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When selecting the best laptop for video editing needs, it all boils down to what you aim to achieve and the kind of video editing projects you have in mind. This blog explores a range of laptops, each handpicked for its unique attributes. These attributes cater to the discerning video editing enthusiast. From powerhouses boasting high-performance processors and top-tier graphics cards to more budget-friendly options that offer exceptional value for budding editors. We have got every angle covered. We’ll not only provide a brief overview of each laptop’s specifications but also offer insights into their real-world performance.
List of 6 Best Laptops For Video Editing
| 1 | Dell XPS 15 (2020) – Best Video Editing Laptop (Overall) |
| 2 | MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) – Best Mac for Video editing |
| 3 | Microsoft Surface Book 3 (15-inch) – Best Windows Laptop for Video editing |
| 4 | HP ZBook x2 – Best Detachable Video Editing Laptop |
| 5 | Dell G5 15 SE (2020) – Best Budget Laptop for Video Editing |
| 6 | Acer ConceptD 7 – Best Laptop for Color Grading |
Video editing is a resource-intensive task that demands a robust machine to handle the high-resolution footage and complex software used in the process. A top-tier laptop ensures smooth, lag-free editing, saving valuable time and frustration. Furthermore, the best laptops for video editing are equipped with robust CPUs, abundant memory, and dedicated GPUs. These vital elements greatly augment the velocity and proficiency of rendering, allowing editors to operate with enhanced effectiveness.
Additionally, color accuracy and display quality are paramount in video editing. High-end laptops often feature vivid, color-accurate screens, allowing editors to make precise color corrections and adjustments. This level of precision is crucial for professional-quality work.
Portability is another key factor. Many video editors need to work on projects while on the go, so having a high-performance laptop that’s also portable ensures flexibility and productivity.
In summary, having the best laptop for video editing is crucial for professionals and enthusiasts alike, as it guarantees efficiency, precision, and flexibility in handling the demanding requirements of video editing tasks.
Best Laptops For Video Editing At A Glance
1. Dell XPS 15 (2020)
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5/Core i7/Core i9
- GPU: Intel UHD 630/Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti
- RAM: 8GB/16GB/32GB
- Storage: 1TB HDD or 256GB/512GB/1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch (1080p/4K/4K OLED)
- Size: 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.7-inches
- Weight: 4.5 pounds
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
This laptop quickly wears the crown of the best laptop for video editing. Made from aluminum and carbon fiber, the Dell XPS 15 is still lightweight, weighing only 4.5 pounds. Its 3840 x 2400 screen covers 132% of the sRGB color gamut, hitting 500 nits brightness. And the cherry on the top, with Dell’s premier color utility, you can tweak your laptop’s color gamut, brightness, and temperature. It comes in two models; the UHD+ model also offers touch, while the FHD+ model is non-touch. And good to mention here that Dell has now fixed its most significant problem and moved its webcam from the bottom bezel to the top.
With its Intel Core i7-10750H processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q GPU, the Xps 15 is a fast and sharp laptop. And for even sharper performance, you can now supplement it with an external GBU through its Thunderbolt 3 port. The battery life is good, if not excellent. On our tests, it lasted just over 8 hours, which is decent for a 4K laptop but could have been better. It also comes with an SD card slot, 64GB RAM, and up to 1 TB storage capacity. Along with that, Dell Xps 15 4K capabilities make it the best computer for video editing and an ideal choice for content creators and students alike.
2. MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i7/Core i9
- GPU: AMD Radeon 5300M/5500M
- RAM: 16GB/32GB
- Storage: 512GB/1TB/2TB SSD
- Display: 16-inch (3072 x 1920)
- Size: 14.1 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
- Weight: 4.3 pounds
- Operating System: macOS
With Apple’s incredible trackpad and Mac OS, Apple MacBook has become an industry standard for many editors and designers. It’s one of the fastest laptops out there. It has a speedy Intel Core i9 CPU, a powerful AMD Radeon Pro 5500M GPU, 64 GB RAM, an 8TB SSD, and a gorgeous, sharp display. Even if you keep the specs at a basic level, it doesn’t let you down even with more extensive edits and complex after-effects comes with a horizontal touch screen above its keyboard, which adapts to, and its sensitivity changes depending on what app you are using, so you don’t have to leave the full screen while doing edits. During video editing, the laptop’s track vibrates and alerts you when using different app elements.
MacBook Pro weighs only 4.3 pounds, and it’s 0.6 inches thick. And comes with a 6-speaker onboard sound system with force-canceling woofers, which offers incredible audio with beefier bass that’s half an octave deeper. The battery life is also incredible at 11 hours. With a professional graphics card from AMD, essential for graphic designing, and one of the fastest processors, the MacBook Pro is undoubtedly the best laptop for graphic design and filmmaking.
3. Microsoft Surface Book 3 (15-inch)
Specifications
- CPU: Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 15.4-inch, 3240 x 2160 IPS
- Storage: 256GB – 1TB SSD
- Size: 13.5 x 0.9 x 9.87 inches
- Weight: 7.79 lbs
- Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Microsoft Surface Book 3 is the best two-in-one 15″ laptop that can be used both as a laptop and a tablet. With its electromagnetic latch that works incredibly well, you can attach or detach the tablet section to the keyboard and use it how it pleases you.
What makes it incredible is that it comes with a stunningly sharp, vibrant, 15-inch 3240 x 2160 PixelSense display with a 1600:1 contrast ratio, and it supports pen input for even more convenient editing. With Intel Core i7 graphics and up to 1TB SSD storage capability, it is an ultimate editing device that can handle advanced 3D gaming and quickly render After Effects. The battery life is excellent, up to 17.5 hours. The MS Surface Book 3 is a brilliant video editing computer for those on the go, along with the portability it offers.
4. HP ZBook x2
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5/Core i7
- GPU: Intel HD 620 or Nvidia Quadro M620
- RAM: 8GB/16GB/32GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB SSD
- Display: 14-inch (4K)
- Size: 14.4 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches (0.6 tablet)
- Weight: 4.9 pounds
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
HP Zbookx2 is an excellent editing tool and the best 4k Laptop from HP. It’s a 14-inch 4K panel with an astounding color display that HP class DreamColor display screen, and rightly so because it can show 1 billion different colors. For quick edits, you can also use the stylus, and on its matte screen, it feels like you are writing on paper, which is a worthy feature for even those looking for the best laptop for photo editing besides video.
ZBook x2 is aimed at artists, engineers, designers, and other professional users. It comes with a powerful Intel Core i7 4.2GHz quad-core processor and an incredible discrete Nvidia Quadro M620 GPU with 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 and 32 GB RAM. The Zbook x2 has HP’s 3840×2160 DreamColor display. The screen covers 178 percent of the sRGB color gamut, beating the average workstation average of 150 percent and the segment average display of 308 nits with its incredible 313 nits.
Of course, it is a touch screen supporting Wacom’s EMR pen technology and 10-finger multitouch. However, the touch screen laptop comes with a battery life of 4 hours and 7 mins. Still, it is the best workstation laptop for video and photo editing. And with all that it offers, it can easily be considered the best laptop for artists.
5. Dell G5 15 SE (2020)
Specifications
- CPU: AMD Ryzen R7 4800H
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5600M
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch (1080p, 144Hz)
- Size:14.4 x 10 x 0.9 inches
- Weight: 5.5 pounds
- Operating System: Windows 10
Dell G5 15 SE is another Dell 15-inch laptop and well-specced computer for video editing. Packed with an AMD R7 4800H CPU and AMD Radeon RX 5600M, the Dell G5 SE is ideal for beginners who are into editing videos. It comes with a 15.6-inch display covering 108% of the sRGB gamut and emits 301 nits of brightness, which blows the competitors out of the realm and performs better than an even more expansive razor blade 15.
Furthermore, when it comes to transcoding 4K video to 1080p, it surpasses the Zephyrus (6:59) and Blade 15 (10:47) relatively quickly, which is quite an achievement for a laptop at such a low price. Battery life is over 7 hours. Indeed, it is the best laptop for video editing under $1000 that you can buy.
6. Acer ConceptD 7
Specifications
- CPU: Hexa-core Intel Core i7
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
- RAM: 32GB
- Screen:15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 (UHD) IPS
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Size: 14.11 x 10.04 x 0.7 inches
- Weight: 4.63 pounds
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
ConceptD7 comes with the latest Intel Hexa-core i7, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 GPU, and up to 32GB RAM. ConceptD7 is fine-tuned explicitly for creative pros with demanding 2D and 3D tasks such as image and video editing, graphic design, and online content creation.
The highlight of the ConceptD 7’s 400-nit, 4K display. Its UHD 4K covers 100 % of the Adobe RGB gamut with a color accuracy of delta F<2, making it ideal for color grading. The performance is outstanding whether you are working with HD or UHD 4K.
Another exciting thing about this laptop is its cooling fan design, which Acer says is inspired by silent owl wings. The three fans are quiet, making the laptop’s audio more straightforward and distortion-free. Battery life is almost 7 hours.
Other Notable Mentions
MSI Creator 17
Specifications
- CPU: 10th-generation Intel Core i9 Processor
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER with Max-Q
- RAM: 64GB
- Screen: 17.3″ UHD (3840×2160), MiniLED, HDR 1000, 60Hz, IPS-Level
- Storage: 512GB – 2TB NVMe SSD
- Size: 10.21 x 15.59 x 0.8 inches
- Weight: 10.38 pounds
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
The best laptops for video editors offer accurate and true-to-life colors, making the MSI Creator 17 an ideal choice. This is because it is the first laptop to feature a mini LED display, offering incredibly vivid and bright image quality that will make anyone’s videos look their best.
Packed with the new 10th generation Intel Core processors and Nvidia’s RTX graphics card – the incredibly powerful and best graphics card for video editing, the Creator 17 is targeted toward creative professionals, as the name indicates. That means whether you are video editing, graphic designing, or editing your high-res images, The MSIcreator 17 handles it with ease.
Tuned for Nvidia Studio, this laptop comes with the right mix of specs for the best possible editing experience. The MSI Creator 17 is the first laptop with a mini LED display of 100 nits of brightness, giving its users incredible visuals and colors. It comes with 16 GB memory and 2TB storage capability. Its battery life is around 7 hours. Overall, it’s a slim aluminum-designed laptop that’s light and capable and ideal for video editing and content creators on the go.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5/Core i7
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti
- RAM: 8GB/16GB/32GB/64GB
- Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch (1080p/4K)
- Size: 14.2 x 9.7 x 0.7 inches
- Weight: 4 pounds
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme has an 8th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB GPU, and 64GB of RAM, making it an excellent choice for video editing. It is Lenovo’s first 15-inch laptop with a discrete graphics card. It is ideal for content creators on the go as the computer meets 12 MIL-STD-810G standards and can withstand any weather conditions. The laptop also supports Intel vPro, dTPM encryption, a fingerprint reader, and an optional Smart Card reader. It also has an optional IR camera so you can sign in to your laptop with Windows Hello facial recognition. All this makes it an ideal and almost perfect laptop for business professionals and content creators.
With the ThinkPad X1 Extreme, Lenovo has undoubtedly told Dell and Apple that it will not let the XPS 15 and MacBook Pro own the 15-inch laptop segment. In this segment, it is undoubtedly the best Lenovo laptop, and The only department where the laptop lags behind its rivals is its battery life, which is only 6 hours with 4K video. Besides, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme’s display is bright, Reaching 384 nits, well above the category average of 367 nits. And when it comes to saturation, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 extreme’s display covers 163% of sRGB, leaving behind even the more expensive 16-inch Macbook Pro and the 15-inch HP Spectre x360. If not the fastest laptop overall, it is certainly one of the fastest laptops out there. And indeed, the best laptop for video editing is from Lenovo.
Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition
Specifications
- CPU: 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q – NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Studio Edition
- RAM: 32GB
- Storage: 512GB/1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ OLED 4K Touch 60Hz, factory calibrated
- Size: 13.98 x 9.25 x 0.7 inches
- Weight: 4.83 pounds (2.19kg)
- Operating System: Windows 10
Where regular razor blade 15, one of the best gaming laptops, was specifically designed for gamers. This laptop is no doubt specifically engineered for videographers, video editors, and graphic designers. It rocks a formidable, powerful RTX Quadro professional GPU and a gorgeous 4K display.
At 4.83 pounds and dimensions of 13.98 x 9.25 x 0.70 inches (355 x 235 x 17.8mm), it is slightly heavier than its rival Apple Pro 15, but when it comes to connectivity, it beats its rival outright with a 3 full-size USB 3.2 ports, a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port, HDMI port, along with a headphone jack and proprietary power connector, and a Mini DisplayPort.
According to Razer, the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition offers“Retina shattering accuracy,” a 4K screen at 3,840 x 2,160, better than its rival 15-inch MacBook Pro’s 2,880 x 1,800 retina display. Besides, the OLED screen offers exceptional color vibrancy and stunning contrast ratios. Also, it’s a touchscreen with a 100% DCI color gamut.
The best workstation laptop can run a 1080p looped video at 50% brightness for about 5 hours and 28 minutes, which is suitable for a powerful computer like this. Though it’s less than Apple MacBook Pro, but still ideal for such a powerful laptop. The thermal handling of the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition is very impressive; it keeps the powerful components cool while being loud and blasting hot air. All these features make it the best laptop for video editing and a worthy choice for creative professionals despite its high price.
Asus ZenBook Pro 15
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i7/Core i9
- GPU: Intel UHD 630or Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch (4K)
- Size: 14.4 x 9.9 x 0.7 inches
- Weight: 4.2 pounds
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Asus ZenBook Pro 15 is a 4K laptop with 16GB DDR4 RAM, an Intel Core i9 processor, and an Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti GPU, all in a lightweight and beautiful chassis. One of the laptop’s most exciting features is its second display screen, its display pad built into its touchpad. This feature enhances your multitasking when editing videos or playing games and comes with several built-in apps, including Numpad, a calculator, and a music player.
Other than its sexy design, the laptop comes with a 4K display that recreates a whopping 141 percent of the sRGB color gamut, which is well above the 111-percent premium laptop average. At the same time, it manages an above-average 74% on Adobe RGB, and its display averages 330. Its battery life is 4 hours and 23 minutes.
With all its advanced specs and beautiful ergonomics, this user-friendly laptop is indeed the best for video editing that you can buy at a price just above 1000$.
Important features to look for when buying the Best Laptop for Video editing
The graphics card, RAM, and processor are essential considerations when buying the best laptop for video editing. But it’s not the only criteria, as usually thought to be. A few other factors also need to be considered when looking for the best laptop for video editing. Let us explain them in a sequence along with our recommendations for you.
Processor (CPU)
Video is more processor intensive than the graphics card, and your processor must back your graphics card well. When working with 1080p, an i5 processor would do the job for you, but since we are not farther away from when 4K will be the norm, we recommend that when buying your best laptop for video editing, you should go for an i7processor and above and take a futuristic approach. It would also be ideal to look for the recommended processor for your specific programs. Still, Premiere Pro, Avid, and FCPX generally have the recommended specs required.
Graphics card (GPU)
A graphic card transitions your footage from data into pixels: the faster the GPU, the faster the transition, and the quicker the editing process. Many companies produce graphic cards, but the two companies that stand out and you should probably opt for are NVIDIA and AMD Graphics.
RAM (Memory)
When you start working with graphics and editing videos, RAM is where your computer places all the temporary files. The larger the RAM, the more space for these temporary files and the smoother and faster your computer works. Again, for 1080p edits, only 8 GB RAM would be sufficient, but if you want real-time playback without dropped frames, an increased RAM of a minimum of 16GB is the way to go.
Hard Drive (Storage)
Your hard drive is where your programs are stored on your computer. And the faster your hard drive, the quicker it will open your editing software and export your footage. We recommend SSD hard drives because they are faster and less prone to failure than fusion drives and HDDs. And the size of the hard drive also matters. You can generally opt for external drives later on whenever you need them. Still, since editing videos, especially 4K editing, requires lots of space, we recommend you go at least 500 GB or higher to save yourself from the hassle of carrying external hard drives. It is also recommended to check the laptop’s SD card slot since you’ll be dumping videos and audio from cards.
Battery life
Since video editing software can drain the battery fairly quickly, it is essential to consider battery life and check power adopters before choosing the unit. Moreover, If you are a content creator and filmmaker, there is a great chance you’ll be carrying your laptop with you; in that case, you’ll need longer battery life to keep up with your work. Also, the battery life depends on your display screen. Generally, larger screens and 4k displays drain the battery quickly. So you’ll have to look for the trade-off.
Audio: All sorts of video editing include some kind of audio handling, and you will undoubtedly need your laptop to have good audio support for neat and clean audio. So, it is always better to check the audio quality of the laptop before buying it.
Note – There are many options now to customize your laptop in any way to ensure that it handles all your video editing needs. You can increase RAM, replace a better graphic card, and upgrade your processor. But there are certain things that you must stick to and are usually ignored by many when looking for a laptop, but they can limit you in the long run. So let’s talk about them.
Monitor Screen Size and Resolution
Screen size is something people don’t give much importance to when buying the best laptop for video editing, but it is undoubtedly one critical component to consider. Because it’s something you can’t change like other parts.
Larger screen laptops generally come with powerful CPUs and Video cards, offer better resolution than the smaller screens, and are more expensive. But choosing screen size solely depends on your preferences and way of use. Some would find smaller ones zoomed in beyond workable and prefer larger 17″ screens that are easy to work with. Some would want to go for smaller 12″ screens because of their more portability. It all cuts down to what you prefer. But we believe that 15-inch laptops are the ideal balance between power, portability, and a comfortable screen.
The screen resolution is of utmost importance because brighter screens with better colors allow you to see more details and highly affect your work. Some laptops come with extra features like anti-glare screens. These screens are layered with unique materials that act as a reflecting accessory against the sun’s rays. These screens provide an additional benefit to Vloggers and people on the move.
Operating System
Since Apple stepped into the market, there has been a long and indecisive battle between Mac and Windows laptops on which one is good for video editing. So, we won’t get into that debate. We’d only discuss the important things to consider before associating yourself with one system.
The essential thing to consider is that if you choose Mac, you’ll have to stick to the Apple ecosystem, including Apple software and hardware, as it is more of a closed ecosystem. However, the Mac is famous among artists for its art-focused applications; for instance, the Final Cut Pro suite-the most efficient 4k Video Editing tool comes from the Mac.
But still, if you choose Windows, you get an option of more compatibility both in terms of software, as the Windows software pool is gigantic, and hardware, as Microsoft licenses Windows OS to many other manufacturers like Dell that manufactures their hardware. You get a multitude of excellent editing software, like Adobe Premiere Pro, for instance.
So, it all comes down to your preferences. You can’t go wrong with either of the two.
Final Words
We have explained all the essential considerations for choosing the best video editing laptop. And we are pretty sure that after reading them, you can easily select the best one from the laptops we have reviewed for you. These are all the best in their respective category, and if you know what level of video editing you are interested in, you can easily choose the right one for you now. Best of luck.
