The Surface Laptop Ultra delivers on most of Microsoft’s promises

With a starting price of $2,599, it’s not a budget-friendly alternative to Apple silicon. This is cutting-edge hardware and you’re going to pay extra for it. Depending on the processor and memory options selected, the MSRP can reach $5,899. Potential buyers should note that the lower-spec 24GB Unified Memory model comes with Windows 11 Home, while the rest of the fleet arrives with Windows 11 Pro. I received the 64GB model for testing, and I think that would probably be the sweet spot for many users to align cost and performance.

I really have to wonder if 24 GB is enough when we know that Windows 11 is memory intensive on its own. When you have to allocate a significant portion of that 24GB of unified memory to VRAM for gaming, does performance suffer? An audience question during the Surface Laptop Ultra review information session asked about the usefulness of the base model and didn’t get much other than a vague “useful for smaller models locally” response. Microsoft may have a more definitive answer to this question in a few months, when software and drivers catch up with hardware.

So, has the Microsoft and Nvidia team created the ultimate all-in-one laptop? Or is it the industry that, once again, is putting hardware before finished software?

Surface Laptop Ultra specifications

Display

The 15-inch mini LED display may not be enough to entice people to use the Ultra alone, but it’s a compelling reason to add it to the list. The native resolution of 3270 x 2180 is simply stunning, whether you’re watching 4K video, playing games, or simply looking at an office spreadsheet. I preferred the enhanced color profile, but the Vivid and sRGB modes were also fantastic.

Blacks remained deep on bright, vivid subjects without any sort of visible bloom. I wish I could say the same about my TV. While I can’t quantify how it compares to the latest MacBook Pro Retina display, I can say that it’s a damn nice display. Viewing angles are superb, colors are punchy, and the 2,000 nits peak brightness keeps things readable even in a room flooded with natural light. My only complaint is that in bright rooms there is glare to deal with. Glossy glass looks fantastic at lower light levels, but can act a bit like a mirror in bright sunlight. This hindered my ability to photograph the screen more than my ability to use the computer. Still, if you’re looking for a laptop with a matte screen, you might want to keep this in mind.