Microsoft Launches $2,599 Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia Chip, Claims It Outperforms MacBooks
Microsoft has priced its first Nvidia-powered Surface at $2,599.99, claiming it doubles the speed of a MacBook Pro M5 in local AI prompt responses and generates video six times quicker. However, they have not published any test methodology to support these figures.
Key Features:
- Processor: Up to 20 Nvidia Grace cores, 128GB of unified memory, and up to 2TB of storage.
- Screen: Peak brightness of 2,000 nits with HDR content, available in October 2026.
- Chip Architecture: Built on Arm's architecture, licensed from Nvidia, which failed to acquire Arm in 2022.
Comparisons:
- Speed: Microsoft claims twice the local AI response speed of the MacBook Pro M5.
- Video Generation: Generates video six times quicker than Apple's MacBook.
Market Impact:
- Pricing: Undercuts a 16-inch MacBook Pro by roughly $400.
- Market Share: Nvidia enters the laptop market, traditionally dominated by Intel and AMD.
- Demand: Concerns about memory costs and refresh cycles may impact European laptop shipments, with forecasts of a 6.4% quarterly fall and 20% fourth-quarter drop.
Security and Cost:
- On-Device AI: Microsoft promotes running AI on-device as cheaper and more secure, as demonstrated by the Dutch tax office's decision to move off Microsoft's cloud to its own servers.
By Darius Popa, a technology enthusiast and intern at The Next Web.