Battery life test: Asus ProArt P16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra disappoint due to low RTX Spark N1X efficiency
The Nvidia RTX Spark N1X chip for Windows laptops is here. The SoC has some serious potential, especially in terms of GPU performance. For instance, we noted in our in-depth review of the Asus ProArt 2026 with the 20-core RTX Spark N1X that Nvidia’s SoC offers strong CPU performance and RTX 5070-level GPU performance. However, this performance comes at the cost of battery life in some workloads.
YouTuber Linus Tech Tips measured the battery life of the RTX Spark N1X-powered Asus ProArt 2026 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, and the results are not great.
In the 1080p video playback test, where LTT ran the laptops at 60 Hz and 200 nits of brightness, the Asus ProArt 2026 lasted for around 12 hours, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra managed 9 hours. The MacBook Pro 14 with the Apple M5 Pro also lasted for around 9 hours.
On the surface, the battery life of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra and the Asus ProArt 2026 seems fine. But the illusion falls apart when we consider that the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra features a 27% bigger battery pack than the MacBook Pro 14 for the same battery life. The Asus ProArt lasted three hours longer than the MacBook Pro 14 but needed a massive 99.9 Wh, or a 38% bigger cell.
So, despite being an ARM-based SoC, the Nvidia RTX Spark N1X doesn’t impress with its efficiency. For instance, the Asus Zenbook A16, an ARM-based Windows laptop with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, lasted for 12 hours and 40 minutes with a 70 Wh battery in LTT’s test.
The results were even more disappointing when LTT measured the battery life of the Asus ProArt 2026 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra under stress. Running the GravityMark 1440p benchmark with the maximum performance profiles enabled, the Asus ProArt and Surface Laptop Ultra lasted for just 1 hour and 9 minutes and 53 minutes, respectively. To put the endurance of the RTX Spark laptops in context, the MacBook Pro 14 lasted for around 1.5 hours, while the Asus Zenbook A16 lasted more than 2 hours under the same conditions, with much smaller batteries.
So, while the RTX Spark N1X SoC is built for local AI on Windows laptops, it seems like you’ll be tethered to a wall if you want to push the machines hard for more than an hour.
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