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2019 Gift Guide: The 10 Best Premium Laptops

By on November 13, 2019

At the top of the laptop food chain (where price is not the number one factor), manufacturers must constantly innovate to remain competitive.

So, while it shouldn’t be surprising to find the Dell XPS 13 on our top laptops list once again, this flagship laptop still underwent some significant upgrades. Dell shrunk the webcam and moved it to the top bezel and bumped up performance with 10th generation Intel Core processors, including a 6-core option— the first of its kind in a 13-inch model.

Apple’s new 16-inch MacBook Pro, just announced today, swooped onto our list. It replaces the already impressive 15.4-inch Macbook Pro (which would’ve been here otherwise) and now sports a scissor switch keyboard instead of the controversial butterfly keyboard, which turned away some users.

Now let’s take a look at our top 10 premium laptops of 2019. Watch for price drops and deals on Ben’s in the coming weeks (set deal alerts here)!

Windows Laptops

1. Dell XPS 13 7390 13.3-inch Laptop

Specs: 3840 x 2160 4K Ultra HD display,  Intel Core i7-10710U processor, 8GB memory, 256GB PCle NVMe SSD storage, USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 802.11ax Wi-Fi, Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

Weight/size: 2.7 lbs. / 0.3″ to 0.46″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Powerful six-core (10th gen) processor, first of its kind in a 13-inch laptop! Ultra thin and light. Narrow bezels. Webcam now in top bezel. Also available in 2-in-1 version with 16:10 display.

Cons: Battery life takes a hit with the 4K display (7 to 8 hours).

$1,230 | Dell Check Deals on Ben’s

2. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 14-inch Laptop

Specs: 1920 x 1080 Full HD display, 8th Gen Core i5 Quad-Core processor, 8GB memory, 256GB PCIe SSD storage, USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

Weight/size: 2.4 lbs. / 0.58″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Extremely light but rugged build. Excellent keyboard. Long battery life (over 9 hours with FHD display) Many configuration options, including 4K display. Great for business or consumer use.

Cons: Webcam not that good. Price points higher than competitors.

$1,253 w/ code THINKPAB | Lenovo Check Deals on Ben’s

3. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch Touchscreen Laptop

Specs: 2256 x 1504 multi-touch display, 10th Gen Core i5 Quad-Core processor, 8GB memory, 256GB SSD storage, USB-C, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Windows 10 Home.

Weight/size: 2.84 lbs. / 0.57″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Fantastic screen and keyboard, as in previous years. Handsome build quality. You now get a choice between signature Alcantara fabric palm rest or aluminum deck, depending on color. Finally, a USB-C port…

Cons: However, still very stingy with ports (1 x USB-C and 1 x USB-A). No Thunderbolt 3. Battery life struggles to get to 8 hours in real world conditions.

$1,292 | Amazon Check Deals on Ben’s

2-in-1 Laptops

4. HP Spectre x360 13.3-inch 2-in-1 Laptop

Specs: 1920 x 1080 Full HD IPS touchscreen, 10th gen Intel Core i5 Quad-Core, 8GB memory, 256GB SSD storage, USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 802.11ax Wi-Fi, HP Pen, Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

Weight/size: 2.88 lbs. / 0.67″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Amazing 16+ hour battery life. Narrower bezels than previous year model (up to 66%). Unique “diamond cut” edges. Upgrade option for OLED.

Cons: Low power panel that helps get long battery life may be too dim for some in bright environments.

$1,110 |  HP Store Check Deals on Ben’s

5.Lenovo Yoga C940 14-inch 2-in-1 Laptop

Specs: 1920 x 1080 Full HD IPS touchscreen, 10th Gen Core i5 Quad-Core processor, 8GB memory, 256GB PCle SSD storage, USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Lenovo Pen, Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

Weight/size: 2.98 lbs. / 0.57″ to 0.61″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Improves upon popular predecessor C930. 10+ hour battery life (FHD display). Still has Dolby Atmos soundbar on the hinge plus two speakers on bottom. New 15.6-inch model available.

Cons: Fan noise an issue on some configurations. Optional 4K display’s battery life is poor (5 hours or less).

$1,150 w/ code EARLY100 | Lenovo Check Deals on Ben’s

6. Samsung Notebook 9 Pro 13.3-inch 2-in-1 Laptop

Specs: 1920 x 1080 Full HD touchscreen display, 8th Gen Core i7 Quad-Core processor, 8GB memory, 256GB SSD storage, USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, S-Pen, Windows 10 Home.

Weight/size: 2.84 lbs. / 0.55″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Good price for specs. Solid aluminum build with “diamond-cut” ridges along the edges. Gets well over 8 hours of battery life in real world conditions. Runs cool.

Cons: Display may be dim / reflective in brighter environments. Some may not like the butterfly-style keyboard (a la MacBook). No built-in pen holder. Sub-par webcam.

$1,100 | Samsung Check Deals on Ben’s

Gaming Laptops

7. Acer Predator Triton 500 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop

Specs: 1920 x 1080 144Hz IPS display, 9th Gen Intel Core i7 6-Core processor, 16GB memory, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage, 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

Weight/size: 4.41 lbs. / 0.7″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Solid gaming performance. Thin and light for a gaming laptop. Aluminum chassis. Powerful RTX card options. Full RGB keyboard. Unique design touches. Plenty of ports.

Cons: Battery life is only decent, under 4 hours for average (non-gaming) use. Loud fans.

$1,699 | Amazon Check Deals on Ben’s

8. Dell Alienware Area-51m 17.3-inch Gaming Laptop

(Base) Specs: 1920 x 1080 60Hz IPS display, 9th Gen Intel Core i7 8-Core desktop processor, 16GB memory, 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive storage, 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics, 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

Weight/size: 8.54 lbs. / 1.09″ to 1.7″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Plays new games at max settings and high frame rates. Upgradeable, unlike most gaming laptops. Magnesium alloy chassis. Full RGB keyboard lighting options. Slim bezels. Looks like a rocket ship.

Cons: Beefy machine: “portable” is stretching it. Has two power adapters. Battery life is very short (under 1 hour for gaming). Configurations can go as high as $5,000. Loud fans (sounds like a rocket ship).

$2,000 | Dell Check Deals on Ben’s

Windows Alternatives

9. Apple MacBook Pro 16 16-inch Laptop

Specs: 3072 x 1920 Retina display, 9th Gen Core i7 6-Core processor, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD storage, 4GB AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics, 4 x USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, macOS Catalina.

Weight/size (with keyboard): 4.3 lbs. / 0.64″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Just released, it’s the largest MacBook since the 17-inch was discontinued in 2012. New scissor switch keyboard. Narrower bezels and only 5% larger footprint than the previous 15.4-inch model. Brilliant display and top-notch build quality.

Cons: Very, very pricey. Configurations can go north of $6,000 (!!).

$2,299 | B&H Photo Video Check Deals on Ben’s

10. Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 15.6-inch 2-in-1 Laptop

Specs: 3840 x 2160 4K UHD IPS touchscreen display, 8th Gen Core i5 Quad-Core processor, 8GB memory, 128GB eMMC storage, USB-C, 802.11ac (2×2) Wi-Fi, Chrome OS.

Weight/size: 4.2 lbs. / 0.7″ thick.

Release year: 2019

Pros: Affordable and good value. 4K touch display at low price (first of its kind for Chromebook). All-aluminum body. Backlit keyboard.

Cons: Battery life struggles to get 8 hours with 4K display. Stylus is not included. No Thunderbolt 3.

$690 | Lenovo Check Deals on Ben’s

About Joe Warner

I'm the senior editor of The CheckOut. I am an aficionado of shiny gadgets and classic Hollywood movies and can also tell you the names of the late '80s Swedish Davis Cup team members.

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