Whether you're a professional video editor working for a company or an amateur editing videos for social media, having a laptop with good performance is crucial, as video editing is a demanding task that requires a fair amount of processing power. A powerful laptop will provide a smoother experience when manipulating footage, play high-resolution videos smoothly with fewer frame drops, and render videos in less time. You'll also want to look for a laptop with a sharp, accurate display, preferably one that can reproduce all the colors in the color space in which you work. For the best user experience, you'll also want to consider the quality of the keyboard and touchpad, the port selection, SSD speed, and even the fan noise.
We've bought and tested over 180 laptops. Below are our recommendations for the best video editing laptops you can buy. You can also see our recommendations for the best workstation laptops, the best laptops for music production, and the best laptops for graphic design.
Since 2021, we've tested dozens of laptops every year. We buy our laptops to avoid bias and, following a rigorous methodology, test nearly every part of the laptop so we can deliver results you can rely on. We use a wide range of equipment to perform our tests, including a colorimeter, a Mecmesin MultiTest-i System Test Stand, and various performance benchmarking suites.
Want to know more? Check out our How We Test Laptops article, where we give you a broader overview of our review process, from the moment we purchase the product to the final review.
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Best Laptop For Editing Videos
Heavy WorkloadSchool & WorkGraphics PerformanceForm Factor:Traditional (Clamshell)Screen Size:16"Operating System:macOSTouch Screen:NoRefresh Rate:120 HzSee all our test resultsTested RAM Capacity:36 GBThe best laptop for editing videos we've tested is the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5, 2026). This well-built workstation combines powerful hardware with a large, sharp display, giving you plenty of room for your timeline and editing tools. Its 120Hz Mini LED panel delivers deep blacks, excellent brightness, and full DCI-P3 coverage, making it well-suited for SDR and HDR work. You also get a wide port selection, including three USB-C/Thunderbolt 5 ports, an HDMI port, and a full-size SD card reader.
The 16-inch model is available exclusively with M5 Pro or M5 Max chips. The M5 Pro is a good starting point for demanding video editing, while the M5 Max provides more GPU processing power and additional media engines for particularly intensive projects. Memory is configurable up to 128GB, depending on the chip, but neither the RAM nor the SSD is user-replaceable, so choose a configuration with enough capacity for your needs. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) is a smaller, cheaper alternative, though its compact chassis has less cooling headroom, so it loses more performance during sustained workloads when paired with an M5 Pro or M5 Max.
For Windows users, consider the Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025). Its 18-inch QHD+ display has excellent factory accuracy and full DCI-P3 coverage, while its Intel Core Ultra HX processors and NVIDIA RTX 50-series GPUs provide ample power for demanding editing. However, it can't match the MacBook's contrast or HDR performance, and its bulky design and short battery life make it mostly suited to working plugged in as a desktop replacement.
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Best Mid-Range Laptop For Video Editing
WorkstationForm Factor:Size:14"Operating System:Windows 11Touch Screen:Refresh Rate:HzSee all our test resultsCapacity:GBOur best mid-range pick is the HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024), a compact gaming and content creation laptop. We recommend looking for its newer configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, and 32GB of RAM. This combination is well-equipped for video editing, including projects with demanding GPU-accelerated effects. A less expensive Core Ultra 7 255H/RTX 5060 configuration is also worth considering if your projects are simpler. We tested the earlier Core Ultra 9 185H/RTX 4060 version, so our measured performance and battery results don't represent these refreshed configurations.
The newer models retain a sharp 14-inch 2.8k 120Hz OLED display with full DCI-P3 coverage. Its deep blacks are a strength, but it doesn't get nearly as bright in HDR as the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5, 2026) above, and the smaller screen provides less room to arrange your editing tools comfortably. You get a useful port selection, including two USB-As, two USB-Cs, and an HDMI port, although there's no SD card reader. Memory is soldered, so we recommend choosing 32GB upfront for more demanding projects.
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Best Budget Laptop For Video Editing
WorkstationForm Factor:Size:16"Operating System:Windows 11Touch Screen:Refresh Rate:HzSee all our test resultsCapacity:GBThe best budget laptop for video editing we've tested is the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023). You can configure it with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS or Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU paired with a Radeon RX 7600S or RX 7700S discrete GPU, providing plenty of processing power for editing at a lower price than the HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024) above. However, the newer OMEN configurations offer more capable hardware, particularly for workflows that benefit from NVIDIA GPU acceleration.
RAM and storage configurations top out at 32GB and 1TB, respectively, though both are user-replaceable. You can choose between an FHD+ and a QHD+ display. We recommend the latter for its higher brightness, full DCI-P3 coverage, and sharper image, which lets you see finer details more clearly. The FHD+ panel covers sRGB, but neither IPS display produces the deep blacks of the OMEN's OLED.
Port selection is great; you get two USB-As, two USB-Cs, Ethernet, and an HDMI 2.1 port, although there's no SD card reader. The ASUS also provides a larger 16-inch workspace than the OMEN, but its bulkier design makes it harder to carry around. Lastly, it gets hot and loud under load and lacks a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera.
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Best Ultraportable Laptop For Video Editing
Heavy WorkloadSchool & WorkGraphics PerformanceForm Factor:Traditional (Clamshell)Screen Size:13.6"Operating System:macOSTouch Screen:NoRefresh Rate:60 HzSee all our test resultsTested RAM Capacity:16 GBIf you have simpler projects or prioritize portability, consider the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026). We tested the 13-inch model, but recommend the 15-inch version for video editing, as its larger display gives you more room for your timeline and preview window. Its IPS Retina display doesn't offer the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5, 2026)'s deep blacks or HDR brightness, but it provides full DCI-P3 coverage. You also get a comfortable keyboard and an easy-to-use haptic touchpad, as is typical of Macs.
The M5 chip provides strong performance for lighter editing workflows, with dedicated video encoders and decoders to help process supported footage. The 15-inch model includes the 10-core GPU, while the base 13-inch configuration has an 8-core GPU. However, the Air's fanless design limits sustained performance during long exports and other demanding tasks.
Memory is configurable up to 32GB, and storage starts at 512GB and tops out at 4TB. We recommend considering 24GB or 32GB of RAM if you regularly edit videos or multitask. Connectivity is limited to two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack, and MagSafe charging, so you may need a hub for memory cards and additional peripherals. It supports two external displays alongside the built-in screen.
Notable Mentions
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Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 (2024):
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 (2024) is worth considering if you want a Windows laptop with a spacious display but find the Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025) too bulky. It offers Intel processors, NVIDIA discrete graphics, and an optional Mini LED display, though it has less processing power than the Alienware's higher-end configurations.
See our review -
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025):
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) is a Windows alternative to the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026), particularly its larger 15-inch variant. It provides a sharp 120Hz OLED display, a haptic touchpad, and a wider port selection. However, its low-power processors and integrated graphics make it better suited to lighter editing than demanding projects.
See our review -
Acer Swift Go 14 (2024):
The Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) is worth considering if you want a less expensive Windows alternative to the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026). Its Core Ultra processor can handle lighter editing, and it has a wider port selection. Just keep in mind that its keyboard, touchpad, and webcam provide a less polished experience than the Mac.
See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 19, 2026:
We replaced the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024) with the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5, 2026) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025) with the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026), recommending its 15-inch variant for more screen space. We also added information about newer HP OMEN Transcend 14 configurations and refreshed the Notable Mentions.
May 14, 2025:
We've replaced the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) with the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025) because the M3 model is no longer available. We've removed the Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) from the Notable Mentions and replaced it with the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 because the Yoga Pro 9i is more portable and provides a better user experience overall. We've removed the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) from the Notable Mentions and replaced it with the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) because the X9 has better app compatibility.
Mar 25, 2025:
We've verified our recommendations are available and represent the best choices. We also made small edits for clarity.
Feb 03, 2025:
No change in recommendations, as all picks are valid and available.
Dec 09, 2024:
Replaced the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) with the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2024) since the M3 model was discontinued.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best video editing laptops to buy. We factor in the price (a cheaper laptop wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you prefer to make your own decision, here's the list of all of our laptop reviews, sorted by price from low to high. Most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it's best to see the full review for information about other variants.