Working with raw HD or 4K video or creating special effects will necessitate the use of one of the best video editing laptops. While a low-cost laptop can trim small clips, it lacks a fast processor, powerful discrete graphics, and a high-resolution display.
To be the best video editing laptop, it must have a discrete graphics card. The least expensive option on our list, featuring Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. A more powerful card, such as a high-end Quadro or GTX 1070, as well as features like a high-end display, may be more expensive.
If you’re wondering if one of the best gaming laptops can edit video, it probably can, but a dedicated media creation system is more likely to get perfect renders every time. The best video editing laptops are often among the best workstations, so if you need a great laptop for handling more graphics-intensive apps beyond video editing, you may want to go with the stronger alternative. If you or your kid have a wild imagination and need a fun and safe outlet for that, check out our DND tips page to get started on the world’s best adventure game.
The best video editing laptops you can buy today
1. Dell XPS 15 OLED (2021)
The best video editing laptop you can buy
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Display: 15.6-inch, 3456 x 2160 (3.5K) OLED
Size: 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 4.3 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
Breathtaking 3.5K OLED display+
Supercharged performance+
Slim, premium chassis+
Massive touchpad and spacious keyboard
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Below-average battery life
The XPS 15 OLED is a better version of the laptop we’ve consistently praised over the past several years. It fixes past problems (remember the nosecam?) while refining every inch of the package. The highlight of this particular configuration is the stunning 3.5K OLED display with its jaw-dropping colors, contrast and brightness. It’s a panel befitting of the XPS 15’s stylish and portable design that blends a machined aluminum exterior with a woven pattern on the inside. On the deck are a gargantuan touchpad, spacious keyboard and powerful speakers.
But just as we saw with the XPS 13 OLED, opting for the high-end panel means trading in hours of battery life. It’d be tough to say goodbye to this display, but we’d ultimately go with the FHD+ screen for the extra endurance and lower price. And upgrading to this new model would mean losing a USB-A port and relying on the included adapter, a compromise many are justifiably unwilling to make. Shortcomings aside, the XPS 15 OLED is one of the best video editing laptops around and worth its steep price.
2. Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
Our favorite Apple laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel
CPU: Apple M2 (8-core)
Weight: 3 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
Stellar overall and gaming performance+
Excellent battery life+
Lightning-fast SSD+
Great webcam
REASONS TO AVOID
-Stagnant design
Apple has a tough act to follow with the new MacBook Pro 13 ($1,899 reviewed, $1,299 starting). Its predecessor took the world by storm back in 2020 with its show-stopping M1 chip. And the climb seems even steeper this time. There’s no snazzy design update, no extra ports to get excited about. That means everything riding on the new M2 SOC, and as per usual, Apple rises and surpasses the challenge.
The next chapter in Apple computing continues and the company’s bet on custom silicon continues to hit the jackpot. M2 is 18% more powerful than its ancestor with an 8-core CPU. M2 is also bringing a new 10-core GPU that’s 35% faster than the previous model. And if that isn’t enough to get you excited, Apple has found a way to improve on the laptop’s power efficiency, delivering over 18 hours of battery life. Read on to learn more about Apple’s latest home run.
3. Alienware X17
The best gaming laptop for video editing
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 17.3-inch, 1080p
CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 to Intel Core i9-9900K
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 to RTX 2080
RAM: 8GB to 64GB
Storage: 1TB SSHD to two 2TB SSD and 1TB SSHD
Battery Life: 2
Weight: 8.5 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+Gorgeous, slim design+
Great overall and gaming performance+
Extra comfortable keyboard+
Solid battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
-Exorbitantly expensive
Alienware continues to raise the bar of what a gaming laptop can and should be. The latest addition to the family is the X17, a beautiful bruiser of a desktop replacement that’s only 0.8-inches thick. The ultra-premium system comes with all the fixings including an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and dual SSDs. Need more? How’s a 17.3-inch, 4K display, powerful speakers and a Cherry MX keyboard sound?
Of course, something this pretty and powerful is also seriously expensive at $3,679 ($2,199 starting), so it’s not for the faint of heart or small of bank account. But if you can afford it, the Alienware X17 is a hell of a powerhouse that easily makes its way onto our best workstation laptops page.
4. Microsoft Surface Book 3 (15-inch)
Most versatile video editing laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Display: 15-inch (3240 x 2160)
Size: 13.5 x 9.9 x 0.9 inches
Weight: 4.2 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
High-res display gets very bright+
Attractive looks and premium feel+
Comfortable keyboard+
Long battery life (in laptop mode)
REASONS TO AVOID
-Thick and heavy
The Surface Book 3 is the only product where you get a full tablet and laptop in a single package. For that reason, the Surface Book 3 ($2,299 starting, reviewed at $2,799) is a compelling device, even though not much has changed in the 2.5 years since the release of the Surface Book 2.
The 15-inch Surface Book 3 starts at $2,229 and goes well beyond $3,000 once you’ve configured it to your liking. On top of that, the unique form factor has its limitations; The Surface Book 3 is thick and heavy and its performance is outclassed by other systems.
But if budget isn’t an issue and you want a laptop and tablet in one, then the Surface Book 3 is unrivaled. It’s a capable machine with a gorgeous display, premium design and very comfortable keyboard. Battery life is also a bright spot as long as you’re in laptop mode. And while it isn’t the quickest, the Surface Book 3’s discrete Nvidia GPU gives a boost to content creators and gamers.
5. HP ZBook Studio G8
The best HP video editing laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 15.6-inch, OLED 4K (3840 x 2160)
CPU: Intel Core i9-11950H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 6GB vRAM
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 2TB SSD
Battery Life: 4:56
Weight: 3.3 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
Stunning 4K OLED display+
Powerful overall and gaming performance+
Comfortable keyboard+
Good audio
REASONS TO AVOID
-Almost $5K for top configurations
This year’s HP ZBook Studio G8 holds on to the award-winning G7 series styling but bumps up the power to help content creators with their creative projects either in the studio or in the field. The $4,727 system is gorgeous, powerful, MIL-SPEC tough, and is one of the best content creator laptops on the market. Oh, I forgot to mention, its OLED 4K touchscreen is bright, vivid and positively stunning.
This salacious attention grabber comes with an 11th Gen Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of SSD storage, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU that will more than handle all your Adobe Creative Suite power-hungry needs and then some. It’s easily one of the best video editing laptops that we’ve tested, even if it’s priced at a whopping $4,727 as reviewed.
6. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4
Our favorite Lenovo laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 (6GB of VRAM)
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel
Size: 14 x 10 x 0.78 inches
Weight: 4 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
Durable chassis+
Ultra-fast file-transfer rates+
Zippy video transcoding+
Robust speakers
REASONS TO AVOID
-Expensive
Lenovo couldn’t have picked a better name for the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 — extreme is the operative word here. When I think of “extreme,” phrases like “to the max,” “out of hand” and “exorbitant” come to mind, which perfectly describe this 16-inch monster. The price tag is definitely extreme with a shocking starting price of $2,951. Whew! This 16-inch laptop, packed with extreme internals such as a top-of-the-line 11th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU and powerful Nvidia 30-series graphics, was built to make its rivals sweat. Someone check on the Dell XPS 15!
This Lenovo laptop is a major improvement from the last ThinkPad X1 Extreme we reviewed (Gen 2). It’s got more battery life, a brighter display and zippier chips. But of course, every monster has its kryptonite. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is no different, especially since it’s up against some fierce competitors.
Still, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is ideal for handling extreme workloads for professionals, whether you’re a creator, architect or engineer. As a cherry on top, they can relax and play their favorite graphics-intensive games after a long day of productivity.
7. HP ZBook Fury 17 G8
The best workstation laptop you can buy
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Xeon W-11955M
GPU: Nvidia RTX A5000
RAM: 64GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 17.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160)
Size: 15.7 x 10.5 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 7 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
Gorgeous 17-inch, 4K touchscreen+
Mind-boggling CPU/GPU performance+
Integrated fingerprint reader+
Minimal bloatware
REASONS TO AVOID
-Prohibitively expensive
Is the HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 the best workstation on the market? I suppose that depends on your budget and configuration, but if your pockets are deep enough for an Intel Xeon processor and Nvidia RTX A5000 graphics (boy howdy!), this is about as future-proof as laptops get right now.
In terms of raw power, this notebook is tough to beat, and even if it runs out of battery when you’re on the go, it’s still heavy enough to fight crime with. Granted, the $6K configuration we tested is overkill for most laptop users; it’s nigh impossible for this kind of mobile muscle to fail too hard on our standard benchmarks. And that’s partially the point, in my opinion. The world of mobile tech continues to march forward at an exponential rate, and if you don’t have the right laptop for your respective career, opportunity might very well pass you by.
But that’s hardly a concern with the ZBook Fury 17 G8 thanks to a stunning 17.3-inch touchscreen, intimidating specs under the hood, and plenty of ports to power your pertinent peripherals.
How to choose the best video editing laptops for you
Choosing the best video editing laptop for you depends on a couple of things. One is your budget — how much are you willing to spend? And another is what you’ll be using it for — of course you’re video editing, but are you simply trimming small clips in 720p? Or are you editing massive projects in 4K? Your answer will determine what kind of system you need.
If you want to get into video editing as a hobby, we recommend starting out with a cheap gaming laptop. It’ll offer you a decent amount of power and you’ll get a feel if you want to stick with video editing for the future. If you’re a professional that needs a top-of-the-line video editing laptop, you’re going to need a sharper and brighter display to get your work done, which will cost a pretty penny. So when you’re buying a video editing laptop, ask yourself — how much do you actually need it?
