Looking for the best laptop for video editing? At the very least, you’ll want a powerful and speedy machine with a bright, colour-accurate display to tackle creative software. We advise that you consider your workload and lifestyle when deciding which laptop to buy, and prioritise the battery life, design, and software compatibility above all else.
There's a reason most video editors love Apple: its laptop hardware has been built in lockstep with editing software, and at the moment the MacBook Pro 14 M5 Max is our pick for video editing. However, the world of Mac challengers is hotting up, with the gaming grunt of Windows laptops proving equally applicable to byzantine timelines.
We've put all the laptops below through their paces with our all-round range of tests (find out how we test laptops), and whittled them down to our absolute favourites for video editing.
Want a bigger screen for Odyssean edits? Check out the best monitors for video editing, or take a look at 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.
The best Apple laptop for video editing
What you need to know: The MacBook Pro M5 Max leapfrogged lesser Windows computers and went straight to the top of the Creative Bloq benchmark suite. For video editors, this means it can take on multi-stream 8K raw files and complex After Effects compositions without dropping frames or tedious periods where you wait for the playhead to catch up.
Price: The starting price of £3,599 / $3,599 is eye-watering enough, and our review configuration retails at £5,699 / $5,699. Yes, it's a lot, but it's targetted squarely at freelancers and production houses who chop and change terabytes of footage every day.
Design: You know the deal: robust unibody design, nice big trackpad, tactile and backlit keys, and a non-backbreaking 2.15 kg weight. It's solid and robust, but just make sure there are no objects betwixt keyboard and screen when you slam it shut.
Display: The 14-inch Liquid Retuna XDR display is an absolute beaut, packing Mini-LED backlight technology and a 120 Hz refresh rate to keep colours vibrant and imagery fluid. The colour accuracy is spot-on for applying LUTs, while an optional nano-texture coating (£150 / $150) helps reduce reflections.
Performance: The M5 Max introduces Apple's revised core architecture, utilizing 12 Performance and 6 high-power Super cores. In testing, it recorded the highest single-core scores Creative Bloq has ever seen, while beating the M4 Pro by 23.7% in multi-core tasks. Its 40-core GPU competes directly with mobile RTX 5070 and 5080 chips, handling complex Premiere Pro exports effortlessly.
Connectivity: Upgraded physical connectivity features three full-spec Thunderbolt 5 ports. You also get a full-size SDXC card slot for immediate camera media ingestion, an HDMI 2.1 port, MagSafe 3 charging, a 3.5mm audio jack, and upgraded wireless connectivity featuring Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Battery life: The M5 Max offers exceptional power efficiency and all-day editing longevity under standard workloads. Crucially for editors on location, it maintains identical rendering, timeline playback, and export speeds whether plugged into mains power or running unplugged in the field.
Read more: MacBook Pro with M5 Max review
The MacBook Pro with M5 Max 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 editors 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
What you need to know: Apple's latest round of MacBook Air laptops, featuring the newest M4 chip, come in 15-inch and 13-inch flavours. So far so standard, but what really caught our attention was the fact that the M4 version was priced *lower* than the M3 on launch, making it substantially better value than the previous-gen M3 Airs (and cementing their status as, if we're honest, a bit of a dud). With 16GB of RAM as a starting point, this machine is a video-editing powerhouse, and offers some of the best value for money you'll get on the laptop market.
Price: Well, we might as well start here. The 15-inch version of the MacBook Air M4 starts at $1,199 / £1,199, while the 13-inch version starts at $999 / £899 – though in both cases, we've already seen discounts. That price does climb vertiginously if you start upgrading memory or storage or adding peripherals, but for what you get, this is still excellent value – cheaper than the MacBook pro, but not all that far behind it in performance stakes.
Design: The M4 MacBook Air keeps that lovely uniformly thin profile that began with the M2 version, measuring just 11mm in thickness. It's modern, minimalist and attractive – thanks in part to its fanless, passively cooled design.
Display: If budget and space allow for the 15-inch version, you will probably find that a more comfortable space for video editing, giving you a bit more legroom work on your timeline. But both versions are lovely – lacking the mini-LED tech or anti-reflection coating found in MacBook Pro models, but still delivering 500 nits of brightness and DCI-P3 colour coverage. In our tests, the Air delivered 100% of DCI-P3 and sRGB, with 88% of AdobeRGB – this kind of accuracy is important for editing and grading.
Performance: Near faultless for video editing tasks. In our tests, the MacBook Air M4 chewed through jobs like 4K editing in Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro. In our Topaz Video AI tests, which assesses a system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion, the MacBook Air M4 achieved a score just 8% behind that of the more expensive MacBook Pro. This isn't to say that there's no difference between the two, however – the fanless design of the Air does mean that sustained intensive workloads can lead to thermal throttling, which may affect rendering times for longer projects.
Connectivity: Port selection is minimal but functional, featuring two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and a MagSafe 3 charging connection. Having MagSafe charging is particularly welcome as it frees up both Thunderbolt ports for peripherals. Also, even with the 11mm thickness, we get a lovely 3.5mm headphone jack supporings 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.
Battery life: Apple likes to claim that its Air laptops offer 18 hours of battery life. We didn't quite get there in our battery benchmark test, for which we run a looped 1080p video until the battery dies, but the MacBook Air (M4, 2025) got darned close. You can confidently edit videos all day without needing to stay near a power outlet.
Read more: Apple MacBook Air (M4, 2025) review.
The MacBook Air is not an expensive laptop by the standards of many of the pro machines we review on Creative Bloq. Despite this, it performs impressively well, even more so when you factor in the thinness on offer.
Best Windows laptop for video editing
What you need to know: ASUS’s flagship creative workstation is back. Positioned as a Windows rival to Apple's MacBook Pro, the 2025 ProArt P16 pairs AMD’s flagship Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with NVIDIA’s fresh RTX 5070 graphics. It is a stealthy, high-octane machine perfect for creatives who need serious processing muscle without lugging around a back-breaking gaming rig.
Price: At £2,799.99 / $2,899.99 , the ProArt P16 is undeniably a big-ticket investment. However, when stacked against £3,000-plus workstations carrying RTX 5080 or 5090 graphics cards, it delivers astounding performance per pound.
Design: ASUS has sensibly stuck with its clean, unpretentious black metal chassis for an understated aesthetic that looks right at home in client meetings. At 1.85kg, it won't destroy your shoulders in transit. The keyboard drops the numeric keypad to give the remaining keys generous breathing room, while the spacious trackpad incorporates the virtual ASUS Dial for intuitive timeline scrubbing.
Display: The 16-inch OLED touchscreen trades last year’s 4K panel for a crisp 3K (2880 x 1800) resolution, but gains a silky 120Hz refresh rate that suits video editors and motion designers far better. In testing, we found that the panel hit an impressive 496 nits of HDR brightness while covering 100.6% of the DCI-P3 colour space.
Performance: The RTX 5070 GPU delivers a massive performance leap over its predecessor. In real-world testing, Premiere Pro scrubbed through massive cinema raw files without dropping a single frame, while Topaz Video AI benchmarks showed it trailing only far bulkier RTX 5080 and 5090 desktop replacements. Thermal fans do get loud under sustained 3D exports, but switching to whisper mode makes them virtually silent.
Connectivity: Port selection is well tailored for video production, featuring a high-speed USB 4.0 port (capable of up to 40Gbps speeds), HDMI 2.1 for external monitors, USB-A, an audio jack, and an SD Express 7.0 reader for rapid camera dumps. Wireless tech is fully future-proofed with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. While it lacks Thunderbolt 5, the high-bandwidth USB4 interface handles fast external NVMe drives with ease.
Battery life: Discrete graphics laptops usually struggle away from a wall socket, but the ProArt P16 holds its own surprisingly well. It logged just over six hours in Creative Bloq's video-looping endurance test. While it won't rival Apple Silicon for all-day battery life, it comfortably outperforms most Windows workstations.
Read more: ASUS ProArt P16 review.
The ASUS ProArt P16 is pretty much everything an ambitious creative professional could hope for, providing fantastically smooth operation even during the heaviest graphic loads.
Best value Windows laptop for video editing
What you need to know: For film students and freelancers on a tight budget (which is all of them), buying a laptop without a dedicated GPU is a tempting trap. Lenovo's LOQ 15IAX9 offers a smarter path. Pairing last-generation silicon with a discrete NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU and generous 24GB of RAM, this budget machine delivers rendering muscle that routinely outperforms pricier modern ultrabooks using integrated graphics. It is a no-nonsense workhorse for 2D graphics and 4K proxy editing.
Price: At an RRP of £849 / $849, the LOQ 15IAX9 delivers incredible value. Costing noticeably less than a 15-inch MacBook Air, it posts a Geekbench GPU score over twice that of Apple's M4 chip. For budget-conscious creators prioritizing export speed over razor-thin design, it's an absolute steal.
Design: Lenovo wisely bypassed loud gamer aesthetics for a professional grey plastic chassis that suits any studio. At 2.38kg, it is chunkier than a sleek ultrabook, but build quality is solid. Desk-bound editors will appreciate the rear-mounted ports that keep cable clutter off the workspace. The keyboard is equally dependable, offering satisfying travel and a numeric pad.
Display: The 15.6-inch 1080p IPS screen reveals Lenovo's cost-cutting, but remains functional for offline editing. Hitting 300 nits of brightness with 82% DCI-P3 coverage, it is too restrictive for critical HDR colour grading, though the 144Hz refresh rate keeps playback fluid.
Performance: The LOQ 15IAX9 punches well above its price tag. Thanks to its 6GB RTX 4050 GPU and 24GB of RAM, it comfortably beats Snapdragon laptops and Intel Core Ultra machines in PugetBench Adobe benchmarks. It scrubs through 1080p and 4K timelines with remarkable composure.
Connectivity: Connectivity is basic but practical: three 5Gbps USB-A ports, a 10Gbps USB-C port, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and an audio jack. Crucially for video editors, it lacks an SD card slot and Thunderbolt support, meaning offloading heavy camera footage takes slightly longer. Wireless covers Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
Battery life: Endurance is the main compromise here. The LOQ shut down after just over three hours in looping video tests. It survives quick client walk-throughs, but for sustained editing or rendering, staying plugged into mains power is essential.
Read more: Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 review.
This Lenovo LOQ uses last-gen chips to blitz through 2D tasks better than some more modern laptops. It’s surprisingly useful in Premiere Pro, as well.
Best 2-in-1
What you need to know: A Microsoft Surface with gaming power-ups, the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 squeezes AMD's 12-core Strix Halo processor into an ultra-portable 13.4-inch chassis. Featuring a detachable magnetic keyboard, a sturdy rear kickstand, and a high-spec touchscreen, it bridges the gap between a digital sketchpad and a mobile edit suite. While integrated Radeon 8050S graphics cannot rival massive workstation GPUs, it offers an intriguing option for creators who need both raw CPU power and creative flexibility on location.
Price: At £2,199.99 / $2,199.99 for the tested configuration, the ROG Flow Z13 commands a premium for its specialised engineering.
Design: Reversing traditional laptop design, the Z13 places all computing components behind the display, leaving the detachable magnetic keyboard as a slim protective flap. ASUS has embraced gamer aesthetics, equipping the metal casing with a lit, transparent window that shows the internal circuitry alongside a 13MP rear camera. At just 1.2kg, it slips into gear bags effortlessly, while the rear kickstand smoothly props the display up on any desk for quick client reviews or timeline tweaks.
Display: The 13.4-inch 16:10 touchscreen is an absolute highlight for visual artists. In laboratory testing, the 2.5K panel hit an impressive 544 nits peak brightness while covering 98% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut (and 90% Adobe RGB), outperforming standard ultrabooks for colour density.
Performance: Driven by AMD's 12-core Ryzen AI Max 390 chip, multi-core CPU tasks are handled with ease. In Photoshop and Topaz Video AI benchmarks, the Z13 outpaced the M4 MacBook Air and competed closely with M4 Pro silicon, while its integrated Radeon 8050S graphics traded blows with discrete mobile RTX 4060 GPUs.
Connectivity: Physical port selection is surprisingly generous for a 1.2kg tablet. The Z13 includes two high-speed USB4 ports, a standard USB-A port, a full-size HDMI 2.1 socket, an audio jack, and a MicroSD card slot for quickly offloading action camera or drone footage.
Battery life: Battery endurance remains the main trade-off for high-power hybrid devices. The Z13 logged a respectable seven hours in light video-looping tests, but pushing all 12 CPU cores during heavy editing or gaming drains battery life in under two hours.
Read more: ASUS ROG Flow Z13 review.
An interesting experiment in whether a very powerful CPU and an integrated GPU that offers more performance than most can be squeezed into a thin and light tablet shell.
Best gaming laptop
What you need to know: Acer has successfully transformed its Neo range from budget-friendly roots into a sleek, AI-native machine tailored for hybrid creative-gamers. Packing an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU and an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor into a sub-19mm chassis, the Helios Neo 16S AI bridges the gap between bulky workstation monsters and sleek ultraportables. It handles everything from real-time 3D character animation to heavy local AI tasks with remarkable ease, making it a compelling option for video editors and digital artists who like to game after hours.
Price: At £2,099 / $2,049 for the tested configuration (Intel Ultra 9, RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and 16-inch OLED screen), this machine offers fantastic value for its performance tier. Lower-spec configurations start from around £1,499 / $1,599. While it sits comfortably below £3,000 workstation pricing, it delivers enough raw GPU muscle and processing speed to make £2,000 feel like a very smart investment for busy creators.
Design: Acer has sensibly toned down loud gamer tropes, opting for a discreet "abyssal black" bead-blasted aluminium top cover that resists greasy fingerprints far better than plastic predecessors. Weighing 2.3kg and measuring just 18.9mm thick, it slips into a gear bag easily. Subtle RGB lighting remains—including an understated rear light bar—but the overall aesthetic looks completely natural in a professional studio setting. The aluminium keyboard deck also stays refreshingly cool to the touch during extended typing sessions.
Display: The 16-inch 2.5K (2560 x 1600) OLED display is a double-edged sword. On one hand, its fluid 240Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut deliver jaw-dropping contrast and vibrant accuracy for colorists and 3D animators. On the other hand, the glossy glass panel is noticeably reflective, meaning bright ambient studio lights or outdoor glares can prove distracting during detailed work.
Performance: In real-world testing across Reallusion Character Creator, iClone 8, and Poser 14, the RTX 5070 Ti GPU chewed through real-time rendering, motion capture data, and complex character setups without missing a beat. Dedicated NPU smarts and the Acer Intelligence Space app hub keep local AI tools running smoothly alongside Windows Copilot+. The primary compromise is thermal management: because the chassis is so thin, cooling fans spin up loudly even during simple app installations, and surface temperatures run warm under sustained exports.
Connectivity: Port selection is exceptionally well thought out for a modern 16-inch laptop. Cable clutter is kept off your desk by placing power, HDMI 2.1, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports along the rear edge. The sides accommodate three high-speed USB-A ports, an Ethernet jack, an audio socket, and a MicroSD card slot, making it effortless to dump camera footage or plug in peripheral hardware without relying on dongles.
Battery life: Endurance is by far the biggest sacrifice made for this laptop's slim profile and high-powered components. Paired with a modest 76Wh battery, the power-hungry 240Hz OLED screen and discrete RTX GPU drained the battery in under two hours during video playback tests. Background software frequently keeps the graphics chip active, meaning carrying the power adapter is mandatory if you plan to edit or render away from your desk.
Read more: Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI is designed for anyone who needs a portable laptop that still packs a punch. Thanks to some of the best hardware available, the laptop is equally at home in the creative realm as it is in the gaming world.
Best dual-screen
What you need to know: If you hate playing window Tetris when editing on location, the 2026 refresh of the ASUS Zenbook Duo is an absolute dream machine. Armed with Intel's flagship Panther Lake Core Ultra X9 processor, this unique laptop pairs two stunning 14-inch OLED panels with a detachable magnetic keyboard, giving video editors, a dual-monitor edit suite in a single bag.
Price: At £2,500 / $2,699.99, the Zenbook Duo is a serious financial commitment. However, when you consider that you are effectively purchasing two factory-calibrated 144Hz OLED displays alongside a high-spec 32GB RAM system, the value proposition starts to shine.
Design: Finished in an understated charcoal grey crafted from matte plastics and ASUS’s durable Ceraluminum alloy, the Duo maintains a sleek aesthetic despite housing two screens. A sturdy built-in rear kickstand anchors the displays securely, allowing you to stack the panels vertically or rotate them into a side-by-side book layout. At 1.65kg, it feels reassuringly solid without becoming back-breaking in transit.
Display: Visual quality is breathtaking across both 14-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED panels. Boasting a silky 144Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage, and 410 nits of peak brightness, the screens offer precise contrast and vivid color fidelity.
Performance: Driven by Intel's 16-core Core Ultra X9 388H processor backed by 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, the Duo delivers blistering multi-threaded speed. It posted a Geekbench 6 single-core score of 3,036 and a multi-core score of 17,526, while pushing past the 600-point threshold in UL Procyon AI testing.
Connectivity: Physical connectivity is modest but practical for an ultraportable dual-screen chassis. You get two high-speed Thunderbolt 4 ports, a standard USB-A port for legacy drives, an HDMI 2.1 socket for external display output, and a 3.5mm audio combo jack.
Battery life: Battery endurance is where the Panther Lake architecture truly excels. Operating off a massive 99Wh dual-battery cell configuration, the Duo logged an astonishing 14 hours and 54 minutes in video playback testing on a single screen. While firing up both 144Hz OLED panels for intensive multi-app editing will reduce that runtime, the immense battery capacity eliminates range anxiety when away from home or office.
Read more: ASUS Zenbook Duo (2026).
If you like the idea of working across two displays at once, the best just got better. This gorgeous two-screened laptop from ASUS returns for a 2026 refresh, now with more processing muscle thanks to Intel's cutting-edge Panther Lake chip.
Best workstation
What you need to know: If your video editing suite demands uncompromising desktop rendering power without locking you to a fixed desk setup, the MSI Stealth 18 HX AI is a monster worth considering. While technically born from gaming roots, MSI has sensibly eschewed garish RGB lights in favour of an understated, stealthy aesthetic that looks right at home in a high-end production house.
Price: At £3,799 in the UK and $3,999.99 in the US, the Stealth 18 HX AI sits squarely in rarefied workstation territory. It costs roughly the same as a top-spec Mac Studio setup or a flagship 16-inch MacBook Pro, meaning it requires serious financial commitment.
Design: An 18-inch laptop requires serious structural integrity, and MSI delivers by placing a rigid magnesium-aluminium alloy frame beneath the dark exterior. Weighing in at 2.89kg, it is undeniably hefty, acting more like a portable desktop replacement than something you would toss into a backpack for a casual café session.
Display: Visual quality on the expansive 18-inch Mini-LED display is nothing short of extraordinary. Boasting a crisp 4K-equivalent 16:10 resolution (3840 x 2400) and a silky 120Hz refresh rate, it provides exceptional working space for detailed timeline scrubbing and clip inspection. The Mini-LED backlighting delivers deep contrast that makes evaluating shadow detail and colour balance a joy.
Performance: Performance is where the Stealth 18 HX AI truly flexes its muscles. The Core Ultra 9 CPU paired with the RTX 5080 GPU scored near the top of Creative Bloq's benchmark suite, trading blows with Apple's M4 Max silicon in Adobe Premiere Pro and flying through Topaz Video AI tests faster than any 16-inch competitor. In Cinebench 2024 multi-core rendering, it demolished almost every x86 Windows laptop on the market.
Connectivity: Port selection is exceptionally well catered for across the large chassis. On the right-hand side, you get two high-speed Thunderbolt 4 ports (which support emergency USB-C charging), while the left edge houses two standard USB-A ports and an SD Express card reader for rapid camera media offloading. HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and the proprietary reversible power socket are neatly located along the rear overhang.
Battery life: Endurance is predictably limited on a laptop driving an 18-inch 4K Mini-LED display alongside high-wattage silicon, but the generous internal space allows for a battery that logged two and a half hours in video playback testing. While that provides enough untethered headroom to move between studio desks or run a quick client preview, keeping the heavy-duty power adapter nearby during active video editing or rendering is mandatory.
Read more: MSI Stealth 18 HX AI review
This may be meant as a gaming laptop, but its combination of some of the best components currently out there means it’s a creator’s dream too. In particular, it does very well in Adobe Premiere Pro, trading blows with the M4 Max chip in the Mac Studio
Also tested
The options above are our top choices for video editing laptops, but there are other laptops out there that are worthy of your attention.
We plan to be constantly adding to and updating the list below, which features other laptops we've tested and picks that you should feel confident in using in your video-editing work. So if none of the above quite do it for you, all hope isn't lost: you might just find your future workmate below.
How we test video editing laptops
Creative Bloq's team of hardware experts bring with them many years of experience using, testing and benchmarking laptops with a focus on running creative applications. All the laptops in this guide have been tested either by using software used by video editors or benchmarked to ensure the CPU and GPU are capable of pro-level video-editing jobs. We run different benchmark tests on each device depending on its intended use by its maker, but the laptops we've included in this guide have all been run through the following:
• Cinebench R23/2024 - this assesses the performance of a computer's CPU and GPU using real-world 3D rendering tasks
• Geekbench 5/6 - this tests the CPU's processing power, both by using a single core for a single task at a time as well as all the CPU's core to see its ability to multitask
• Handbrake - we use this free and open-source transcoder for digital video files to render a short 4K animated film, using the same file for all our tests
• 3DMark - this assesses a computer's ability to run graphic rendering tasks, which is necessary for video editors
• PCMark 10 - this test assesses a computer’s ability to run all everyday tasks from web browsing to digital content creation, testing app launch speeds, video playback and loading, and even battery life
But perhaps more importantly than technical benchmarking, we evaluate machines in real-world situations, pushing them to the limit with multiple applications running to see how they perform in real project-like conditions. Power, speed, flexibility, and what a computer looks and feels like to use are all criteria in our reviewing process.
We do much more than simply unpack a test unit, run some benchmarks and then pack it up again; we have lived and worked with all of the above computers, running them in real-life scenarios and completed projects relevant to the subject of this guide, otherwise we wouldn't recommend these models to you.
For more details, see our article on How we test.
How to choose the best video editing laptop
What makes a great laptop for video editing? First, you need power. Video editing, especially when working with ultra-high-resolution footage, can be demanding, so you’ll want a laptop with plenty of RAM (at least 16GB, although 32GB is advisable). You’ll also want a modern processor, either from Intel or AMD, or if you’re after a MacBook, Apple’s own Silicon chips have proved to be awesome hardware for video editing.
Video editors will also want a laptop with plenty of fast SSD storage because video files can be very large. Even if you’re using external storage solutions, you’ll want something that can open up your files quickly, or allow you to move them between the laptop and a backup drive, for example.
In most cases, you'll also want a dedicated graphics card, especially if you're using professional software, creating visual effects, or using AI-boosted applications. Nvidia and AMD are great options here. That said, Apple has developed its own silicon that has integrated graphics that are very powerful and efficient, particularly in the M Pro and Max chips, which have been optimised for greater efficiency in video work.
Modern chips now include dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) hardware to handle AI-accelerated tasks locally — such as automatic scene detection, voice isolation, and object tracking — without draining your main GPU.
The best video-editing laptops will also come with high-resolution screens so you can comfortably work on them, and they will display your footage with accurate colours. Some of the laptops on this list will actually come with professionally calibrated screens to ensure your footage looks its very best.
High-quality built-in speakers are also a great bonus, as the soundtrack to your videos is just as important as the footage itself. Having great speakers lets you listen and edit your video’s soundtrack without needing to invest in external speakers (although the chances are you will want to).
FAQs
Are video editing laptops expensive?
Many of the best laptops for video editing can be pretty expensive because of their combination of powerful hardware and slimline designs. However, you can still find a great video-editing laptop without breaking the bank by making some compromises like editing lower-resolution footage or putting up with longer rendering times.
You may notice from our list above that quite a few brands that specialise in gaming laptops also make laptops designed for creative professionals.
These laptops use the same powerful hardware you’ll find in high-end gaming devices, but without game-centric features (and garish designs) making them more affordable. Most importantly, they come equipped with powerful GPUs and NPUs that can drastically cut the time it takes to edit and render videos.
Do I need a dedicated graphics card for video editing?
For regular video editing, a dedicated graphics card isn’t strictly necessary, but if you’re looking to do more professional video editing and render complex graphical effects, then a laptop with a dedicated GPU will be a good investment.
“Investment” is the key word here, as laptops with dedicated graphics cards are often far more expensive. Some laptops will have Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards, capable of running Nvidia Studio drivers – which are specialised in using AI to boost performance.
While this is great for video editing, these laptops are typically on the pricey side, and likely to be more expensive than something with an older GTX series card or those running with integrated graphics (ie, graphics processors that are built into the CPU). Just make sure that you actually need that kind of power before you put down any money.
Should I buy a MacBook or a Windows laptop for video editing?
When seeking the best laptop for video editing, one of the biggest choices you’ll have to make is whether to get a MacBook or a laptop that runs Windows. Part of this is down to individual taste and preferences, so if you’re used to using a Windows operating system, you may find that macOS is a bit confusing – and vice-versa.
You can choose a Windows laptop for video editing, but many video editors use Apple computers and MacBooks are especially very popular among video editors thanks to their powerful performance and stylish designs, but in recent years, Windows laptops like the Dell XPS line, can easily match Apple’s laptops in both style and substance.
Windows laptops also benefit from being made by a large range of manufacturers, so if you don’t like the design of a certain brand’s laptop, you could always go for another. Both Windows and macOS offer broadly the same video-editing software packages, although the popular Final Cut Pro app is only available on macOS.
How much RAM do I need for video editing?
While the answer to this will depend on the complexity and type of project you’re working on, the baseline is that you’ll need at least 16GB of RAM for HD video editing, which covers all of the laptops we’ve listed above.
You’ll want to scale this up even higher to 32GB for the best laptop for editing 4K video. The more RAM you have, the more futureproofed your machine will be, though if you’re on a budget then 16GB will potentially do you just fine. Just make sure you don’t overwork your device by opening multiple power-hungry creative apps at once.
