The Surface Laptop Ultra Pushes the boundaries of the Surface family. Compared to previous Surface PCs, it’s the biggest or best in several categories. But the Surface Laptop Ultra no a device designed for everyday users. You won’t find it filling university lecture halls or coffee shop tables (unless you’re studying for a very specific degree).
A “normal” Surface Laptop is a premium computer, not an “ultra” computer, so it may not have all the bells and whistles of the Surface Laptop Ultra. But Microsoft could take some elements of the Surface Laptop Ultra to make a better Surface Laptop.
Microsoft can’t just shrink the Surface Laptop Ultra and call the new device the Surface Laptop. In fact, smaller laptops often cost more than their larger counterparts. It also wouldn’t make sense to change the chip to something more affordable to target consumers.
Some features of the Surface Laptop Ultra, such as dual-fan cooling, would be unnecessary on a regular Surface Laptop. Others, such as integrated memory, belong to chipmakers rather than Microsoft. Components like the RTX Spark and mini-LED will probably make the Surface Laptop much more expensive.
Wider port selection
The Surface Laptop Ultra has a lot of ports. HDMI, USB-C (3x), USB-A, SD card reader and headphone jack are all built in.
In contrast, Surface Laptop 8 for Business there are two USB-C ports (Thunderbolt 4), a USB-A port, a headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port.
The consumer-focused Surface Laptop will fall between the Surface Laptop Ultra and the Surface Laptop 8 for Business when it comes to ports.
The icon here is the unique USB-C port on the Surface Laptop Ultra. This laptop doesn’t have a Surface Connect Port, at least in the traditional sense.
Microsoft wouldn’t confirm the details when we spoke with our Editor-in-Chief Zac Bowden, but it appears that the USB-C port on the right side of the Surface Laptop Ultra is different from the standard connection.
Here’s what Bowden had to say on this particular port:
“Of course,[Microsoft]didn’t confirm it to me, but it’s clear that the right USB-C port is somehow different. The company said it will share more about the specifics of the Surface Laptop Ultra later this year, so we’ll have to see. For now, I believe this USB-C port will make the magnetic design even easier.
If Microsoft has a new type of Surface Connect Port that’s also compatible with traditional USB-C cables, I’d love to see it on the consumer-oriented Surface Laptop.
Brighter screen
The Surface Laptop Ultra has a 15-inch mini-LED display that can reach 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness. Our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino was right to use the word “dazzling” when referring to the screen’s brightness.
This level of brightness is unrealistic for a consumer device, even a premium one.
The Surface Laptop 8 for Business has a sharp and good display with integrated privacy features. However, it is not as bright as competing laptops. In Rubino’s tests, the Surface Laptop 8 for Business reached 500 nits at 100% brightness.
I’d like to see the Surface Laptop reach 600-700 nits of brightness. There is a chance that the maximum brightness will be connected to the technology needed for the built-in privacy features. Maybe people can choose between higher brightness and privacy.
Larger touchpad
This would be a minor improvement over the already excellent touchpad found on the Surface Laptop 8 for Business. “The new advanced haptic touchpad is a joy to use,” Rubino shared.
Haptic touchpads provide many advantages over diving board-style touchpads, which can have dead zones and require different pressure at different points.
Microsoft is all about haptics. Windows 11 now has new features give permission feel it operating system through subtle tactile cues. For example, dragging a file between folders will result in a small haptic “flip”.
Only certain hardware supports the new haptic features. Since desktop PCs must feature Windows 11, they must all use the operating system’s haptic capabilities.
The Surface Laptop Ultra has the largest touch sensor ever featured on a Surface device. Haptic trackpads are customizable and consistent, so making them bigger is more useful than making a massive traditional trackpad.
Balancing price and features
Microsoft needs to find a middle ground between an Ultra PC and a premium PC. Going overboard with ultra-high-end specs will drive off normal consumers and cannibalize the Surface Laptop Ultra market. Swinging too far makes the Surface Laptop a poor alternative to premium laptops in the same price range.
Compete with likes Lenovo Yoga Slim 7X and to provide users with the best experience, Microsoft must find a middle ground, and it can do so by bringing the more affordable features of the Surface Laptop Ultra to everyday computing.
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