Framework Laptop 12 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Comparison

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Framework Laptop 12

12.2 inches | February 2025

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Microsoft Surface Pro 8

13 inches | September 2021

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Framework Laptop 12 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Comparison Overview

Framework Laptop 12

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Microsoft Surface Pr...

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Framework Laptop 12

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Microsoft Surface Pr...

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In this review, we will be comparing Laptop 12 and Surface Pro 8, two laptops from Framework and Microsoft. Framework Laptop 12 was introduced to market in February 2025 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8 was launched in September 2021. As you can see, Surface Pro 8 is 4 years older than Laptop 12. Let's see if this age difference between two laptops makes a big difference.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of Framework Laptop 12 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Framework Laptop 12 Key Specs

Launched in February 2025
12.2" TouchScreen - IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i3 1315U,Intel Core i5 1334U
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics (64 EU)
8GB,16GB,32GB,48GB Ram
287 x 213.88 x 18.45 mm (11.3 x 8.42 x 0.73 inches)
Weight: 1.3 kg (2.87 lbs)

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Key Specs

Launched in September 2021
13.0" Touchscreen - IPS LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1135G7
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
8GB Ram
287 x 208 x 9.3 mm (11.3 x 8.19 x 0.37 inches)
Weight: 0.88 kg (1.94 lbs)

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 was replaced by microsoft-surface-pro-9. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
microsoft-surface-pro-9 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8
microsoft-surface-pro-9 vs Framework Laptop 12

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Laptop 12 and Surface Pro 8 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Framework Laptop 12 over Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Contrast Rate	1500:1 vs 1000:1	more pleasing colors
Replaceable Battery	Yes vs No	Easily replace the battery when needed
RAM Type	DDR5 vs LPDDR4X	Faster RAM Type
Upgradable RAM	Yes vs No	More RAM Options
Bluetooth	v5.3 vs v5.1	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
Number of USB-C Ports	4x USB 4.0 vs 2x USB 4.0	Connect more device at the same time
HDMI Port	4x HDMI 2.0 vs No	Connect to external monitors directly via HDMI cable
Display Port	Yes vs No	Option to use Display port to connect to external monitors
Ethernet RJ45 Port	Yes vs No	Connects to the local network via Ethernet RJ45
SD Card Reader	Yes vs No	Read & Write SD Cards with the built-in reader

Reasons to choose Microsoft Surface Pro 8 over Framework Laptop 12

Weight	0.88 kg vs 1.30 kg	0.42 kg lighter
Screen-to-Body Ratio	~84.3% vs ~70.3%	Larger screen area ratio
Side Bezel Thickness	6.2 mm vs 12.1 mm	5.9 mm thinner bezels
Display Size	13 inches vs 12.2 inches	Larger Screen Estate
Refresh Rate	120 Hz vs 60 Hz	Smoother media experience
Screen PPI	266 ppi vs 186 ppi	More pixels per inch
Screen Resolution	2880 x 1920 pixels vs 1920 x 1200 pixels	Higher pixel count screen
Max Brightness	450 nits vs 400 nits	Brighter Screen
GPU FLOPS	1.41 TFLOPS vs 1.3 TFLOPS	3D Surround Sound Support
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No	Support audio, data, power and video all through one single port
Thunderbolt	v4 vs No	Easily see the keys under low light
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs No

Common Strengths of Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and Framework Laptop 12

Launch Dates	February 2025 vs September 2021	Both laptops are recent models
Screen Type	Touch Screen vs Touch Screen	Interact with your fingers
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Wi-Fi Standard	v6E vs v6	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable

Framework Laptop 12 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Framework Laptop 12 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 8.

Physical Specs
Weight	1.3 kg (2.87 lbs)	0.88 kg (1.94 lbs)
Surface Area	614 cm2 (95.1 inches2)	597 cm2 (92.5 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~70.3%	~84.3%
Side Bezel Thickness	~12.1 mm	~6.2 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.11 kg/inch	0.07 kg/inch
	0.242 lbs/inch	0.154 lbs/inch
Colors	Black, Gray, Green, Purple	Black, Silver

Comparison of the Framework Laptop 12 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 External Dimensions

Weight

Laptop 12 weighs 1.3 kg (2.87 lbs), whereas the Surface Pro 8 weighs 0.88 kg (1.94 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. However, it's important to consider that comparing their weights directly may not provide a complete picture since they also have different display sizes.

Weight Comparison

Framework Laptop 12 1.30 kg

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 1.11 kg

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 0.88 kg

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 1.22 kg

Thickness Comparison

Framework Laptop 12 18.45 mm

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 14.24 mm

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 9.30 mm

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 15.38 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Framework Laptop 12 is 0.11 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is 0.07 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Microsoft Surface Pro 12: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Framework Laptop 12 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i3 1315U Intel Core i5 1334U	Intel Core i5 1135G7 Intel Core i7 1185G7
Base Frequency	1.2 GHz	0.9-2.4 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.5 GHz	4.2 GHz
Number of Cores	6 (2P + 4E)	4
Number of Threads	8	8
L3 Cache	10 MB	8 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel UHD Graphics (64EU)	Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EU
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	10 nm

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Framework Laptop 12 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPU ( Intel Core i5 1135G7 ) and compare them:

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics (64 EU)	Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
Base Clock Frequency	300 MHz	300 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1250 MHz	1100 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	15 W	15 W
Type	Integrated	Integrated
FLOPS	1.3 TFLOPS	1,408 GFLOPS
Memory Size	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Type	DDR5	System Shared
Memory Speed	5.2 Gbps	System Shared
Shading Units Cores	512	640
TMUs	32	40
ROPs	16	20

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Framework Laptop 12 has a FLOPS value of 1.3 TFLOPS whereas the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 ' has a FLOPS value of 1.41 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	8GB 16GB 32GB 48GB	8GB 16GB 32GB
Memory Bus	1x8 GB	2x4 GB
RAM Clock	5200 MHz	4266 MHz
RAM Type	DDR5	LPDDR4X
Upgradable	Yes	No
Max RAM Size	48 GB
Total Slots	1
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

Both laptops, the Laptop 12 and the Surface Pro 8, come with similar RAM capacities of 8 GB, providing comparable performance in memory-intensive tasks.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Framework Laptop 12	Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✔ Good performance.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	50 Wh	51.5 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Ion
Replaceable	Yes	No
Fast Charging	Yes	No
Charging Port Position	-	Right
Charge Power	60 W	0 W

On the other hand, the Surface Pro 8 features a higher battery capacity of 52 Wh, delivering longer usage time compared to the Laptop 12's 50 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Framework Laptop 12 50 Wh

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 43.28 Wh

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 52 Wh

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 53.1 Wh

STORAGE
With a larger storage capacity up to 2 TB, the Laptop 12 provides more space for storing files and applications compared to the Surface Pro 8's max. storage capacity of 1 TB.

Storage Options	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	1	1
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Framework Laptop 12 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Framework Laptop 12 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Laptop 12 has a display size of 12.2".On the other hand, Surface Pro 8 has a larger13.0" display.The total usable screen area of the Laptop 12 is 432cm² / 67inch² whereas the Surface Pro 8's total usable screen area is 503cm² / 78inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Additionally, the Surface Pro 8 features a higher pixel density with 266 pixels per inch (PPI), ensuring sharper image details.

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Framework Laptop 12 186 PPI

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 199 PPI

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 266 PPI

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 186 PPI

Refresh Rate
The Surface Pro 8 offers a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz, resulting in smoother motion and improved visual experience.

Brightness
The Surface Pro 8 offers a higher maximum brightness of 450 nits, delivering a brighter screen.

Brightness Comparison

Framework Laptop 12 400 nits

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 370 nits

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 450 nits

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 438 nits

Framework Laptop 12 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Laptop 12 features a more advanced Wi-Fi standard v6E, providing faster and more reliable wireless connections compared to Surface Pro 8 (v6).

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Laptop 12 is equipped with 4x USB 3.2 USB-A ports. Surface Pro 8 does not have USB-A ports.
Both Laptop 12 and Surface Pro 8 have USB Type-C ports. Laptop 12 has 4x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports, while Surface Pro 8 has 2x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Surface Pro 8 is equipped with Thunderbolt 4 port. Laptop 12 does not have Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Laptop 12 features an HDMI port (4x HDMI 2.0) for connecting to external monitors. Surface Pro 8 does not have an HDMI port.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Laptop 12 is equipped with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards. Surface Pro 8 does not have an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Both Laptop 12 and Surface Pro 8 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6E	v6
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.3	v5.1
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	4x USB 3.2	No
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	4x USB 4.0	2x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt (latest: 5)	No	Thunderbolt 4
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	4x HDMI 2.0	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	4x v1.4	No
VGA	No	No
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	Yes	No
SD CardReader	Yes	No
Proprietary Charging Port	No	Yes