One in every of my favourite options of the Floor Professional eleventh Version was the power to make use of the keyboard when not bodily linked to the gadget, which was helpful in numerous conditions. The Floor Professional 12 loses this characteristic. The keyboard not has a devoted slot to retailer the Floor Slim Pen, although it will possibly nonetheless magnetize (and wirelessly cost) to the again of the pill.
Just a few different downgrades to the Floor Professional 12: It has a 1080p front-facing webcam slightly than a 1440p webcam, and slower ports. There are solely two USB-C ports, they usually’re USB-C 3.2 as a substitute of USB4. Maybe probably the most disappointing characteristic, nonetheless, is the dearth of repairability. The Floor Professional eleventh Version made strides on this space, letting you entry the internals simply and improve the storage by way of the microSD card slot, even incomes an 8/10 iFixit rating. The Floor Professional 12 undoes this development, as a substitute choosing a sealed-up chassis and soldered parts. That is doubtless as a result of it’s fanless, however having a microSD slot would have at the very least helped.
Apples and Oranges
{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
Perhaps it’s not honest to solely examine the Floor Professional 12 to the bigger mannequin. In spite of everything, it nonetheless compares favorably to the iPad Professional 11-inch, which is considerably dearer. We must also remember the comparability to the Floor Go 4, which got here out in 2023. The cheaper 10.5-inch mannequin appears to be defunct, which means the Floor Professional 12 takes its place in some ways. Whereas the Floor Go 4 had a a lot decrease beginning worth, these configurations have been fairly underpowered, beginning with simply 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Once you line up the configurations, there’s solely a $30 distinction between the Floor Go 4 and the Floor Professional 12 at launch. As a result of Microsoft wants to make sure that its Floor gadgets are Copilot+ PCs, these lower-tier configurations have been lower.
There’s so much to love in regards to the gadget by itself. You gained’t discover a slicker 2-in-1, outdoors maybe the iPad Professional 11-inch. The design is impeccable, and the keyboard and touchpad really feel nice to make use of. The palm rests are plastic and not Alcantara material, although they really feel comfy and inflexible. In comparison with the iPad, it’s nonetheless fairly inexpensive, even with the extra $70 energy provide.
However right here’s what it comes right down to: So long as the Floor Professional eleventh Version is bought for $799 at Greatest Purchase or one other retailer, you can purchase that as a substitute. It has sooner efficiency, a higher-refresh-rate display, extra ports, and a greater webcam, and it’s much more serviceable. And sure, that one comes with the facility provide included. The 12-inch does have it beat in portability, however till we see the pricing state of affairs change, the bigger sibling is the one to purchase.
