The best laptops 2019: Premium midsize category

We test the claims of the Apple MacBook Air, the Dell XPS 13, the Acer Swift 7 and the Razer Blade Stealth. All are great, but only one can be the best.

Iyaz Akhtar Principal Video Producer

Iyaz Akhtar works tenaciously to make technology work for him so he can live a life of leisure. He's been in the tech sector as a writer, an editor, a producer, and a presenter since 2006.

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Iyaz Akhtar

July 31, 2019 9:01 a.m. PT

Welcome to CNET's The Best. This is our new show that tries to answer one simple question, "What's the best?" In this first installment, we try to crown one laptop (premium midsize category, that is) as the king of the hill with the help of CNET Senior Managing Editor Dan Ackerman.

Dan uses his years of expertise to put four notebooks through the wringer -- the Acer Swift 7 , the Apple MacBook Air , the Dell XPS 13 and the Razer Blade Stealth . They're judged on five criteria: battery life, design, portability, performance and value. Just remember, even the worst of the group is still a really great laptop.

In the future, we'll find the best headphones , the best televisions and more. Keep an eye out on CNET's YouTube channel for new episodes!