Surface Laptop Ultra Gets Its First Firmware Fix for Flickering and Slow Reboots

Microsoft has rolled out the first firmware update for its RTX Spark-powered Surface Laptop Ultra, less than a week after the laptop started shipping on October 16. Listed in Windows Update as "System Hardware Update 200.0.7.0," the October 22 release fixes three problems spelled out in Microsoft's update history: extended reboot times, screen flickering, and unexpected restarts. It also bundles unspecified bug fixes and general performance improvements. The update is arriving in stages, so not every owner will see it right away, and like other Surface firmware, it can't be rolled back once installed.

These issues had already surfaced in early reviews and owner reports. Windows Central noted reboots long enough to roughly double the time it took to install updates, while some owners saw the Mini-LED panel flicker, in a few cases only when the display sat idle. However, the update doesn't address everything reviewers flagged. Notebookcheck measured a sluggish 57 ms black-to-white response time with visible ghosting, no local dimming, and a grayish 0.61-nit black level, and it seems unlikely that firmware can do much about those. Some owners have also reported the laptop running hot under light workloads, which Microsoft hasn't mentioned. Read full story