Microsoft has opened pre-orders for the Surface Laptop Ultra, the company's first device powered by the Nvidia RTX Spark chip. The laptop starts at $2599.99, which is approximately $400 cheaper than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The device features a screen with a peak brightness of 2000 nits when displaying HDR content on a 10% window.
The RTX Spark chip integrates a Blackwell GPU with a Grace CPU, developed by Nvidia in collaboration with MediaTek using the Arm architecture. Nvidia claims the chip provides up to one petaflop of AI computing power. Other manufacturers, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and MSI, are also preparing devices based on this new platform, challenging the long-standing dominance of Intel and AMD.
Microsoft claims the new laptop is highly repairable, offering official repair guides, available spare parts, and a user-replaceable storage drive. However, the launch coincides with a market downturn. Gartner forecasts a 6.4% decline in European laptop shipments for the current quarter, with a 20% drop expected in the fourth quarter. Analysts do not anticipate widespread adoption of AI-focused PCs until 2028.
