Surface Laptop Ultra review: local AI and reported power losses

On October 14, 2026, StorageReview recorded power losses on two Surface Laptop Ultra review samples during a sustained OpenBLAS workload. In separate tests, the lab ran named 20B and 35B models on a 128GB configuration, while a Razer Blade 16 generated tokens about 2.3 times faster on models that fit its 24GB of GPU memory. The Surface’s strongest case in these tests is memory capacity; the Blade was faster on the smaller models both systems could run. StorageReview’s review details the workloads and results.

Local-AI capacity and performance depend on the workload

The Surface Laptop Ultra pairs NVIDIA’s RTX Spark N1X with a Grace CPU, a Blackwell GPU and shared unified memory. Microsoft lists an 18-core CPU with a 5,120-core GPU, or a 20-core CPU with a 6,144-core GPU; memory configurations range from 24GB to 128GB. Microsoft’s US configurator lists the exact configurations and prices below.

StorageReview tested the 128GB configuration with 64GB allocated to the GPU, providing 62.5GB of GPU-usable memory in its tests. It ran gpt-oss:20b, a 12.8GB model, and Qwen3.6-35B-A3B, a 21.1GB model, with reported generation rates of 58–89 tokens per second across the two. Its Razer Blade 16, with an RTX 5090 and 24GB of GPU memory, generated tokens about 2.3 times faster on models that fit in that memory; it could not run StorageReview’s larger tier-M tests. If your local models fit within 24GB, that result favors the Blade for token speed. The Surface handled the larger models in StorageReview’s test.

Computerworld reviewer Dave Altavilla tested a different workflow: Hermes used Qwen3.8-27B to process an Excel spreadsheet and create a formatted Word report in about five minutes. In Computerworld’s preliminary benchmarks, the Surface scored 2,703 versus 2,027 for the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 in UL Procyon AI Text Generation using Phi 3.5. In MLPerf Flux 2 Klein 4B image generation, the reported results were 26.97 images per minute for the Surface and 9.96 for the Lenovo. These figures belong to Computerworld’s tests, not a single combined benchmark suite. Altavilla’s report also records 14 hours and 35 minutes in its PCMark video-playback test.

StorageReview separately reported 6,963 in Cinebench 2026 multicore and a 206.4-second build of LLVM 21.1.4 on its test system. For another look at local AI on an RTX Spark laptop, read NeoTeo’s earlier coverage.

What StorageReview recorded in its OpenBLAS test

StorageReview’s October 14 test log records three hard power losses on one review unit during an all-core, double-precision OpenBLAS LU solve at N=20000, after a preceding N=10000 solve sequence. The reviewer also reported that an earlier review sample had failed under the same workload. A later retry on the second unit passed.

Windows on Arm, ports and pen input

The Surface Laptop Ultra runs Windows 11 on Arm64. Computerworld says Microsoft’s Prism translation layer supports many x86 applications, while specialized software, drivers and some games that use anti-cheat systems may have compatibility limits. If a particular app is essential to your work, its Arm compatibility is a key part of the buying decision.

The laptop’s Magnetic Connect port supports USB4 up to 40Gbps with a standard USB-C cable. The included magnetic cable supports USB Power Delivery and USB 2.0 data, not USB4 data, according to LTT Labs’ hardware examination. Microsoft says the touchscreen does not support Surface Pen or Surface Slim Pen input; its product page also lists the battery claims discussed below.

Battery figures reflect different tests

Microsoft claims up to 15 hours of local video playback and up to 12 hours of active web use. Those figures come from preproduction 20-core, 64GB, 1TB units tested at 150 nits with Wi-Fi connected. Microsoft’s video test used a 1080p, 24fps .mov file in Windows Media Player; its web test cycled through 12 websites across multiple tabs.

Computerworld’s 14-hour-35-minute result came from a separate PCMark video-playback test. It is a distinct measurement with a different protocol from Microsoft’s local-video test.

US configurations, prices and included accessories

Microsoft’s US configurator lists eight prices before taxes, fees and shipping:

For US and Canadian customers, Microsoft’s online promotion runs from October 7 through November 23, 2026. It offers up to $1,000 cash back with a qualifying Surface Laptop Ultra purchase and eligible trade-in; the amount depends on the inspected device and its value.

The US configurator lists a Surface 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Surface USB-C Magnetic Connect Cable, Quick Start Guide, and safety and warranty documents in the box.