Microsoft prices Nvidia-powered Surface Laptop Ultra at $2,599, ships Oct. 16

Microsoft announced pricing and launch timing for the Surface Laptop Ultra at a Windows and Surface event in San Francisco on Wednesday. The laptop, which runs on Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, starts at $2,599, is available for preorder and will begin shipping on Oct. 16, Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's executive vice president of Windows and devices, said at the event, according to CNBC. Microsoft also announced the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a workstation that Tom's Hardware and MacRumors reported starts at $5,999 and TechCrunch put at $6,000. CNBC reported that Microsoft first talked about the laptop in May; TechCrunch reported that Nvidia announced agreements with Microsoft and other PC makers in June to develop PCs based on the RTX Spark chip. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 11 ]

The Verge reported that the base configuration has 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but its two reports differ on the processor, describing an 18-core CPU in one and an 8-core CPU in the other. The most expensive model, at $5,899.99, has 128GB of RAM, a 20-core CPU and 1TB of storage, The Verge reported. TechCrunch said the laptop comes in two base models, starting at $2,600 and $3,700, and that Microsoft says the highest-end device is already out of stock. MacRumors reported that the RTX Spark pairs an Nvidia Blackwell RTX GPU with up to 6,144 cores and an Nvidia Grace CPU with up to 20 cores, and that the laptop runs Windows on Arm, with x86 apps running through Microsoft's Prism emulation. [ 3 , 6 , 8 , 11 ]

The laptop has a 15-inch HDR touchscreen with up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, according to The Verge. Davuluri said the 4.5-pound system has the brightest peak HDR on a laptop, Tom's Hardware reported. Ports include three USB-C ports, one USB-A port, an HDMI port, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Microsoft describes its Magnetic Connect charging as the world's first built-in magnetic USB-C charging on a laptop; outlets compared it to Apple's MagSafe. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 11 ]

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Davuluri took turns on stage. "We've reinvented the personal computer completely," Huang said. Davuluri described Windows 11 as the most secure platform for AI agents. TechCrunch reported a feature called Execution Containers that makes it easier to sandbox AI agents, which Nadella said will be available to all Windows 11 users. Engadget reported that Copilot will be able, with the user's permission, to carry out actions based on local files and to run AI models locally while using the cloud for extra compute. Davuluri also said Meta will introduce a version of its Muse AI agent for Windows, according to CNBC. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]

Davuluri showed the laptop running Gears of War: E-Day at 60 frames per second and said Call of Duty will come to RTX Spark in 2027, Tom's Hardware reported. MacRumors said the laptop's starting price undercuts Apple's $2,999 16-inch MacBook Pro and that Microsoft is offering MacBook owners up to $1,000 cash back. RTX Spark PCs from Asus, Dell, Lenovo, HP and MSI will also ship on Oct. 16, according to Tom's Hardware. [ 4 , 11 ]