Microsoft's cheapest 12-inch Surface Pro variant is too affordable to look away after $200 discount

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By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Jan 14, 2026, 9:30 AM

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Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025) in Platinum color

While it's certainly not unusual to see various 12 and 13-inch Surface Pro models sold at big discounts by major US retailers like Amazon and Best Buy these days, I don't remember Microsoft's newest Windows tablet ever receiving a $200 price cut in an entry-level configuration with 16GB RAM and 256 gigs of internal storage space.

Well, now you've got the chance to minimize your Surface Pro spending and slash two Benjamins off an already reasonable $799.99 list price for a compact 12-incher with Snapdragon X Plus processing power.

$599 ⁹⁹

$799 ⁹⁹

$200 off (25%)

Wi-Fi Only, 256GB Storage, 16GB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus Processor, 12-Inch Touchscreen with 2196 x 1464 Pixel Resolution and 90Hz Refresh Rate Technology, Windows 11, Windows Hello Face Authentication Camera, 10MP Rear-Facing Camera, 2W Stereo Speakers with Dolby Atmos Support, All-Day Battery Life, Two USB-C Ports, Platinum Color

Buy at BestBuy

This is a younger but not faster device than the 11th generation Surface Pro released back in 2024, and at $599.99, it delivers pretty much unrivaled value right now, especially for folks who like to get some work done on the move in addition to watching funny YouTube videos.

$599.99, of course, won't be enough to buy you a productivity-enhancing keyboard, but the Surface Pro 12 itself is an impressive workhorse thanks to that more than respectable aforementioned Qualcomm chip and a battery capable of lasting up to a whopping 16 hours (of local video playback) between charges.

By Surface Pro standards, this thing is also quite elegant and slender, measuring 7.8mm in thickness and tipping the scales at 686 grams. Naturally, something like Apple's M3-powered iPad Air 13 (2025) is even thinner and lighter, which is one of the big reasons why it's also considerably costlier in a 256GB storage variant.

The 12-inch PixelSense touchscreen, meanwhile, is nowhere near as high-quality as the OLED panel found on some 13-inch Surface Pro models, but with a resolution of 2196 x 1464 pixels, it's nothing to sneeze at either. That's probably the best way to describe this deeply discounted Windows slate in its entirety, and if you think you can live with an imperfect device priced perfectly, you should pull the trigger before Best Buy pulls the unprecedented deal.

The same deal, mind you, is technically available at Amazon as well, but the e-commerce giant appears to have already run out of inventory, still allowing you to place an order at a $200 discount... without knowing when (or if) the product will be delivered to your doorstep. Clearly, a Best Buy purchase makes more sense at the time of this writing.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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