Microsoft just introduced the worst kind of product: a cheaper version that’s still not actually cheap. The new Surface Pro 12-inch starts at $849 and the Surface Laptop 13-inch at $949. To hit those prices, Microsoft slashed the RAM to 8GB, down from 16GB in the base models.
This is a strange move. When the same Surface devices launched in 2025, they started at $799 and $899 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Then Microsoft hiked prices to $1,049 and $1,199 in April. Now they’ve introduced new tiers with less memory but the prices aren’t much lower. You’re getting less for nearly the same money.
The 8GB models use the same Snapdragon X Plus chip and 256GB storage as their pricier siblings. But they won’t support Copilot Plus, Microsoft’s AI features that require at least 16GB of RAM. So you’re buying a device that can’t run the software Microsoft is betting its future on.
It gets worse. At $849, the Surface Pro is still more expensive than Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo — a machine that’s genuinely disrupted the laptop space with its performance-per-dollar ratio. Microsoft knows this too. These 8GB models exist because people complained the Surfaces were too expensive, but the solution feels like a half-measure.
Look, 8GB might be fine if you’re only browsing the web and running a few apps. But these are Windows machines, and Windows eats RAM for breakfast. In two years, 8GB is going to feel painfully tight. If you’re going to buy a Surface, stretch for the 16GB model. Your future self will thank you.
