Surface Laptop Ultra: Price, Release Date and Specs

Microsoft opened preorders for the Surface Laptop Ultra on October 7, 2026, four months after it first showed the machine on May 31. It is a 15-inch Windows laptop built around Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, it starts at $2,599.99 in the US, and it ships on October 16.

That price puts it right in MacBook Pro territory, and Microsoft is not hiding the target: it is offering up to $1,000 back if you trade in a qualifying MacBook Pro. Here is what each configuration costs, what you get, and whether it makes sense to preorder now.

Surface Laptop Ultra price and configurations

There are eight memory and storage combinations on the US Microsoft Store, split across two versions of the chip. The cheaper chip has an 18-core CPU and a 5,120-core GPU. The faster one has a 20-core CPU and a 6,144-core GPU.

Prices and configurations: US Microsoft Store listing, checked October 8, 2026. All listed as preorder with an October 16 release date.

A few things stand out:

• Memory is the expensive part. Going from 64GB to 128GB on the same 1TB model costs $1,600. You cannot add memory later, so pick what you need on day one.
• Storage is removable. Microsoft lists a removable Gen 4 SSD on the 512GB model and Gen 5 on the 1TB and 2TB models, so a cheaper storage tier now and a bigger drive later is a real option.
• Only the 24GB models ship with Windows 11 Home. Everything from 32GB up comes with Windows 11 Pro.
• Nightfall (the new dark finish) is the only color above 32GB in the current US listing.

Businesses buy a separate Surface Laptop Ultra for Business, which starts at $2,749.99 on Microsoft's business store.

Release date and preorders

Preorders went live on October 7, 2026. The Microsoft Store lists every configuration with a release date of October 16, 2026. Microsoft says it will be sold through Microsoft.com and select retailers.

You can preorder Surface Laptop Ultra on the Microsoft Store.

Surface Laptop Ultra specs

Source: Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra product page and tech specs, October 8, 2026.

What RTX Spark actually is

RTX Spark pairs an Nvidia Grace Arm CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU in one superchip. The CPU and GPU share one pool of memory, which Microsoft calls unified memory. That is the same idea Apple uses on its M-series Macs, and it is why the 128GB model matters to AI developers: a large local model can use most of that memory as graphics memory.

Microsoft says the chip delivers up to one petaflop of AI performance and can run local AI models of up to 120 billion parameters. The petaflop figure is Nvidia's theoretical FP4 number with sparsity, so treat it as a peak, not a typical result. For running a 120B model locally, the 128GB configuration is the one to look at.

The magnetic charging port

Microsoft calls the charging port "the world's first built-in magnetic USB-C charging port." The cable attaches magnetically, similar in idea to MagSafe on a MacBook, and the 140W adapter comes in the box. The port still works as a normal USB-C port for data, video and accessories.

Surface Laptop Ultra vs 16-inch MacBook Pro

The fairest match is the $2,999.99 Surface Laptop Ultra against Apple's $2,999 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro. Both have an 18-core CPU, 24GB of memory and a 1TB SSD at that price.

Surface figures: Microsoft Store and Surface tech specs. MacBook Pro figures: Apple's MacBook Pro tech specs and US Apple Store pricing. Both checked October 8, 2026. Battery numbers are each company's own tests and use different methods.

On paper, the Surface wins on starting price, display brightness, touch, weight, storage you can swap. The MacBook Pro wins clearly on battery life, has a bigger screen, and runs every Mac app natively with no emulation layer.

GPU core counts are not comparable across Nvidia and Apple designs, so ignore that row as a speed comparison. Independent benchmarks will tell the real story once review units ship. If you are deciding between Macs instead, our MacBook buying guide ranks every current model.

The $1,000 MacBook trade-in offer

Microsoft pays up to $1,000 back when you buy a new Surface Laptop Ultra and trade in a qualifying MacBook Pro. The fine print:

• Runs October 7 to November 23, 2026.
• US and Canada only, Microsoft Store online only.
• The amount depends on which Surface you buy and what your trade-in is worth. $1,000 is the ceiling, not a flat payment.
• The MacBook has to power on, hold a charge and have no damage.

Should you preorder?

Preorder if you already know you need what this machine is built for: local AI work with a lot of memory, CUDA-based tools on a laptop, or 3D and creative apps that run well on Windows on Arm. The 64GB and 128GB models have little direct competition in a Windows laptop this thin.

Wait if you mostly want a fast, premium Windows laptop for everyday work. This is a first-generation chip, Arm app support still has gaps for some pro tools, and nobody has independent battery or performance numbers yet. Reviews should land around the October 16 release. For most people, something from our best Windows laptops list costs much less.

If you are leaning toward a Mac, keep the trade-in deadline in mind: November 23 gives you time to read reviews before committing.

FAQs

How much does the Surface Laptop Ultra cost?

It starts at $2,599.99 in the US with 24GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. The most expensive configuration, with 128GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, is $5,899.99.

When does the Surface Laptop Ultra come out?

Preorders opened on October 7, 2026, and Microsoft lists the release date as October 16, 2026.

What chip does the Surface Laptop Ultra use?

It uses the Nvidia RTX Spark N1X, which combines an Nvidia Grace Arm CPU (18 or 20 cores) with a Blackwell RTX GPU (5,120 or 6,144 cores) and shared unified memory.

Does the Surface Laptop Ultra run regular Windows apps?

It runs Windows 11 on Arm. Apps built for Arm run natively, and most apps built for Intel and AMD PCs run through Prism emulation. Some drivers, plug-ins and older utilities may not work. For what changed in Windows itself this year, see what is new in Windows 11.

Is the Surface Laptop Ultra cheaper than a MacBook Pro?

The cheapest Surface Laptop Ultra is $400 less than the cheapest 16-inch MacBook Pro. At the same 24GB and 1TB spec, the two are priced almost the same: $2,999.99 for the Surface and $2,999 for the MacBook Pro.

Is the $5,999 Surface the laptop?

No. The $5,999 machine is the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a separate small desktop with 128GB of memory that Microsoft says arrives in November 2026 in the US only. The top Surface Laptop Ultra configuration is $5,899.99.