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Microsoft's 12th-edition Surface Pro for Business doubles down on its reputation as a premium, ultra-portable device with a sophisticated build and some net-new features in the lineup. The Microsoft Surface Laptop features a privacy screen built into the display to limit viewability from off-axis viewers, as well as support for Windows' new OS-level Advanced Haptics, while the Surface Pro features Intel's latest Series 3 processors and support for 5G.
I recently used the 13.8-inch Surface Pro for Business with an Intel Core Ultra 5 as my main driver over the course of two weeks and found it to be a responsive, flexible device that successfully replicates the laptop experience while being a capable tablet in its own right.
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The option for 5G connectivity secures it as more than just an office device, and from an IT perspective, it has robust management capabilities with Microsoft Intune and the Surface Management Portal.
Business users will appreciate these features, but the small form factor and tiny trackpad require a commitment. There's also the fact that the keyboard and accessories are sold separately -- a hard sell at a time when Windows alternatives are more affordable than ever.
Build and hardware: What's new
At its core, the Surface Pro for Business is a solid tablet with a premium build and functional built-in kickstand. The 12th-edition model comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 335 or 7 366H (Series 3) processor and integrated GPUs. Onboard memory scales from 16GB to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB removable SSDs for enhanced repairability across the board: Virtually every part is replaceable.
The 13-inch OLED touchscreen display is bright and vivid, at 267 PPI, with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, an anti-reflective coating, and 3K resolution. It supports 10-point multi-touch and scales up to 600 nits of brightness for standard content and 900 nits for HDR, making it a capable tablet in its own right, barring business use cases.
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET
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