The best laptops for video editing: Breeze through edits with these powerhouses
Light, powerful and boasting beautiful displays, these are the best laptops for video editing available today.

Looking for the best laptop for video editing? You’ll want a powerful and speedy machine with a bright, colour-accurate display to tackle creative software, also considering your personal needs when it comes to things like battery life, design and software compatibility.
✅ We are solely focused on what creatives need
✅ Benchmark tests based on real workflows
✅ We consult actual designers and creative pros
✅ Over 100 laptops tested over 10,000 hours in the last two years
Right now, we think the MacBook Pro 16 (M4 Pro, 2024) is the best laptop money can buy for video editing, balancing fantastic performance with beautiful design, impressive battery life and a gorgeous display. However, there are plenty of other options, including Windows laptops and the best laptops for 4K video editing, all of which we’ve compared based on our expert testing.
Our experts have conducted benchmark tests (read up on how we test laptops) on all of the models below, considering the specific needs of video editors to help you choose. We’ve also picked out the best monitors for video editing, if you’re keen to refresh your whole setup, and if you’re amenable to a desktop solution we also have selected the best video editing computers.
Beren has well over a decade of experience writing about creative tech, having previously worked for the digital art magazine ImagineFX, the fine art magazine Paint & Draw and Canon Pro Europe. As Creative Bloq's Ecom Editor, he's racked up hours testing and reviewing everything from laptops and monitors to office chairs. He also oversees the curation of our buying guides, taking feedback on the products we've tested from contributing creatives.
Quick list
The latest MacBook Pro running the M4 Pro is one of the most powerful laptops you can buy today. So if you do a lot of intensive video editing and want to speed up your workflow, it's well worth the investment, especially as it has decent speakers and a beautiful screen.
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This lightweight laptop is more than capable of delivering a good video editing experience and has a roomy 16:10 display supporting the P3 wide colour gamut. Plus, with the M3 just out, this M2 model can be found regularly for under $1,100; an absolute steal for this calibre of tech.
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Prefer to Windows to Mac? We believe the ASUS ProArt P16 is the best choice around. Boasting powerful processors, our reviewer found it handles even the most demanding video editing tasks with ease. Plus the laptop's 4K OLED touchscreen is a game-changer.
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Like to get value? The ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED offers exceptional value, delivering performance and display quality that compete with more expensive options. For video editors seeking a powerful, versatile laptop without breaking the bank, it's a compelling choice.
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With its versatile form factor, this 2-in-1 laptop is great for multi-faceted creatives; especially those who might want to do some digital artwork, thanks to its easel mode. Its performance is very decent too, and the touchscreen is useful for video editors who want to work directly on the display.
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Need raw power for both gaming and professional video editing? Acer Predator Helios 18 is a great choice. Powered by NVIDIA’s RTX 4090, it's perfect for rendering large 3D projects, 4K video exports, and complex animations, providing desktop-level performance in a portable (albeit heavy) form factor.
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The best Apple laptop for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You need a lot of power: The impressive iM4 Pro chip can handle almost anything.
✅ You're want a high-end display: The bright and accurate screen provides accurate colours and contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1.
❌ You only do light video editing: For a casual user, all this power will be overkill.
❌ You're on a budget: This is very expensive, especially at the higher specs.
🔎 MacBook Pro M4 Pro is the most capable laptop at video editing today. Even the basic version will handle the most demanding of video editing tasks, the screen is superb and you get Thunderbolt 5 too. ★★★★½
What you need to know: The 2024 MacBook Pro with M4 Pro represents a significant leap forward. With its powerful media engine capable of handling multiple 8K streams simultaneously and enhanced ProRes acceleration, it's more than able to handle professional video workflows, even if you're working with 8K footage.
Display: The 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display stands out for video work, offering the exceptional contrast ratios (1,000,000:1) and colour accuracy critical for colour grading. The space black finish remains professional-looking even with heavy use, and the port selection, including Thunderbolt 5, supports high-speed external storage and displays essential for video workflows.
Performance: In our tests, the M4 Pro delivered impressive performance metrics that translate directly to real-world video editing capabilities. That means, for example, it can export 4K video significantly faster than previous generations. The improved thermal design means sustained performance during long export sessions, while the six-speaker sound system provides accurate audio monitoring.
Battery life: Video editing laptops typically struggle with battery life, but the M4 Pro breaks this trend, providing up to 10 hours of intensive work, and fast charging support via the 140W adapter. This makes it an excellent choice for field editing or client review sessions where power access might be limited.
Price: The MacBook Pro with M4 Pro represents a significant investment but offers value for professional video editors. The base configuration with 48GB RAM and 2TB storage provides enough headroom for most video projects, while additional storage upgrades are expensive but may be worth it for high-intensity video work. A more affordable option is the Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) which appears next in our list.
Read more: MacBook Pro M4 review
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Price | Premium priced, but good value overall | ★★★★ |
Design | Gorgeous Apple looks | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Incredible power | ★★★★★ |
Battery life | Impressive battery life | ★★★★★ |
The 2024 MacBook Pro M4 Pro 16" is a powerful laptop for any use case, from modelling to animating and rendering, as well as daily computing tasks. The portability and excellent battery life makes it suitable for 3D artists on the move too, so should be near the top of your shortlist and could even replace a desktop workstation for many users.
Best value Apple for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You need portability: At just 2.7 pounds and 11mm thick, this is perfect for editing on the go.
✅ You want great battery life: With over 16 hours of battery life, you can edit all day without power.
❌ You do intensive video editing: The lack of active cooling means performance can throttle.
❌ You need lots of ports: With just two Thunderbolt ports, you'll likely need dongles.
🔎 MacBook Air M2 offers impressive performance in an ultra-portable package, making it ideal for mobile video editing, though it may struggle with more demanding workflows. ★★★★
What you need to know: Things changed drastically with in 2020 when Apple started making its own processor, which it called the M1 chip. With its successor the M2, even the MacBook Air because suitable for lightweight to moderate video-editing tasks. And because it's cheaper than the MacBook Pro, that makes it a great choice for novices and enthusiasts who want a capable laptop. (Note: this is not the latest Air—that's the MacBook Air M3—but we reckon the M2 provides the best balance of price and performance from Apple today.)
Design: The MacBook Pro retains Apple's premium unibody aluminum design, available in Space Black and Silver finishes.At 16.2 inches, it strikes an excellent balance between portability and screen real estate, though at 4.7 pounds (2.2kg) it's noticeably heavier than lighter alternatives.
Connectivity: The port selection is comprehensive by Apple standards, marking a welcome return to professional-grade connectivity. The laptop features three Thunderbolt 4 ports, delivering blazing-fast 40Gbps data transfer speeds and support for multiple external displays. The dedicated HDMI 2.1 port supports 8K external displays at 60Hz or 4K at 240Hz. You also get an SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm headphone jack and support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
Design: The M2 MacBook Air represents a major redesign from its predecessor, abandoning the iconic wedge shape for a uniformly thin profile that's just 11mm thick. Available in four colours (Space Gray, Silver, Starlight, and Midnight Blue), it sports a modern, minimalist aesthetic that's both professional and attractive.
Connectivity: Port selection is minimal but functional, featuring two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and a MagSafe 3 charging connection. The return of MagSafe charging is particularly welcome as it frees up both Thunderbolt ports for peripherals. The 3.5mm headphone jack supports high-impedance headphones, useful for audio monitoring. However, the lack of an SD card reader or HDMI port means video editors will likely need dongles or a hub for their workflow. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 provide solid wireless connectivity options.
Display: The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display is large and bright, offering 500 nits of brightness and support for one billion colours. This makes it excellent for colour-accurate video editing work, though it lacks the mini-LED technology found in the MacBook Pro models.
Performance: In our tests the M2 chip delivered impressive performance for video editing tasks, handling 4K video editing smoothly in apps like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro. However, the fanless design means sustained intensive workloads can lead to thermal throttling, which may affect rendering times for longer projects.
Battery life: In our battery benchmark test, where we ran a looped 1080p video until the battery dies, the MacBook Air (M2, 2022 lasted for just over 16 hours – a seriously impressive feat. This means you can confidently edit videos all day without needing to stay near a power outlet.
Price: Starting at $1,199/£1,249, it's more expensive than the previous M1 model but offers better value than the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2, especially considering its larger, brighter display and more modern design.
Read more: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Price | Great value | ★★★★★ |
Design | Stylish and very portable | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Strong for most tasks, but can throttle | ★★★★ |
Battery life | Exceptional longevity | ★★★★★ |
The new features that come with the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) actually means that this is a more affordable choice for creatives who want the power of the M2 chip, but who found the price of the new MacBook Pro 13-inch too high.
Best Windows laptop for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want top-tier performance: This rivals and sometimes outperforms the MacBook Pro M3 Max.
✅ You prefer Windows: It's the perfect alternative to MacBook Pro for Windows users.
❌ You need high refresh rates: The screen is limited to 60Hz, which isn't great for gaming.
❌ You want a sleek design: The utilitarian look won't win beauty contests.
🔎 ASUS ProArt P16 delivers powerhouse performance that competes with top-tier MacBooks, with a gorgeous 4K OLED touchscreen and great connectivity options. ★★★★★
What you need to know: Prefer to Windows to Mac? The ASUS ProArt P16 is the best choice around. Boasting the powerful AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU, our reviewer found it handles even the most demanding video editing tasks with ease. And the 4K OLED touchscreen offers incredible colour accuracy and sharpness, making it perfect for precision editing.
Another thing that sets the ProArt P16 apart is its integration of AI capabilities. The AMD XDNA NPU enhances workflow efficiency and extends battery life, addressing a common weakness in Windows laptops. Meanwhile the ProArt Creator Hub, features AI-powered tools like StoryCube and MuseTree. It offers steep competition to the MacBook Pro 16 (M4 Pro, 2024) which takes the top spot in our list.
Design: The ProArt P16 prioritizes function over form with a robust black chassis that's relatively thick but surprisingly light at 1.85kg. While not the most visually striking laptop, its build quality is excellent, with a sturdy hinge and premium materials throughout. The standout design feature is the innovative ASUS Dial integrated into the touchpad, offering intuitive control for creative applications.
Connectivity: Port selection is a major strength, offering a comprehensive array of connections that professional video editors will appreciate. The laptop includes two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, and a USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C port for high-speed data transfer. The HDMI 2.1 port supports high-refresh external displays, while the SD Express 7.0 card reader is perfect for importing footage directly from cameras. The combination of ports means most video editors won't need additional adapters or hubs. The laptop also features Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 for modern wireless connectivity standards.
Display: The 16-inch 4K OLED touchscreen is a standout feature, offering 100% P3 colour coverage and excellent brightness levels up to 400 nits. The touch functionality adds versatility for video editors who prefer hands-on control, though the screen does tend to attract fingerprints.
Performance: This laptop rivalled or exceeded the MacBook Pro M3 Max in many of our tests, particularly in Digital Content Creation scores. The combination of AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor, RTX 4070 GPU, and up to 64GB of RAM handles complex video editing tasks with ease, including 4K editing and heavy effects work.
Battery life: Battery performance has improved significantly, achieving over 10 hours in video playback tests. While not quite matching MacBook levels, it's a substantial improvement for Windows laptops in this category.
Price: Starting at $2,699/£2,599, this laptop offers strong value considering its performance rivals more expensive MacBook Pro models. The price includes professional-grade features like the ASUS Dial for intuitive timeline scrubbing and the ProArt Creator Hub with AI-powered tools.
Read more: ASUS ProArt P16 review.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Price | High but justified for the performance | ★★★★ |
Design | Functional but uninspiring | ★★★ |
Performance | Exceptional power for video editing | ★★★★★ |
Battery life | Good for a Windows laptop | ★★★★ |
The ASUS ProArt P16, which I've had in for review over the last three weeks, takes direct aim at the MacBook Pro, head-on, and beats it. It's as simple as that.
Best value Windows laptop for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You need professional editing features on a budget: It delivers excellent value for serious video work.
✅ You work with multiple editing software: It handles both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve well.
❌ You frequently edit 8K footage: The 16GB RAM might be limiting for heavy projects.
❌ You need Apple ProRes workflows: Consider a MacBook for better ProRes performance.
🔎 ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (2024) offers professional-grade editing capabilities at a compelling price point, with particularly strong performance in GPU-accelerated tasks and colour-critical work. ★★★★½
What you need to know: If you don't need the bells, whistles and raw power of the ASUS ProArt P16 listed above, the ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (2024) delivers serious video editing power at a mid-range price point. In our real-world testing, the combination of Intel's new 14th-gen Core Ultra 7 155H processor (with NPU) and NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU handled 4K timelines smoothly in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. The 3K OLED display offers exceptional colour accuracy with 100% DCI-P3 coverage and Pantone validation, crucial for colour grading work. At 617 nits peak brightness, it's bright enough for HDR content review.
Video editors will appreciate the NPU-enhanced processing, which noticeably improves rendering times and playback performance. Our testing showed a 4K to 1080p transcode completing in just 4 minutes and 36 seconds for an 11-minute clip, competitive with laptops costing significantly more.
Design: The 1.8kg weight makes it practical for on-location editing, while the 180-degree hinge is useful for client review sessions. The keyboard includes a numpad for efficient timeline navigation and quick input of timecode values. The ASUS DialPad integrated into the touchpad provides intuitive timeline scrubbing and parameter adjustment in major editing applications.
Connectivity: The port selection is editor-friendly, featuring Thunderbolt 4 for fast external drive access, HDMI 2.1 for external monitoring, and an SD 4.0 card reader for direct camera media import. The inclusion of both USB-C and USB-A ports means you can connect both modern and legacy devices without adapters.
Display: The 15-inch 2880x1620 OLED screen delivers true blacks essential for evaluating contrast in your edits. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth playback at both 24fps and 60fps content. While the resolution isn't full 4K, the pixel density is sufficient for detailed work, and the colour accuracy is exceptional with infinite contrast ratio for precise shadow detail evaluation.
Performance: Our benchmarks revealed strong video editing capabilities with a PCMark 10 Digital Content Creation score of 9,496. The RTX 4060 GPU accelerates effects rendering and export times in Adobe Creative Suite and DaVinci Resolve. With 16GB RAM, you can work comfortably with 4K footage, though complex multicam projects might benefit from an upgrade.
Battery life: While you'll want to be plugged in for intensive editing, the battery life is adequate for review sessions and basic cuts. The 125W power brick ensures full performance during rendering and export tasks.
Price: At $1,599/£1,599, it's significantly more affordable than comparable MacBooks while delivering professional-grade editing capabilities.
Read more: Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (2024) review.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Price | Lots of power for the price | ★★★★ |
Design | Editor-friendly layout | ★★★★ |
Performance | Strong render/export times | ★★★★★ |
Battery life | Adequate for basic editing | ★★★ |
It offers a fantastic balance of performance, screen splendour and price, with graphics performance reaching into true professional territory for a price well under £2,000. It's an all-rounder, but one for someone with serious aspirations in at least one of the creative or gaming realms.