Surface Laptop Ultra Pre-Orders Open From $2,599 With Nvidia's RTX Spark and Up to 128GB
The 15-inch Surface pairs an Nvidia Grace CPU with Blackwell graphics and a 2,000-nit display. Microsoft's performance claims against the M5 Pro MacBook Pro have not been independently tested.
Microsoft has opened pre-orders for the Surface Laptop Ultra, a 15-inch laptop built on Nvidia's RTX Spark platform, from $2,599.99. Shipping began on October 16 (Microsoft, TechRepublic).
<blockquote><strong>Update, October 25:</strong> Microsoft's store now lists the full configuration range, from $2,599.99 (18-core, 24GB, 512GB) to $5,899.99 (20-core, 128GB, 1TB). The first reviews are in. Windows Central called it the closest Windows has come to a MacBook Pro and measured about 14 hours in a Procyon battery test and close to 10 hours in real use, while PCWorld praised its AI performance but called the price painful and measured 7 hours 57 minutes of 4K streaming (<a href="https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/surface/surface-laptop-ultra-review">Windows Central</a>, <a href="https://www.pcworld.com/article/3258665/microsoft-surface-laptop-ultra-review.html">PCWorld</a>). Microsoft rates it at up to 15 hours of local video or 12 hours of web browsing.</blockquote>
Price and configurations
| Memory | Storage | US price | Chip (where stated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24GB | 512GB | $2,599.99 | 18-core |
| 24GB | 1TB | $2,999.99 | |
| 32GB | 1TB | $3,299.99 | |
| 32GB | 1TB | $3,699.99 | 20-core |
| 48GB | 1TB | $3,999.99 | |
| 64GB | 1TB | $4,299.99 | |
| 64GB | 2TB | $4,699.99 | |
| 128GB | 1TB | $5,899.99 | 20-core, 6,144 GPU cores |
The 128GB model is only offered with 1TB of storage, so buyers who want 2TB must drop to 64GB. Prices are from a reviewer's table matching Microsoft's store listing (The PC Enthusiast).
Microsoft is also running a trade-in promotion from October 7 to November 23 for online Microsoft Store purchases in the US and Canada, advertising up to $1,000 in cash back depending on the device traded in. Microsoft says pre-orders also opened for RTX Spark PCs from Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and MSI.
What is inside
The laptop uses the Nvidia RTX Spark superchip, which Microsoft describes as an Nvidia Grace CPU with up to 20 cores alongside Blackwell RTX graphics. Memory is shared between the CPU and GPU and scales up to 128GB, and storage goes up to 2TB. Microsoft says the cooling system has up to 2.5 times the thermal capacity of the Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition), with lower fan noise under load.
Microsoft is pitching the machine at local AI work, saying CUDA acceleration lets it run models of up to 120 billion parameters on the device. Tom's Hardware reported Microsoft's comparison against an M5 Pro MacBook Pro: up to 2.1 times faster time to first token, 4.3 times faster image generation and 6.2 times faster video generation. Those are Microsoft's figures. Windows Central notes that it is not a dedicated gaming machine, though Microsoft says hundreds of games will run on day one and showed Gears of War: E-Day at 60 frames per second in a demo. Call of Duty is slated for 2027.
Display, design and ports
The screen is a 15-inch touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate. Microsoft quotes 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness over a 10 percent window, so sustained and SDR brightness are lower. It covers 100 percent of DCI-P3 and supports Dolby Vision IQ. The laptop weighs under 4.5 pounds, is under 18mm thick, and comes in Platinum and a new Nightfall finish.
A magnetic USB-C port handles charging, and there is a large haptic touchpad. Ports include three USB-C, one USB-A, HDMI, an SD card reader and a headphone jack. Microsoft also publishes repair guides and replacement parts, and storage is upgradeable.
The Dev Box
Alongside the laptop, Microsoft announced a Surface RTX Spark Dev Box from $5,999. Tom's Hardware listed it as available to pre-order, while Microsoft's own summary said it ships to US customers in November.
Who it is for
At $2,599.99 and above, the Surface Laptop Ultra is aimed at developers, creators and researchers who want to run large models locally rather than rent cloud time. Reviewers suggest 24GB and 32GB models suit gaming and content creation, with 64GB the sensible starting point for serious local AI work and 128GB for large language model workflows. A buyer who mainly browses, writes and attends meetings is not the audience.
What to watch next
Watch for more independent tests of sustained performance and fan noise under long jobs, how rival RTX Spark laptops price against Surface, and the Dev Box's November ship date.
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