Microsoft Launches $2,599 Surface Laptop Ultra to Take on MacBook Pro

Microsoft today announced motorboat timing and pricing for the Surface Laptop Ultra that it unveiled earlier this year.


The 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra is priced starting astatine $2,599, undercutting Apple's $2,999 16-inch MacBook Pro, and it targets the aforesaid creator and developer market. Microsoft says it is built for "demanding creative, bundle development, AI, engineering, and 3D workloads."

Microsoft's caller laptop uses an Nvidia RTX Spark chip, which includes an Nvidia Blackwell RTX GPU with up to 6,144 cores and an Nvidia Grace CPU with up to 20 cores. It supports up to 128GB of unified representation and has a caller thermal architecture to enactment the hardware. The RTX Spark is an Arm-based chip, truthful the laptop runs Windows connected Arm with x86 apps utilizing Microsoft's Prism emulation.

According to Microsoft, the Surface Laptop Ultra is its astir almighty notebook to date. It has the "brightest, sharpest, and astir vivid display" Microsoft has utilized successful a Surface device, with highest HDR brightness that's 25% higher than the M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌'s. The mini-LED show is simply a touchscreen, and it supports gestures and navigation, but not pen input.

The laptop is lighter than the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, with a ample haptic trackpad and upgradeable storage. Microsoft adjacent adopted a MagSafe equivalent, adding enactment for Magnetic Connect. Microsoft says Magnetic Connect is the "world's archetypal built-in magnetic USB-C charging connected a laptop." The instrumentality has 3 USB-C ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, an SD paper reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Along with the Surface Laptop Ultra, Microsoft announced the $5,999 Surface RTX Spark Dev Box to vie with devices similar the Mac Studio and Mac mini. It is equipped with an Nvidia RTX Spark spot and offers up to 1 petaflop of AI show with enactment for AI models up to 120B parameters.

Microsoft is offering a bonus to customers who "break up" with their MacBooks. MacBook owners tin get up to $1,000 currency backmost erstwhile purchasing a Surface Laptop Ultra by trading successful an eligible MacBook. The Surface Laptop Ultra launches connected October 16.

"We're assured that erstwhile today's creators and developers acquisition everything Surface Laptop Ultra has to offer, they won't look back," reads Microsoft's website.

The Surface Laptop Ultra volition straight vie with Apple's rumored OLED MacBook, which could besides person an Ultra name. The MacBook Ultra is expected to diagnostic a touchscreen, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and a thinner and lighter design.
This article, "Microsoft Launches $2,599 Surface Laptop Ultra to Take connected MacBook Pro" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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