The 4 Best Laptops For Video Editing - Summer 2024 Reviews

The best laptop for editing videos we've tested is the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023). This top-tier model delivers an outstanding user experience and has ample processing power to handle even the most demanding workloads. It's an exceptionally well-built device with a full-aluminum chassis. Its Mini LED display's high brightness lets you see your work clearly, even in well-lit settings, and it has full coverage of the DCI P3 color space. Plus, the superb factory calibration means you can get straight to work without needing further tweaks. You get a spacious keyboard, an easy-to-use haptic touchpad, and a wide port selection for peripherals and external displays.

Regarding the configuration, we recommend a model with an M3 Pro or Max SoC (the M3 Pro model starts at $1,999 USD). The base M3 chip can get the job done, but it'll quickly hit its limits in highly demanding workloads. Like all MacBooks, the biggest downside is that the RAM and storage aren't user-replaceable, and the upgrades aren't exactly cheap, so the laptop's total price can quickly get to an eye-watering level. If you want more screen space and don't mind a bulkier, heavier device, get the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023). It has better-sounding speakers but costs more.

For Windows users, we recommend the Dell XPS 16 (2024), a premium 16-inch mobile workstation. It's available with Intel Core Ultra 7 or 9 CPUs, up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and user-replaceable RAM and storage. There's an excellent 4K+ OLED display option with full DCI P3 coverage that's sharper but dimmer than the MacBook Pro's display. The port selection is more limited, though, as it only has three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports and a microSD card reader. The keyboard and touchpad provide an inconsistent user experience; unfortunately, the edge-to-edge keycap design results in accidental touches, and the edges of the touchpad are invisible as the front deck is made from a single piece of glass.

Our best mid-range pick is the HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024), a 14-inch laptop for gaming and workstation applications. This model is available with an Intel Core Ultra 7 or Core Ultra 9 CPU and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 discrete GPU, all capable hardware for video editing and rendering tasks. The OMEN comes with an excellent 2.8K OLED display that offers complete sRGB and DCI P3 coverage, making it a fantastic choice for producing SDR and HDR content. While the display is fine for most indoor settings, its glossy finish makes it difficult to see if there's light shining directly on it, and it isn't nearly as bright as the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)'s 1600 cd/m² brightness in HDR.

While the build quality is inferior to the MacBook Pro, this laptop still feels well-built. Its mixture of plastic and metal just doesn't feel as premium. The keyboard has good travel and tactility, and the touchpad is a good size and responsive. You get plenty of ports to connect peripherals and external displays, including two USB-As, two USB-Cs (one with Thunderbolt 4 support), and a full HDMI 2.1 port. Battery life falls far short of the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS 16 (2024) recommended above, at just over six hours for light productivity tasks, and the laptop gets hotter as well (although not to the point of being uncomfortable to use).

The best budget laptop for video editing we've tested is the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023). When configured with a Ryzen 7 7735HS or Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU and paired with an AMD Radeon RX 6700S or Radeon RX 7700S, it has plenty of processing power for intensive video editing tasks. RAM and storage max out at 32GB and 1TB, respectively—you can upgrade or add more later, as both are user-replaceable. As for the display, you can choose between an FHD+ or a QHD+ panel. We recommend the latter, as its increased sharpness will allow you to see finer details more clearly. It also has a higher peak brightness to combat glare and full DCI P3 coverage, whereas the FHD+ display only has 100% sRGB.

This laptop feels very well built for the price. It isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch device, but it's a 16-inch device nonetheless, so you'll need a fairly big bag to carry it. Port selection is great; you get two USB-As, two USB-Cs, an Ethernet, and a true HDMI 2.1 port. Unfortunately, there's no Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 support. Also, this laptop gets hot and loud under load, and there are no biometrics, like a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is a great option if you prefer an ultraportable for the occasional video editing. It offers a premium user experience with an all-aluminum chassis, fantastic up-firing speakers, and a great haptic touchpad. It has a sharp, bright IPS display with full DCI P3 coverage (although not as bright as the Mini LED on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)), and like all Apple products, its factory calibration is superb. Its base M3 SoC performs well and has media encoders and decoders that further boost performance when editing videos. Plus, it doesn't even have cooling fans, so you'll never have to worry about noise.

Port selection is its main weak point; it only has two USB-C ports, and while there's support for two external displays, this is only possible by closing the laptop. You can get up to 24GB of memory and 2TB of storage, which is fine for the occasional intensive workload but might not be enough for the power users out there. Also, these components aren't user-replaceable, and the price quickly adds up for additional RAM and storage. If you want to save money, you can probably find a good deal on the older, albeit discontinued, M2 Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) through a marketplace, third-party seller, or Apple's refurbished section. The M3 version only offers marginally better performance, faster Wi-Fi 6e connectivity, and support for two external monitors.