Whether you're a professional video editor working for a firm or a hobbyist editing movies for social media, having a high-performance laptop is essential, as video editing is a hard operation that takes a lot of processing power. A powerful laptop will allow you to manipulate footage more smoothly, play high-resolution films with fewer frame drops, and produce videos faster, saving you time. We've compiled a list of laptops appropriate for video editing to assist you in your purchasing decision. This category covers mobile workstations as well as gaming laptops (yes, gaming laptops are just as good for video editing). It will not, however, include any Chromebooks because most video editing tools do not operate on Chrome OS and Chromebooks often lack a dedicated GPU. For the time being, the list is limited, but it will increase as we examine new laptops.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021), a premium mobile workstation, is the greatest laptop for video editing that we've evaluated. This 2021 model boasts a sleek look and a solid structure. Its M1 Pro and M1 Max SoCs can easily handle high-resolution video editing thanks to specific media engines that boost speed dramatically. They do not throttle while under stress, and the laptop never becomes too hot or noisy. You can purchase up to 64GB of RAM and 8TB of storage; just keep in mind that you can't increase the components later on, so acquire enough to meet your demands up front.
It has a Mini LED screen that is extremely bright, has deep blacks, and supports the complete sRGB and DCI P3 color schemes. The factory calibration is excellent, resulting in correct colors right out of the box. It has three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 connections, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone socket with enough power to run high-impedance headphones. The battery life may vary depending on what you do; you can get all-day battery life if you only do simple chores, but for intensive work like video editing, you'll likely only get a little more than two hours, so pack the charger.
If mobility is more important than screen size, the smaller Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is essentially the same laptop as the larger one, only with a smaller chassis. The battery life is slightly reduced, but not dramatically, and while the speakers aren't as good as those on the bigger sister, they're still great and among the finest in the laptop industry. Instead, acquire the MSI WS76 (2021) for Windows. It's a 17.3-inch mobile workstation featuring Intel 11th Gen CPUs and discrete NVIDIA GPUs.
It works admirably and can handle hard tasks; nevertheless, it isn't as portable as it might be because it's bigger and heavier, and its battery lasts fewer than eight hours of light use. Also, the display's factory calibration in the DCI P3 color space isn't as excellent, so you'll need to calibrate it before doing any color work.
Best Mid-Range Laptop For Video Editing
● ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)
If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a high-end laptop, such as the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021), consider the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022). Yes, gaming laptops are ideal for video editing since the hardware requirements are so comparable. This is especially true for the G14, which features a crisp 16:10 QHD display with complete DCI P3 coverage. Its original calibration is OK, but you should fine-tune it before doing any color work. It has an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU and a choice of an AMD Radeon RX 6700S or 6800S GPU, all of which are capable of handling video editing.
There are a few drawbacks to be aware of. First, this laptop gets hot and loud; you may modify the fan settings if this concerns you, but at the expense of considerable performance loss. Second, while performing strenuous tasks like video editing and gaming, the battery lasts little over an hour, requiring you to keep the charger nearby. Third, the USB-C ports utilize USB 3.2 Gen 2 standards, which are significantly slower than USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 standards. ASUS promised an update that will include USB4 functionality, but no information has been received. Overall, while it may not feel as nice as the Apple laptop we recommend above, it is still a fantastic laptop for video editing and can also double as your gaming PC.
Best Budget Laptop For Video
● Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 (2021)
The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 is the finest cheap laptop for video editing (2021). This gaming laptop may be configured with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H or Ryzen 7 5800H CPU and a variety of GPU options, ranging from an entry-level NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 to a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. It's a little thicker, so it's not the most portable, but it seems well-made, and its modest style won't draw attention in a professional work atmosphere. There are many connections for peripherals and external monitors, and the keyboard is big and comfy.
The memory and storage are user-replaceable, you may start with a lower-cost configuration and then update it yourself. The biggest disadvantage is that it is only compatible with sRGB displays, thus if you operate in a broader color space, you'll need to use an external monitor. It also lacks biometrics for rapid logins and has a relatively limited battery life of roughly four hours of light use and one hour of hard effort.
Best Cheap Laptop For Video Editing
● Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021)
Consider the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 if you need something inexpensive to get the job done (2021). This 15.6-inch laptop may be configured with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H or Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, both of which offer enough processing capability to do video editing. NVIDIA dedicated GPU choices vary from the entry-level GeForce GTX 1650 to the mid-range RTX 3060. You can only buy up to 16GB of RAM, but it is user-upgradable, so you can add more later. The negative is that all of the display settings are only compatible with sRGB content. It also becomes hot and noisy when under strain, and the battery only lasts about an hour while performing strenuous activities, so you'll need to bring a power adaptor with you if you want to work on the move. Overall, it's not a very premium-feeling laptop, but it gets the job done and is reasonably priced.
How we test the best video editing laptops
We conduct a variety of tests on video editing laptops to ensure they meet our requirements, such as Geekbench, which evaluates overall CPU performance, and the HandBrake video editing test, which assesses how long it takes a laptop to convert a movie from 4K to 1080p. We utilize simulated benchmarks such as 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited and 3DMark Fire Strike to test the GPU.
When shopping for a video editing laptop, you need to consider more than just performance. We also consider the display's resolution, sRGB color gamut coverage, and average number of nits that the panel can generate. Given that material is commonly viewed on phones with OLED displays or huge colorful TVs, you need to make sure you’re able to see what your users will be seeing when you’re editing videos.