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

Microsoft today announced launch timing and pricing for the Surface Laptop Ultra that it unveiled earlier this year. The 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra is priced starting at $2,599, undercutting Apple's $2,999 16-inch MacBook Pro, and it targets the same creator and developer market. Microsoft says it is built for "demanding creative, software development, AI, engineering, and 3D workloads." Microsoft's new 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 memory and has a new thermal architecture to support the hardware. The RTX Spark is an Arm-based chip, so the laptop runs Windows on Arm with x86 apps using Microsoft's Prism emulation. According to Microsoft, the Surface Laptop Ultra is its most powerful notebook to date. It has the "brightest, sharpest, and most vivid display" Microsoft has used in a Surface device, with peak HDR brightness that's 25% higher than the M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌'s. The mini-LED display is a touchscreen, and it supports gestures and navigation, but not pen input. The laptop is lighter than the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, with a large haptic trackpad and upgradeable storage. Microsoft even adopted a MagSafe equivalent, adding support for Magnetic Connect. Microsoft says Magnetic Connect is the "world's first built-in magnetic USB-C charging on a laptop." The device has three USB-C ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Along with the Surface Laptop Ultra, Microsoft announced the $5,999 Surface RTX Spark Dev Box to compete with devices like the Mac Studio and Mac mini. It is equipped with an Nvidia RTX Spark chip and offers up to 1 petaflop of AI performance with support for AI models up to 120B parameters. Microsoft is offering a bonus to customers who "break up" with their MacBooks. MacBook owners can get up to $1,000 cash back when purchasing a Surface Laptop Ultra by trading in an eligible MacBook. The Surface Laptop Ultra launches on October 16. "We're confident that once today's creators and developers experience everything Surface Laptop Ultra has to offer, they won't look back," reads Microsoft's website. The Surface Laptop Ultra will directly compete with Apple's rumored OLED MacBook, which could also have an Ultra name. The MacBook Ultra is expected to feature a touchscreen, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and a thinner and lighter design. Popular StoriesMacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Running macOS 27.1 Inside AppleMonday September 14, 2026 2:04 pm PDT by Joe RossignolApple's rumored 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with touch-enabled OLED displays are currently being tested with macOS 27.1, which is scheduled for release in late October, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. While he previously said these high-end MacBook Pro models would be released in either late 2026 or early 2027, Gurman's latest report today has the...MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or NovemberThursday October 1, 2026 7:24 am PDT by Joe RossignolOn his first-ever Power On podcast today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that he believes Apple will introduce its long-rumored 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with touch-enabled OLED displays in October or November this year. "Apple, I believe, will introduce its first touchscreen MacBook Pro this fall, as early as October," he said. "It could slip to November, but as early as...MacBook Pro With OLED Display Rumored to Be 'Significantly Lighter'Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new MacBook Pro models with OLED displays will be "significantly lighter" than the existing MacBook Pro models. "Apple has reengineered the machine's interior, miniaturizing parts and rearranging components to make the computer much easier to carry," he said, in his Power On newsletter. Currently, the MacBook Pro weighs up to 4.7 pounds, while the...