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Looking for one of the best laptops for video editing? Whether you are a professional editor or someone who dabbles in video editing for personal or commercial reasons, you need a good product that has a great display and sufficient power to perform heavy tasks. Though this may sound simple, it’s actually harder than shopping for gaming or entertainment laptops. The reason for this is because video editing is actually one of the most taxing tasks that can be performed on a desktop computer. So, finding a laptop for the same purpose is no easy task.
Editing small home videos or small clips may not be that difficult, nor would it require a powerful laptop, but working on short films or professional videos is a completely different feat. You need a laptop that can not only pack a serious punch performance-wise but also have a great display with great colors and clear visuals. A lot of laptops feature screens that often create a specific tint on the display. You should never go for such a laptop if you want to do editing work. You want the laptop to have accurate colors and a high definition display with a great resolution.
Apart from the display and performance you also, of course, want a laptop that looks and feels good too. Your laptop is essentially your workplace and you definitely want a workplace that will feel inviting instead of a machine that you constantly get frustrated about. If the laptop looks and feels good, chances are you will feel like working more, as it won’t feel like a chore.
When buying a laptop you will use to edit the videos, there are several important things you will have to consider. Keep in mind that the best video editing software, won’t run smoothly if your computer is slow. You will need a great processor and graphics card. When it comes to RAM memory, 8 GB is a minimum, but if you decide to get a laptop with 16 GB RAM, for instance, the better. You always need to have enough storage space, so a 1 TB hard drive sounds like a good idea. That way, you won’t have to worry about how and where to store the material. The size of the screen and its quality is also important. Let’s see the best laptops for video editing.
See also: Best laptop trackpad
- Final cut pro X is the video editing software designed by Apple and it works exclusively on MAC products. Thus, best laptop for Final cut pro x will be the best MacBook! While minimum system requirements of Final Cut Pro X does not sound too advanced, for the optimal output you should really be careful what MacBook you will use.
- The best MacBook for video editing: Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch The best gaming laptop for video editing: Razer Blade 2020 The best video-editing laptop under $1,000: Dell G3 15 Gaming Laptop (2020).
Even beyond that kind of use, you can happily use the Air for editing short videos, or for working with photos from your iPhone or point-and-shoot camera. The MacBook Air offers 18 hours of battery. Apple MacBook Air – Best MacBook for Video Editing Starting our list with the most vivid laptop for video editing available on the market right now, which is none other than the Apple MacBook Air. The sleek and slim design of the MacBook makes it look good in your hand, plus it reduces the effort of holding a heavy-weight laptop. Oct 03, 2020 The best video-editing Macbook: Apple MacBook Pro 16 Why you should buy this: You’ve bought into the Apple ecosystem, you love MacBooks, and you want one of the best video editing laptops money.
Buying Guide
Video editing is one of the most strenuous tasks on a laptop because obviously you can’t develop and render video games or use it as a server. Therefore, editing videos will demand the highest processing power, RAM and a graphics card that would do justice to your professional requirements.
- Internal components are important – The hardware specifications of the laptop you are about to buy is extremely important. AMD processors are amazing at multi-core performance when you have lots of different plugins and edited videos to be run at varied resolutions while Intel is best for single-core tasks.
- Mac or Windows? This is a crucial question to ask because Macintosh by Apple has some exclusive video editing tools like the Final Cut Pro. If you are a fan of Avid or have used Windows video editing software programs, it will not be advisable to go for a Mac. If you aren’t, you should definitely stick to your familiar ecosystem.
- Display resolution and color accuracy – The display resolution if it is in 4K is great but it will stress your graphics card while video editing is in progress. However, the advantage is that you can edit videos of the highest resolution and export it. Color accuracy on the display helps retain the originality of your videos.
- Heat management – Rendering videos after they are edited will always be taxing on the PC hardware. Laptops because of their compact design tend to heat up a lot and the design you choose should be able to withstand hours of video rendering. It is an essential requirement for professionals who work long hours on video content.
- Weight – The weight of the laptop should be manageable. If you are a photographer or a videographer who has to work in the field, a heavy device is not easy to move around with. Go for a well-balanced device that is durable yet lightweight.
Best laptops for video editing
Getting a top-quality laptop for video editing and rendering isn’t as simple as you may think because there are many great laptops available in the market, but we are going to share some of the best ones.
A Great Laptop for Video Editing
Dell XPS 15
If you are looking for a 15-inch laptop for performing intense video editing tasks, then the Dell XPS 15 might be the product for you. It features an Intel Core i5-7300HQ / i7-7700HQ processor, a 4 GB NVidia GeForce GTX 1050, 8 GB / 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD / 1 TB HDD storage and an awesome 15 inch display.
Design-wise, the Dell XPS 15 looks very similar to its predecessor; the XPS 13 as the only key change is the refinement done on the keyboard. This laptop features very comfy keys and there’s plenty of space on the keyboard, making typing easy and convenient. The touchpad has a nice click to it. This may turn some off, but there are many who love their keyboards to be clickety-clack.
One thing that stands out on the XPS 15 is the gorgeous display which features a pixel density of 282 PPI which is actually higher than the MacBook Pro which has 220 PPI. One thing though is the placement of the webcam which is on the left side due to the design of the display. This shouldn’t be a big problem as it’s more of an aesthetic issue than a functionality one.
This laptop isn’t meant for high-end gaming but its more than enough for doing intensive editing work. The 4k display, 4 GB RAM and the Intel Core i5 processor will do a great job of providing sufficient power to allow you to edit videos with ease. Another good thing about this laptop is the improved battery life. For this model, Dell used a Kaby Lake processor and a 97Whr battery which is far more efficient than the previous 84Whr one.
All in all, this Dell XPS 15 is a great choice if your primary need is video editing. It’s not by any means the most powerful machine available in the market, but you get great value for the price you have to pay.
Why should you buy this?
- This laptop is beneficial for students who are keen on high-performance.
- Regarded as one of the best models for video editors
- The CPU performance can take a maximum load
- The best bet for all gaming lovers
- Wi-Fi card offers faster connections.
One of the Most Powerful Laptops for Video Editing
HP ZBook Studio G4
If you like editing videos with a lot of power under the hood of your laptop, then there’s no doubt this laptop is the best, perfect choice for you. It comes with an Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6 processor, NVidia Quadro M2200/HD Graphics P630, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD and a 15-inch display. It looks absolutely stunning with its sleek design, stylized HP logo and aluminum body. It weighs about 5.73 pounds, making it relatively easy to carry around. The weight is by no means negligible, but it’s great for the sheer amount of power this machine can give out.
One great aspect of this laptop’s design is the number of ports it has. The left side has an Ethernet jack, 2 USB 3 ports and an SD card reader, while the right side comes with 2 Thunderbolt 3 connectors, a USB 3 port, an HDMI port and a headphone jack. So, if you like hooking up external devices when editing videos, this laptop will surely please you.
The display offers brilliant, vivid colors and sharp visuals perfect for video editing. When you watch a 4k movie on this laptop, you will spot colors that you never noticed before. All this is because of HP’s award-winning DreamColor technology that allows the display to produce nearly 175 percent of the RGB spectrum which is pretty insane.
3d printer and software. The performance is where this laptop truly shines. If you go for the upgraded version with 32 GB RAM, this laptop will glide through intense editing work like a hot blade on butter. When it comes to sheer power, it absolutely crushes most of the popular notebooks at the same price point. However, with all this power, you will lose out on battery life. The average battery life of notebooks in this range is usually 7 hours, but this laptop goes for only 4 hours and a few minutes. It’s a small price to pay however for the immense power it packs.
Why should you buy this?
- Different video editor software can be supported
- The amazing 15-inch display offers amazing display quality
- Strong aluminum body for students with a carefree attitude
- Classy design makes it trendy
- The overall performance of the laptop is outstanding
A Mobile Workstation for Video Editing
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
The Lenovo ThinkPad P70 features a 2.8 GHz Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 processor, a 2 GB NVidia Quadro M5000M, 16 GB DD4 RAM, 1.024TB (2x512GB) SSD storage and a 17.3 inch display. This laptop was the first in the market to come with the Intel’s Skylake processor, which is in many ways far better in performance, than the standard Broadwell and Haswell chips. One part where this product is unique from its competitors is the extraordinary amount of storage space you get, as well as a wide array of ports for connecting external devices.
Design-wise this laptop surely isn’t one of the sleeker thin ones on the market but if your job is to edit videos then performance and a great display are far more important. The Lenovo ThinkPad P70 offers you everything you need to have a great video editing experience, as it offers a great 4k display, amazing performance and plenty of ports to attach any external add-on devices. You get 4 USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI DisplayPort 1.2, an Ethernet jack, microphone and headphone combo jack.
What’s great about the display of the P70 is the X-Rite calibration tool that sits on the keyboard deck. It can be used to calibrate the colors appearing on your screen, so you can get them to accurate levels based on your work needs. This, coupled with the great power you get from the Xeon processor, makes for one great machine that can perform intense tasks with ease. Another great aspect of this product is that you can configure the storage space to get about 3 TB total storage, which is great if you work with large video files.
Why should you buy this?
- Amazing storage space helps students to save large files.
- High-performance makes video editing tasks easier.
- A wide array of ports helps in connecting external devices easily.
- Fast performance CPU and amazing Graphics Card
- Great picture quality can be achieved by a 17.3-inch display
Best Affordable Apple Laptop for Video Editing
MacBook Air
Usually, when people hear about Apple products, there is a common belief that the particular product in question is expensive. While it is true in many cases, the MacBook Air is the exception and is one of the most affordable laptops in the market today for editing purposes. The MacBook Air comes with an Intel Core i5, Intel HD Graphics 6000, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB / 256 GB SSD storage and a 13-inch display. While it is far more powerful than the previous Air models, it is, however, important to note that this product is more for amateur editors and those who usually have to work on relatively smaller files.
The MacBook Air has enough power to help you with your editing works. However, it isn’t made for exceptionally intense tasks. Moreover, the speakers are pretty mediocre compared to other products in the same price range. The trackpad offers a nice and fluid feel, making navigation a great experience. What makes this laptop unique is the number of ports which is more than what you usually see on MacBooks. The bundled software also allows you to get some assistance when it comes to editing videos.
All in all, when you look at the amount of performance you get, the great display, the bundled software and a great battery life of nearly 13 hours for just $1000, the MacBook Air is a great laptop to have.
Why should you buy this?
- One of the most trusted brands
- Students would love the looks of this laptop
- Best laptop for amateur video editors
- 13 hours of battery life is one of the key features
- The spectacular design makes it one of the best choices
Best Affordable Windows Laptop for Video Editing
Lenovo Yoga 720
The Lenovo Yoga 720 is perhaps the most affordable and best value Windows laptop in the market today, with an Intel Core i5 / i7 processor, NVidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics, 8 GB / 16 GB RAM, 256 GB / 512 GB SSD and a 15.6-inch display screen. It really combines features and price at a great sweet spot, to give us a product that offers great value for the amount we have to pay. Moreover, you also get the added functionality of a 2 in 1 laptop.
This laptop looks absolutely gorgeous and it feels like your favorite pillow; comfortable and addictive. Once you use it, you really don’t feel like going away from it. It has a very durable body, but it doesn’t look bulky at all. You can rotate the screen to the angle you wish and enjoy your favorite content no matter where you are. The base model comes with only a 1080p screen, but you do have the option for a 4k display if you need it.
When it comes to performance, the Lenovo Yoga 720 crushes everything in its path. When you compare it to its competitors, it demolishes them even with half the RAM. It may not beat the most intense performance tests, but it easily offers as good or greater performance than products that come at a higher price. For the price point it comes at, it is an absolute beast.
As far as the battery life is concerned, the Lenovo Yoga 720 does a decent job of providing up to 7 hours with medium usage. What makes this laptop such a great value is that it offers a good bit of everything to give us a well-balanced, powerful and affordable product perfect for editing needs.
Best Macbook For Video Editing And Music Production
Why should you buy this?
Best Macbook For Video Editing 2017
- One of the suitable laptops for students from a cost perspective
- The keyboard of this laptop is user-friendly.
- Full-HD quality touch display makes it a perfect choice.
- Can be used as both laptop and tablet
- No need to carry a charger everywhere as the battery life is brilliant
Other laptops worth buying
Best Laptop For Gaming and Video editing
ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71 15.6-Inch
In the world of top quality laptops, Asus is one of the leaders. This model, ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71 15.6-Inch has the Intel Core i7 processor (2.6 GHz), 16 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD storage and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 M Discrete graphics, which makes it one of the best laptops for video editing and gaming. It runs with the Windows 8.1 Operating System.
Why should you buy this?
- 1 TB storage space makes it easy to store large files
- Considered to be one of the best gaming laptops for students
- Comes with high-quality video card suitable for gaming
- One of the most affordable laptops for students
- High-end Intel Core i7-4720HQ processor is used to make the processing faster
Best Laptop From ASUS For Gaming
ASUS ROG G751JL FHD 17.3 Inch Laptop
If Asus is among your favorite brands, but you are looking for a screen that is bigger than 15.6-inch the model above has, then you should consider ASUS ROG G751JL FHD 17.3 Inch Laptop. This one comes with the Intel Core i7 processor (2.6 GHz), 1 TB HDD, NVIDIA GTX965M, and 16 GB RAM. It runs Windows 8 operating system. It is available on Amazon with a free upgrade to Windows 10.
Why should you buy this?
- A large screen makes it comfortable to play games.
- Supports almost all the video editing software
- Is designed to meet the expectations of new-gen
- Music lovers will love this laptop for amazing audio quality.
- Stronger body with aluminum chassis
Best Laptop From Lenovo With Excellent Features
Lenovo Y50 UHD Touchscreen Laptop
Another excellent laptop that is on the list of the best laptops for video editing is Lenovo Y50 UHD Touchscreen Laptop. It comes with the Intel Core i7 processor (2.6 GHz), NVIDIA GeForce 860M graphics, 256 GB solid-state drive, 16 GB RAM, and a 15.6-inch screen. Editing videos on this laptop will be a completely new experience, and if you like to play games this might be the machine for you as it is among the best. It runs Windows 8.1.
Why should you buy this?
- User-friendly features of this laptop make it ideal for this generation
- Intel Core i7 processor for a tremendous performance
- Best laptop for playing games
- Offers an amazing experience for gamers
- The 15.6-inch screen makes it superb for editing videos
Great Laptop With Long Battery Life
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display (newest version)
It is hard to imagine any list of the best laptops or phones without Apple’s products. Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display is a great choice for video editors. This laptop has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, 13.3-inch Retina display, and 512 GB of storage, with up to 10 hours of battery life. It runs OS X Yosemite.
Why should you buy this?
- An amazing blend of advanced technology and user-friendliness
- It has a solid aluminum unibody construction
- Has the best combination of hardware and software
- SSD modules offer brilliant performance
- One of the best laptops for video editing
A Powerful Laptop With Excellent Video Cutting Features
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro Black Edition
When it comes to powerful laptops for video editing, Acer Aspire V17 Nitro Black Edition deserves to be on the list of the best ones. This model comes with the Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860 M, 17.3-inch screen and 4-hour battery life. Windows 8.1 is the operating system.
Why should you buy this?
- Almost all the video editing software is supported
- The 17.3-inch screen offers an amazing crisp display
- Comes with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860 M video card
- 1 TB HDD allows students to save large files
- 16GB RAM makes it pretty good in terms of speed
See it on Amazon
Best Laptop With Excellent Performance
Toshiba Satellite S55-C5262
Toshiba Satellite 15.6-inch laptop is an excellent choice for those who are looking for laptops for video editing. It comes with Intel Core i7-5500U 2.4 GHz Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Graphics, 1 TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive, and 12 GB RAM. Its price starts from $1,339.
Why should you buy this?
- Video editing becomes easy with a larger screen
- Intel Core i7-5500U, 2.4 GHz Processor, offers brilliant speed
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M video card gives great gaming experience
- It is easy to carry as it is very slim
- The competitive price makes it popular amongst the students
Best Cheap Laptop For Video Cutting From Dell
Dell Inspiron 15 i-5558-5718SLV
If you have a limited budget, this laptop is a great option because it comes with all the essentials for video editing. It has a 5th generation Intel Core i5-5200U 2.20 GHz with turbo boost technology, Intel HD Graphics 5500, 1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive, 8GB RAM, 10-finger multi-touch support, backlit keyboard, and HD LED-backlit touchscreen.
Why should you buy this?
- One of the most trusted brands of laptop
- Known for offering a high-quality gaming experience
- Latest features to provide high-quality video editing experience
- Brilliant audio quality provides a great experience for music lovers
- Widescreen makes it easy for working
One Of The Best Laptop With High-End specifications
Lenovo Z51-70 – 80K6002PU 15.6-inch Laptop
Another best option to look for that is powered with Intel Core i7-5500U processor, 16GB DDR3 RAM, 1 TB HDD storage to offer you the smooth experience. The screen is big 17.3 inches with 1920×1080 resolutions inches and runs on windows 8.1. Video editing is a great experience in this model and you can do that with the extreme comfort level.
Macbook doesn t recognize android phone. Why should you buy this?
- Lenovo is one of the well-known brands.
- Light-weight feature of the laptop makes it easy to carry
- Students can consider this laptop as it is of low-maintenance.
- Long battery hours make it convenient to use
- Available at a competitive price
You may also read: Best computer for AutoCAD
FAQs
What is the maximum display size required for video editors?
A video editor can make use of any display size. The contents look bigger and better on larger displays. However, you shouldn’t go beyond a 15-inch display because laptops are supposed to be portable and buying a huge gadget doesn’t support portability.
Should I buy an external hard disk for storage?
The video files shot in 4K resolution or many hours of HD videos will definitely require terabytes of space. Most laptops are bundled with 2TB of hard disk and buying an external hard drive is the best way to handle your growing storage needs.
How do I choose the best hardware configuration balance for video editing?
The flagship Intel and AMD processors are capable of handling complex video editing tasks. At the same time, you should pair them up with a good graphics card and 16GB or 32GB of RAM so that the plugins can run simultaneously while you are editing the video.
What brand makes the best video editing laptops?
The brand list may be quite endless but the most popular choices are Dell, HP, Asus and Lenovo. A lot of newcomers have entered the market and it is up to you to pick the model based on your budget, hardware configuration and display size. You should also check the regional warranty before choosing the best-branded laptop.
Should I buy an Apple laptop or a Windows laptop?
Most video editors continue to argue over this point even though there is no straight answer to this question. If you have already been using a Mac for years and like Final Cut Pro or other Mac software for your video editing, you simply won’t be satisfied with Windows operating system. For everyone else, Windows offers the most choices of software programs and ease of use.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to video editing, it comes down to having the right tools. With bad tools, you can spend hours or even days working on a single file, only to get frustrated and tired at the end product and experience. You may think that something as intensive as video editing may require an incredibly expensive high-end system, but in today’s market, you can get yourself some awesome deals. The level of competition is so great in this space that every company has to innovate and offer more affordable products to dominate it. With a little bit of research and browsing a few reviews here and there, you can get a good idea of what will work for you.
These are some of the best laptops for video editing and all of them have powerful processors, enough RAM, and storage space. All these features are providing outstanding performance, and it will allow you to edit the videos smoothly.
Apple decided to develop and use its own processors on Macs and released the first 13” MacBook Pro with the new ARM-based Apple M1 chip. But, does it really perform as well as the Intel-powered MacBook Pro?
The market is dominated by powerful Intel and AMD processors, and Apple has been working with Intel for a long time. However, the disruptions and delays on Intel’s side forced Apple to make and use its own processors on the Mac line. Apple has been making chips for a long time and using them in iPhones and iPads already. The company introduced the new 5-nanometer M1 chip, with more CPU and GPU cores, which is more efficient and powerful on paper. The first 13” MacBook Pro with M1 chip is already available, but does it really perform better than its Intel predecessor?
In this video, Max Yuryev tests the performance of the new M1 chip on a 2020 13” MacBook Pro with 8GB unified memory installed. He performs some basic benchmark tests based on 4K video processing and decoding and also runs demanding tests to see how well it performs in terms of thermals and power use. The test also shows how it performs with the most commonly used video editing software that are optimized for Intel processors.