The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra releases a patch to fix 'reliability and performance' issues found by reviewers — so should you save your money for now?

(Image credit: Microsoft) Microsoft fixes long reboots, screen flicker, and unexpected restarts on the Surface Laptop UltraLaunch reviews revealed slow restart issues even as most of the flicker and crash reports came directly from ownersNo update can fix the Mini LED panel's slow response, grayish blacks, and weak dimming, or RTX Spark's efficiency limitationsMicrosoft has shipped the first firmware update for the Surface Laptop Ultra just six days after its RTX Spark-powered flagship went on sale, and the changelog reads like a tidy summary of launch-week grumbles being ironed out.The fix, which was listed in Windows Update as Microsoft Corporation System Hardware Update (200.0.7.0), resolves issues that could cause extended reboot times, screen flickering, and unexpected restarts, and includes a line promising additional bug fixes and performance gains.The rollout is staggered, so not every machine will see it at once, and Microsoft warns that firmware updates can't be uninstalled or reverted once applied, and owners can check for it in the Surface app under Help & support.Six days, three fixes with more unfixable issues to address?Microsoft's speed in addressing the issue seems excellent, but it has more than a few teething issues under the hood.To its credit, this is Microsoft's first Surface with Nvidia's custom silicon and its first with a MiniLED screen, so some teething trouble was always likely, and a patch inside a week suggests the Surface team is watching closely.Zac Bowden of Windows Central, whose review complained about restart times, reports that the reboot problem is now fixed and that the update also targets blue-screen crashes, though he notes those were "something I am yet to encounter on Surface Laptop Ultra anyway." Beyond the unexpected restarts, some reviews noted the flickering issue, while others reported no such issues on their units.These are, however, sadly not the only issues in play: reviewers have also flagged ghosting, battery life, and limits on app and game compatibility on Microsoft's Arm-based platform.Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!The display is where the issues may be most pronounced: Notebookcheck measured a 57 ms black-to-white response time, visible ghosting, and a 0.61-nit black level that leaves dark scenes looking grayish, though its 4,650 Hz PWM backlight frequency should be high enough for most flicker-sensitive users. Its review also reported no local dimming at all, which prompted Microsoft to tell Windows Central that dimming is active by default, with 5,400 Mini LEDs spread across 1,344 zones.Windows Central found that it depends on the "Change brightness based on content" setting and the Enhanced display profile, and that it works best with HDR off. The catch is that HDR off makes ghosting and blooming more visible, while HDR on reduces them at the expense of dimming. Its review summary seems to capture it quite well, stating: "It's just not very good local dimming."Battery life is another key issue: at Computex in June 2026, an Nvidia executive told TechRadar to "expect all-day battery life" from RTX Spark laptops in regular workloads, and Microsoft rates the Surface Laptop Ultra at up to 15 hours of local video playback. Linus Tech Tips measured about nine hours in a 1080p playback test at 200 nits and 60Hz, according to Notebookcheck, the same as a 14-inch MacBook Pro whose battery is 27% smaller, and just 53 minutes under a GravityMark stress load.That is roughly six hours shy of Microsoft's own rating, though the test conditions aren't completely identical, even as Windows Central's own runs landed at around 14 hours using the Procyon benchmark and closer to 10 in real-world use.Either way, efficiency is a property of the silicon, not something a System Hardware Update rewrites. Some owners have also reported the laptop running warm under light loads, a topic Microsoft has not yet directly addressed.A beta tester for Nvidia silicon or a first mover with an AI advantage?Any decision when it comes to buying the Surface Laptop Ultra comes down primarily to price; it starts at $2,599.99 for an 18-core chip with 24GB of memory and 512GB of storage, and tops out at $5,899.99 for the 20-core, 128GB, 1TB build, which our review roundup notes already carries lead times into late December.The roundup's verdict is also the clearest buying test available, and it still holds true: "Grab it if local models above 24GB are your daily work." Other outlets that tested local AI models put the Surface ahead of Apple's M5 Max and AMD's Ryzen AI Max+, while gaming and single-threaded work seem to be middling at best.Waiting for more patches only makes sense for software problems, and there are a few. Microsoft told Windows Central that Copilot+ PC features aren't ready for the platform yet and should arrive in the coming months. The laptop ships in the "Best Power Efficiency" mode, which Windows Central found could cut performance by a quarter or even half until you switch to another preset.To Microsoft's credit on the software front, the device's support runway is long, with driver and firmware updates promised until October 16, 2032. Microsoft is also running a somewhat stingy trade-in promotion that adds up to $1,000 in cash back on top of a qualifying MacBook Pro's value for orders in the US and Canada through November 23 2026, but Windows Latest notes that trade-ins are final, even though the Surface itself can be returned until January 31, 2027.If the screen is a significant factor, other RTX Spark machines ship with OLED panels. Asus's ProArt P16, for instance, earned praise in our review for its vibrant OLED display and Nvidia silicon, though the reviewer also judged its price a tough sell. This isn't a far cry from earlier coverage suggesting that, before launching, the RTX Spark would sink or swim on price-to-performance, and this first patch doesn't change that equation much.The answer therefore is one that might be more nuanced than just a simple yes or a no: If you run models larger than 24GB locally every day, this update removes a couple of irritants from what reviewers rate as one of the better Windows options for that work, and buying now, inside a return window that stretches to the end of January, is reasonable.If you were hoping for a MacBook Pro-beating screen or all-day battery under load, save your money: the problems that held back the reviews are baked into the hardware, and nothing in Microsoft's release notes suggests that it can fix all of them in the near future, if at all. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Rahim Amir is a UAE-based tech writer who enjoys building PCs as much as he enjoys writing about them. He has been professionally writing about PC hardware since 2023, focusing on buyer’s guides, hardware reviews, and sponsored content and features related to tech.Having built hundreds of gaming PCs and being an avid gamer in his spare time, Rahim tends to have stronger opinions about hardware than most. This is particularly on display when he gets his way with powerful, but minimalistic RGB builds even as Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs come a close second.