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Microsoft Takes on the MacBook Pro with the Surface Laptop Ultra
Microsoft has just made a major splash in the laptop world by announcing the Surface Laptop Ultra. Developed in partnership with NVIDIA, this model features a Blackwell GPU, up to 128 GB of unified memory, and full CUDA support. Microsoft’s goal: deliver unprecedented local AI computing power while going head-to-head with Apple’s MacBook Pro.
A performance monster built for local AI
Microsoft describes the Surface Laptop Ultra as "the most powerful Surface laptop yet". And that’s no exaggeration: Microsoft has never offered a laptop with this kind of configuration before. Its standout design choice is the combination of a NVIDIA Blackwell RTX GPU with unified memory. This setup also means CUDA support on Windows.
The Surface Laptop Ultra is built around unified memory (up to 128 GB) that is dynamically shared between the processor and the graphics chip. It uses the same principle Apple applies with unified memory on its Mac. What makes this especially interesting is that memory is allocated in real time wherever it is needed, whether for AI, 3D, or any other demanding workload.
Even though Microsoft loves the Cloud and tends to push us heavily toward the Cloud, this machine is built for local AI. In a way, it makes it possible to move away from reliance on Cloud processing:
- The device delivers one petaflop of AI computing power, a figure based on NVIDIA’s FP4 TOPS numbers using the sparsity feature.
- It can run language models locally with up to 120 billion parameters.
- The machine is optimized for RTX Spark and features hardware tuning for Windows.
Battery life with this kind of configuration? You might think 2 hours. Not even close. The machine has been optimized for power efficiency, and Microsoft claims it can last an entire day. In the fine print, Microsoft notes : "These figures are based on internal testing on pre-release devices. Battery life varies significantly depending on usage, settings, and other factors."
A brand-new PixelSense Ultra display
The Surface Laptop Ultra comes with a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra touchscreen. It stands out with a peak HDR brightness of 2,000 nits. It offers a pixel density of 262 ppi (pixels per inch). The Redmond company seems determined to impress with this machine: "The brightest display we have ever offered. The haptic touchpad is the largest we have ever integrated into a Surface.", we can read.
All of this in a machine weighing less than 2 kg and measuring 18 mm thick. The Surface Laptop Ultra will be available in two colors: Platinum, and a new finish called Nightfall.
The new era of the PC starts at Microsoft. The remaining question is how much this machine will cost when it launches in fall 2026 (it will inevitably be several thousand euros). For now, Microsoft is keeping pricing under wraps, as well as the hardware variants for the different configurations, and the exact processor specifications (it will probably be ARM).
Today is also the first day of Microsoft Build 2026, so more announcements should be expected in the coming hours. Stay connected.
