What launched, and when
Nvidia announced that RTX Spark laptops are rolling out from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft and MSI. They are available globally through those makers' websites and major retailers, starting at $2,599. Nvidia adds that pricing and configurations vary by region.
Asus's own US announcement is dated October 16, 2026. It says the P14 is sold online through the Asus Store and Best Buy. In-store availability at participating Best Buy and Micro Center locations was expected in early Q4 2026. Asus lists a starting MSRP of $2,599.99 and notes that retailers set actual prices. Pocket-lint rounds this to $2,600.
Windows Central had flagged the P14 earlier in October. It reported prices starting at $2,599.99 for the P14 and $2,799.99 for the P16.
The hardware, using Asus's own numbers
Asus's specification page gives a more careful picture than the review's summary table.
- Processor options: Asus lists two RTX Spark N1X variants. One has a 20-core CPU and a 6,144-core GPU. The other has an 18-core CPU and a 5,120-core GPU. Pocket-lint's review unit was the 20-core version. The review prints the GPU core count as "6,1440", which is a typo for 6,144.
- Memory and storage: Asus's launch table shows four P14 SKUs. They are 24GB/512GB, 32GB/512GB, 48GB/1TB and 128GB/1TB. The memory is LPDDR5X soldered on board. You can't upgrade it later, so the capacity you buy is the capacity you keep.
- Display: It's a 14-inch 3K (2,880 x 1,800) OLED touchscreen at 120Hz with stylus support and 100% DCI-P3 coverage. Brightness differs by configuration. Asus lists a 700-nit panel with 1,600-nit HDR peak, and also a 500-nit panel with 1,100-nit HDR peak. The review quotes the brighter figures, so check which panel your SKU has.
- Ports: Three USB 4 Type-C ports support display output and power delivery. There is also one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, HDMI 2.1 and a combo audio jack. Asus's launch table lists an SD 4.0 card reader. Pocket-lint calls it a full-sized SDXC reader.
- Power and size: The battery is 90Wh and the charger is a 140W USB-C adapter. The laptop weighs 1.48kg (3.26 lb) and is 1.39 to 1.59cm thick.
- Security and sign-in: Asus lists TPM 2.0, the Microsoft Pluton security processor, and an IR camera for Windows Hello.
One note for anyone thinking of wiping the machine. Asus says the drivers only work with Windows 11 version 24H2 or later. It warns against manually installing an older OS version.
Why this matters for Windows users
RTX Spark is a platform change, not just a new chip name. Nvidia says it delivers up to 128GB of unified memory and 1 petaflop of FP4 AI performance for running large language models and AI agents locally. The FP4 qualifier matters. It is a peak low-precision AI figure, not a general speed rating.
Microsoft's Windows Experience Blog described the platform work behind the launch.
- Windows now uses workload profile scheduling, tuned to spread work across all 20 cores.
- Microsoft Power and Thermal Framework support is enabled on the platform.
- Windows has a new, higher limit on how much system memory the GPU can access.
- Windows has changed how it handles page sizes in shared memory.
- Windows ML lets developers use TensorRT natively.
The unified-memory work is the key point for local AI. A single large memory pool can hold models that wouldn't fit in a typical laptop GPU's dedicated memory. These are Microsoft's own claims about the platform. They are not independent measurements of the P14.
What the reviewer found
Pocket-lint's John Kanellakos gave the P14 4.5/5 and an Editor's Choice badge. Asus supplied the review unit. His findings are one reviewer's experience:
- Benchmarks: Geekbench 7 gave 2,689 single-core and 22,705 multi-core CPU scores, and an OpenCL GPU score of 108,317.
- Comparisons: He judged the CPU comparable to high-end Arm chips from Apple and Qualcomm. He said the GPU beats the Snapdragon X2 Elite but doesn't quite match peak high-end Apple Silicon. No side-by-side test data was provided, so treat this as his opinion.
- Power behavior: He saw little performance difference between battery and plugged-in use.
- Noise and battery: The fans stayed quiet under load, with occasional coil whine. The battery drains quickly when pushed to its limits.
- Design: He praised the display, the haptic trackpad with Microsoft's Haptic Signals support, the keyboard and the thin chassis.
- Windows complaints: Setup and system updates felt slow compared with a Mac or Chromebook.
- Copilot+: He found no Copilot+ PC features such as Recall and Click to Do at launch. He called this a miss at this price.
The Copilot+ point deserves a caveat. Microsoft said in May that RTX Spark PCs would join the Copilot+ category. The review reports they weren't present at launch. That is a dated observation about this unit. It doesn't prove a permanent limitation. Many buyers may not care, since the reviewer himself says the features don't change much day to day.
Windows on Arm: the compatibility question
Microsoft's launch post points to Prism, its emulator for 32-bit and 64-bit x86 apps, which has been tuned for this chip. It also lists native Arm creative software. That includes Blender, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop and Premiere. MATLAB is officially supported through Prism. The reviewer reports no compatibility problems.
That is encouraging, but it's one person's experience. Before buying, IT admins and power users should test the things that tend to break on Arm.
- Check specialist plug-ins and drivers.
- Check peripherals.
- Check anti-cheat software.
- Check anything that runs deep in the kernel.
A 24H2-or-later driver requirement and a $2,600 price make returns annoying, so test early if you can.
Who should buy it
The review's verdict is that the P14 suits creative professionals and AI developers who can use the chip. Video editors, photo editors, CAD users and people fine-tuning local models are the target. Basic AAA gaming is possible, but the reviewer says gamers are better off with a dedicated GeForce RTX laptop.
Asus's marketing argues that local inference avoids per-token cloud costs. It says heavy agent users could see cloud costs exceed the laptop's price in as little as five to ten months. That figure comes from Asus's own illustrative footnote. It assumes a maxed-out configuration, and Asus says actual results vary. Treat it as a sales argument, not a finding.
The review's "MacBook Pro killer?" line is a rhetorical question, not a tested result. Value depends on workload. A 128GB model is a very different purchase from the 24GB base model.
Bottom line
- The P14 is a real, shipping Windows-on-Arm laptop with a 14-inch OLED screen and a 90Wh battery. Asus lists it from $2,599.99.
- The big draw is the unified memory pool for local AI, up to 128GB.
- Benchmarks and battery impressions come from one reviewer, not from lab testing.
- Copilot+ features were absent at launch, and Windows 11 setup and updates drew criticism.
- Check your exact SKU, because display brightness and memory vary.
- Verify that your key apps and drivers work on Arm before you commit.