Surface Laptop Ultra review: a different kind of MacBook Pro

After setting up Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra, I spent five minutes just staring at it. I wasn’t surprised by its MacBook Pro-like design or blown away by its bright display. I was trying to work out what I’d actually do with a $5,900 laptop. This isn’t just any regular Windows laptop. Microsoft has teamed up with Nvidia to build a high-end laptop to showcase Nvidia’s new Arm-based RTX Spark chips. It’s a big moment for Windows on Arm, as these chips can run demanding AI models locally, alongside the latest AAA games and creative apps. The promise is compelling, but the reality of local AI is much messier. Getting the most out of the Surface Laptop Ultra, especially my top-of-the-line model, requires coding experience or the patience to experiment with models and AI agents until you find something that works. If that sounds like you, Microsoft might have built the Windows laptop you’ve been waiting for. If not, this might not be the MacBook Pro competitor Microsoft was hoping for. It feels like Microsoft has finally built the hardware to rival Apple’s pro laptops, thanks to an all-aluminum design, large haptic trackpad, and high-end finish. Even the “nightfall” color is…