Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra: $2,599, Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, ships Oct. 16
What happened
Microsoft priced the Surface Laptop Ultra at $2,599 on Wednesday, opened pre-orders the same day and set an Oct. 16 release. The 15-inch laptop runs Nvidia's new Arm-based RTX Spark chip, which Microsoft says delivers graphics comparable to a GeForce RTX 5070 and supports up to 128GB of unified memory. At the San Francisco event, Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Windows chief Pavan Davuluri also pitched local AI agents for Windows, including a Copilot that can act on local files with the user's permission. Performance and battery claims come from Microsoft's own presentation; no independent test results were in the coverage reviewed.
What we know
- Per Engadget, the Surface Laptop Ultra starts at $2,599, pre-orders opened Oct. 7, and it goes on sale Oct. 16; the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box mini PC starts at $5,999 with pre-orders open.
- Per Engadget, the laptop has a 15-inch mini-LED display (up to 2,000 nits, 3:2 aspect ratio), weighs under 4.5 pounds, is under 18mm thick, and includes USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, a headphone jack and a full-size SD card reader.
- Per Engadget, the RTX Spark has 20 CPU cores, up to 128GB of unified memory, a draw of no more than 80W, and a neural processing unit that meets Microsoft's Copilot+ requirements.
- Per Engadget, Microsoft said Copilot will be able to act on local files with permission, run AI models locally while using the cloud for extra compute, and offer thousands of quick actions in taskbar search starting this fall.
- The Verge describes RTX Spark as a platform Microsoft and Nvidia built for AI developers and creators, positioned against Apple's MacBook Pro.
What we don't know yet
- Whether the RTX Spark's graphics performance matches the RTX 5070 comparison, which is Microsoft's and Nvidia's claim; no independent benchmarks were in the sources.
- Whether the 'all-day' battery life and the 2.5x thermal capacity (versus the seventh-gen 15-inch Surface Laptop) hold up in third-party testing.
- How buyers will respond to agents with access to personal files, given the backlash against Recall and other Windows AI features that Microsoft later pulled, as Engadget notes.
- Which configurations and RAM tiers are available at the $2,599 starting price.
Why it matters
At $2,599, Microsoft and Nvidia are targeting developers and creators who might otherwise buy a MacBook Pro, and a successful launch would give Windows its first Nvidia-built Arm laptop chip for local AI work. Windows users also face a decision on whether to let Copilot agents touch their local files.
Claims
- ConfirmedThe Surface Laptop Ultra starts at $2,599, with pre-orders open from Oct. 7 and availability on Oct. 16.
- ConfirmedThe Surface RTX Spark Dev Box mini PC starts at $5,999 and is open for pre-order.
- ConfirmedThe laptop has a 15-inch mini-LED display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness.
- ConfirmedThe RTX Spark chip has 20 CPU cores and supports up to 128GB of unified memory.
- UnconfirmedThe RTX Spark's graphics capability is comparable to a GeForce RTX 5070.
- UnconfirmedThe laptop has 2.5 times the thermal capacity of the seventh-gen 15-inch Surface Laptop and all-day battery life.
- ConfirmedMicrosoft said Copilot will be able to act on users' local files with their permission.
- ConfirmedNadella, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Pavan Davuluri presented a conversation on local AI and the PC at the San Francisco event.
Related coverage
Why you can trust this story
69%Source map · 2 outlets / 3 articles
- Engadget×2
- Article 1engadget.comreport
- Article 2engadget.comreport
- The Verge
- Article 1theverge.comreport
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Verification ledger · 8
- Claim: The Surface Laptop Ultra starts at $2,599, with pre-orders open from Oct. 7 and availability on Oct. 16.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: The Surface RTX Spark Dev Box mini PC starts at $5,999 and is open for pre-order.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: The laptop has a 15-inch mini-LED display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: The RTX Spark chip has 20 CPU cores and supports up to 128GB of unified memory.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: The RTX Spark's graphics capability is comparable to a GeForce RTX 5070.Status: UnconfirmedVerification trailUnverifiedChecked by verification engine
No atom-level source-text verification is available.
- Claim: The laptop has 2.5 times the thermal capacity of the seventh-gen 15-inch Surface Laptop and all-day battery life.Status: UnconfirmedVerification trailUnverifiedChecked by verification engine
No atom-level source-text verification is available.
- Claim: Microsoft said Copilot will be able to act on users' local files with their permission.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
- Claim: Nadella, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Pavan Davuluri presented a conversation on local AI and the PC at the San Francisco event.Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine
At least one extracted atom matched cited source full text.
Update log · 0
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