Surface Laptop Ultra is now available for pre-order in the Czech Republic. It received a powerful Nvidia RTX Spark chip and magnetic USB-C

The notebook, which Microsoft already called the most powerful Surface in history in June, can finally be ordered. We already wrote about the Surface Laptop Ultra during its first unveiling, but at yesterday’s event in San Francisco, the company added missing details and launched pre-orders. The machine with a powerful Nvidia chip aims to appeal to developers, creators, and anyone who craves a serious dose of performance and wants to run artificial intelligence directly on their computer. Alza has listed it for pre-sale from 76,990 CZK.

Surface Laptop Ultra is powered by an Nvidia chip with up to 128 GB of memory

At the heart of the notebook is the Nvidia RTX Spark N1X superchip, which combines a Grace processor on the Arm architecture with Blackwell graphics. Depending on the version, the processor has 18 or 20 cores, and the graphics have up to 6,144 CUDA cores. The cheaper version comes with 24 GB of memory, while the more powerful one offers up to 128 GB of unified memory, which the processor and graphics share as needed. Brett Ostrum, Vice President of the Surface division, on the company blog, called it the most powerful Surface Laptop Microsoft has ever made.

The main draw is local AI. Microsoft promises up to one petaflop of performance in AI computations and enough memory for language models with over 120 billion parameters. However, this is a theoretical maximum, as the company itself admits in a footnote. Developers will appreciate the support for the CUDA platform, on which a large part of artificial intelligence tools are based, and GitHub Copilot also relies on models running directly on the notebook.

Compared to the MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip, Microsoft claims the Surface will generate video 6.2× faster and images 4.3× faster, and you’ll wait roughly half the time for the first response from a language model. Performance is maintained by new cooling with 2.5× greater thermal capacity than previous Surface Laptops, and according to the manufacturer, the notebook maintains 99% of its maximum performance even when running on battery. Powerful Windows notebooks often slow down significantly when unplugged. The body is also thinner than 18 mm and weighs approximately 2 kg.

Charging cable attaches magnetically to a standard USB-C port

The most interesting new feature is Magnetic Connect, which Microsoft calls the first built-in magnetic USB-C charging for a laptop. The included cable attaches magnetically to the right USB-C port, and if someone trips over it, it simply disconnects without pulling the laptop off the desk. Unlike MagSafe on MacBooks, however, this is not a special connector. The port remains a full-fledged USB-C, so you can connect a monitor, drive, or anything else to it.

The display has also significantly improved. The fifteen-inch PixelSense Ultra with mini-LED backlighting has a resolution of 3,270 × 2,180 pixels, an aspect ratio of 3:2, and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. In HDR peak brightness, it can reach up to 2,000 nits, which, according to Microsoft, surpasses all other notebooks on the market and the MacBook Pro M5 Pro by 25%. However, the company measured this only on a tenth of the screen area; typical brightness will be lower. The display covers the entire DCI-P3 color space and is touch-enabled, but does not support a pen.

After years of economizing, the Surface also received a rich selection of ports. In addition to three USB-C ports with USB4 support, it offers USB-A, HDMI, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm jack, allowing you to connect up to three 4K monitors without adapters. The haptic touchpad is 30% larger than on the Surface Laptop 8th edition.

Repairability is also worth mentioning. You can replace or expand the SSD yourself; Microsoft provides service manuals and sells spare parts for the notebook. It offers up to 2 TB of storage from the factory. Color-wise, you can choose between the silver Platinum variant and the dark Nightfall, which Alza lists as Dark Steel.

What to consider?

RTX Spark is based on the Arm architecture, just like Snapdragon X chips. Many applications already exist in native versions for it, while others will run through the Prism emulator, which is part of Windows. Specialized drivers, plugins, or older tools may cause issues, and Microsoft itself recommends verifying compatibility before purchase. Gamers will appreciate support for ray tracing, DLSS, and Nvidia Reflex, but performance will vary from game to game.

Microsoft has not yet specified battery life, intending to release it closer to the sales launch. In the USA, the notebook is sold without a charger, which must be purchased separately. Alza in the Czech Republic offers versions both with and without the adapter.

How much does the Surface Laptop Ultra cost in the Czech Republic?

In the USA, the notebook goes on sale on October 16 with a price starting from $2,599 without tax. Microsoft has not yet confirmed official availability in the Czech Republic, but Alza is already accepting pre-orders. It offers business versions with Windows 11 Pro, both with and without a power adapter, with saving 2 to 3 thousand CZK without the adapter. The cheapest configuration with 24 GB of memory and a 512GB SSD can be purchased for 76,990 CZK, while the 128 GB memory version costs 170,990 CZK. All configurations offered by Alza can be found in the table.

For the configuration with 32 GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, Alza lists two prices with a difference of 9 thousand CZK. The parameters do not reveal the difference, but given Microsoft’s offering, it is likely a version with a more powerful 20-core processor. In silver, the offer ends at 32 GB of memory; Alza only carries higher configurations in the dark finish.

Alza expects the first units on October 21, with the most equipped 128 GB memory version arriving by November 6. If the price drops at the start of sales, Alza will refund the difference according to its pre-order terms.

Would you pay almost 80,000 CZK for a Windows notebook with an Nvidia chip?

Sources: Microsoft, Engadget