Battery Life Test: Asus ProArt P16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra Disappoint Due to Low RTX Spark N1X Efficiency.

For Windows laptops, Nvidia’s RTX Spark N1X chip is here. This SoC carries serious potential, particularly in terms of GPU performance. For instance, in Nvidia’s comprehensive review of the Asus ProArt, which is equipped with the 20-core RTX Spark N1X, the company’s SoC was noted for its powerful CPU performance and GPU performance at the RTX 5070 level. However, in some workloads, this performance comes at the expense of battery life.

YouTuber Linus Tech Tips measured the battery life of the Asus ProArt 2026 working with the RTX Spark N1X and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, and the results are not very encouraging.

In LTT’s 1080p video playback test, conducted at a 60 Hz refresh rate and 200 nits of brightness, the Asus ProArt lasted approximately 12 hours, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra lasted 9 hours. The MacBook Pro 14 with the Apple M5 Pro also lasted around 9 hours.

At first glance, the battery life of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra and the Asus ProArt 2026 appears sufficient. However, this impression fades when we consider that the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra has a battery 27% larger than that of the MacBook Pro 14 to deliver the same battery life. The Asus ProArt lasted three hours longer than the MacBook Pro 14, but it required a massive 99.9 Wh battery, that is, 38% larger.

Therefore, despite being an ARM-based SoC, the Nvidia RTX Spark N1X is not impressive in terms of efficiency. For instance, the Asus Zenbook A16, an ARM-based Windows laptop with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Extreme, lasted 12 hours and 40 minutes on a 70 Wh battery in LTT’s test.

When LTT measured the battery life of the Asus ProArt 2026 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra under stress, the results were even more disappointing. Running the GravityMark 1440p benchmark with maximum performance profiles enabled, the Asus ProArt and Surface Laptop Ultra lasted only 1 hour 9 minutes and 53 minutes, respectively. To put the battery endurance of the RTX Spark laptops into perspective, the MacBook Pro 14 lasted about 1.5 hours under the same conditions, while the Asus Zenbook A16 lasted more than 2 hours with considerably smaller batteries.

Therefore, although the RTX Spark N1X SoC is designed for local AI in Windows laptops, if you want to use the machines intensively for more than an hour, you will probably need to keep them plugged into the power outlet. Buy the Asus Zenbook A16 | On Amazon Apple MacBook Pro 14