is the most iPad-like hybrid tablet Microsoft has made yet, but to get there the company had to make plenty of compromises. Clocking in at 1.5 pounds, it weighs almost the same as the 12.

Microsoft has continued to design, manufacture, and sell new Surface hardware since longtime team leader Panos Panay left the company for Amazon in late 2023, including both Intel- and Qualcomm-powered Surface Pro tablets and Surface Laptops. New smaller versions of both of these mainstays were introduced just a couple of weeks ago.