With a starting price of $2,599, this is not a budget alternative to Apple’s silicon. This is bleeding-edge hardware, and you’ll pay a premium for it. Depending on your chosen processor and memory options, MSRP can reach as high as $5,899. Prospective buyers should note that the lower-spec 24GB unified memory model ships with Windows 11 Home, while the rest of the fleet comes with Windows 11 Pro. I got the 64GB model to test, and I think that would probably be the sweet spot for many users to balance cost and performance.
I really have to wonder if 24GB is enough to go around when we know Windows 11 is memory hungry on its own. If you have to allocate a significant portion of that 24GB of unified memory to VRAM for gaming, does performance suffer? An audience question in the Surface Laptop Ultra review briefing session asked about the usefulness of the base model, and didn’t get much in return other than a vague “useful for smaller models locally” answer. Microsoft may have a more definitive answer to this question a few months from now, when software and drivers end up with hardware.
So did Microsoft and Nvidia team-up to create the ultimate all-in-one laptop? Or is this the industry once again the hardware hype cart before the finished software horses?
Surface Laptop Ultra Specifications
| Specifications at a glance: Surface Laptop Ultra | ||
| Basic config | How to check | |
| Screen | 3:2, 15-inch mini-LED touchscreen; 3270 × 2180 (262 PPI) up to 120 Hz dynamic | 3:2, 15-inch mini-LED touchscreen; 3270 × 2180 (262 PPI) up to 120 Hz dynamic |
| OS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro |
| CPU | NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X (5120-core GPU, 18-core CPU) | NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X (6144-core GPU, 20-core CPU) (4.00 GHz) |
| RAM | 24GB LPDDR5x unified memory | 64GB LPDDR5x unified memory |
| GPU | Blackwell RTX GPU | Blackwell RTX GPU |
| storage | 512 GB SSD | 1 TB SSD |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth Core 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth Core 5.4 |
| ports | 2 x USB-C/USB4, 1 x USB-C/USB4 w/ Mag Connect, 1 x USB-A 3.1, 1 x HDMI 2.1b, SD Card Reader, 3.5 mm headphone jack | 2 x USB-C/USB4, 1 x USB-C/USB4 w/ Mag Connect, 1 x USB-A 3.1, 1 x HDMI 2.1b, SD Card Reader, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Size | 12.95 × 9.40 × 0.71 inches | 12.95 × 9.40 × 0.71 inches |
| Weight | 4.41 lbs (2.0 kg) | 4.41 lbs (2.0 kg) |
| MSRP | $2,599.99 | $4,299.99 |
| Additional functions | 1080p front-facing webcam | 1080p front-facing webcam |
Neat internals of the Surface Laptop Ultra. Microsoft promises the laptop is “built with serviceability in mind.”
Neat internals of the Surface Laptop Ultra. Microsoft promises the laptop is “built with serviceability in mind.”
Display
The 15-inch mini-LED display might not be enough to make people run to the Ultra alone, but it’s a compelling reason to add it to the list. The 3270×2180 native resolution looks simply stunning, whether you’re watching a 4K video, playing games or just staring at a desktop spreadsheet. I preferred the Enhanced color profile, but Vivid and sRGB modes also looked fantastic.
Not the easiest to photograph, but the screen is amazing in person.
Not the easiest to photograph, but the screen is amazing in person.
Blacks remained deep against bright, vivid subjects without any visible bloom. I wish I could say the same for my TV. While I can’t quantify how it stacks up next to the latest MacBook Pro Retina display, I can say that this is a damn nice screen. Viewing angles are great, colors are punchy, and the 2,000-nit peak brightness made things readable even in a room flooded with natural sunlight. My only gripe is that in bright rooms there is glare to contend with. The glossy glass looks fantastic in lower light levels, but can act a bit mirror-like in direct sunlight. It hindered my ability to photograph the screen more than it hindered my ability to use the computer. Still, if you’re looking for a matte-screen laptop, you’ll want to keep that in mind.