Microsoft Surface Ultra announced with Nvidia RTX Spark for $2,599 — and it's going right after the MacBook Pro

Microsoft unveiled its newest premium Surface Laptop Ultra at the RTX Spark event, positioning it to compete directly with Apple's MacBook Pro. Priced starting at $2,599, the 16-inch laptop comes in a single size but offers multiple internal configurations, with a high-end model costing $5,899. The Surface Laptop Ultra's standout feature is the Nvidia RTX Spark N1X processor, which enables the laptop to support demanding tasks like video editing and 3D rendering.

Despite the ongoing RAM crisis, Microsoft has equipped the Ultra with up to 128GB of RAM in certain configurations, with a base model starting at 24GB of unified memory. In comparison to Apple's MacBook Pro M5, the Surface Laptop Ultra boasts an Nvidia RTX 5120-core GPU, while the MacBook Pro features an M5 Pro with 18 cores, including super cores and 12 performance neural processing units (NPUs).

The Surface Laptop Ultra also offers a MagSafe-like magnetic charging system and advanced cooling. Microsoft has positioned the Surface Laptop Ultra as an AI machine, capable of running agents locally, emphasizing the importance of AI agents for the future. The laptop aims to attract AI enthusiasts and coders, though its creativity and gaming potential may be more appealing to average users.

Pre-orders for the Surface Laptop Ultra are now open on Microsoft's website, with a promotional offer allowing users to get up to $1,000 refunded by trading in a comparable 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chipset. The laptop is set to launch on October 16, 2026.