Surface Laptop Ultra vs ASUS ProArt P16: Which RTX Spark Laptop Should You Buy?

Same silicon, different laptops​

Both machines use NVIDIA's N1X chip. ASUS's ProArt P16 (H7607) replaces the AMD processor and Nvidia discrete GPU of older models with the RTX Spark superchip. Tom's Guide describes the P16 as having a 20-core CPU and a 6144-core GPU. Microsoft's specification page lists the same two Surface options: 18-core CPU with 5120-core GPU, or 20-core CPU with 6144-core GPU. Both lines offer 24GB to 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory.

Windows Central tested both with the 20-core CPU and 6144-core GPU. It found CPU performance close. The Surface did well in lighter graphics tests, and the ASUS pulled ahead in more demanding ones. Neither machine is uniformly faster.

Price: a $200 gap at the starting line​

Windows Central lists the Surface Laptop Ultra at a starting price of $2,599.99. That is for an 18-core CPU, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The ProArt P16 starts at $2,799.99 with the same specification. NVIDIA's launch announcement says RTX Spark laptops start at $2,599 and that pricing and configurations vary by region.

The comparison also shows retailer cards for the Surface, from $1,899.99 at Newegg to $2,999.99 at Best Buy. Those listings don't show which configuration each one covers, so don't read them as like-for-like deals. Check the exact configuration before you buy.

Display: mini-LED versus OLED​

This is the biggest difference between the two.

• Surface: Microsoft's specification page confirms the 15-inch screen, the resolution and refresh rates of up to 120Hz. It says the display is optimized for touch only, and that Surface Pen and Slim Pen aren't supported. Windows Central's Zac Bowden noticed some blooming around bright elements on dark backgrounds, plus slight ghosting in dark mode.
• ProArt P16: The 2.8K option is rated at 500 nits SDR and 1,100 nits HDR, and the 4K option at 700 nits SDR and 1,600 nits HDR. Windows Central saw none of the Surface's mini-LED artifacts, and it notes the OLED supports pen inking.

If you draw, annotate or grade colour, the ASUS panel has the edge. If you work in bright rooms, the Surface's higher brightness may matter more.

Portability: weight versus footprint​

The ASUS is thinner and lighter despite its larger screen. ASUS lists the P16 at 3.9lbs and 0.63 inches thin. The Surface weighs 4.41lbs (2kg) and is 0.71 to 0.75 inches thick. The Surface does have the smaller footprint, at 12.95 x 9.40 inches against the ASUS's 13.94 x 9.57 inches. Which one is easier to carry depends on whether bag space or weight is your constraint.

Ports, keyboard, audio and camera​

• Ports: Both have three USB4 ports, USB-A, HDMI, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm jack. Only the Surface has Magnetic Connect on one USB-C port. It lets the cable pull free instead of dragging the laptop off a table.
• Keyboard: Windows Central cites 1.4mm of key travel on the Surface and 1.7mm on the ProArt. Both have large haptic touchpads. Bowden called the Surface's keyboard and trackpad probably the best he has used on a Windows laptop.
• Camera and presence: Both have 1080p IR cameras. Windows Central's Daniel Rubino rates the Surface's webcam as better. The ProArt has human presence detection and the Surface does not.
• Audio: The Surface has four Quad Omnisonic speakers and the ProArt has six speakers, both with Dolby Atmos support. Only the ProArt adds top-firing speakers beside the keyboard.

Storage: the Surface's one clear speed win​

Microsoft's specification page lists a removable 512GB Gen 4 SSD on the Surface and removable 1TB or 2TB Gen 5 drives. ASUS offers PCIe 4.0 storage in 512GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities. Notebookcheck reports dual M.2 2280 slots that support up to PCIe 5.0 x4 SSDs. So a PCIe 5.0 drive might be an upgrade you can make yourself. That is a reported detail, and I haven't tested it. The Surface's speed advantage applies to its 1TB and 2TB models, not the 512GB base model.

Battery, heat and noise​

The P16 has a 99.9Wh battery and the Surface has 92Wh. Both Windows Central reviewers got around 10 hours of real-world use without heavy GPU load. Under GPU-heavy work both drain faster, so keep the charger handy. Microsoft's own claims are higher: up to 12 hours of web use and 15 hours of video playback. Those figures come from Microsoft's tests on a 64GB, 1TB configuration.

The thermal readings from Windows Central's FLIR imaging trade off against each other:

• Surface Laptop Ultra: about 123°F above the keyboard, with fans not exceeding 42dB.
• ProArt P16: about 105°F at the same spot, with fans approaching 50dB.

Those are single-test observations, not universal figures.

Which one should you buy?​

Choose the ProArt P16 if you want an OLED display with pen support, the lighter and thinner body, deeper key travel, presence detection and cooler surfaces, and you can accept louder fans and a higher starting price.

Choose the Surface Laptop Ultra if you want the smaller footprint, the better webcam, magnetic USB-C, quieter fans or the faster 1TB and 2TB SSDs, or you want the lower starting price. Microsoft's specification page also highlights a Secured-core PC design and a list of replaceable parts, which may suit IT-managed deployments.

Windows Central also points to the 14-inch ProArt P14 as a third option, starting at $2,599. Its comparison doesn't give enough like-for-like detail to rank the P14 against the other two.

A note on the evidence​

The hands-on measurements and subjective judgments here come from Windows Central's testing. The specification and availability details are from Microsoft and NVIDIA, with ASUS and Notebookcheck corroborating details on the P16. NVIDIA's "1 petaflop" AI figure is a platform-level claim and not a benchmark of either laptop. Tom's Guide, for what it's worth, calls the P16 an ultimate AI creator laptop "with a price to match", which fits the premium pricing here.

Correction (October 27, 2026): An earlier version said both laptops have four speakers. The Surface Laptop Ultra has four Quad Omnisonic speakers, but the ASUS ProArt P16 (H7607) has a six-speaker system. The audio comparison has been corrected.