The 4 Best Laptops For Video Editing - Spring 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 exceptional user experience and has ample processing power to handle even the most demanding workloads. Like its M2 predecessor, it's a 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, its 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. 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 15 (2023), a 15.6-inch premium mobile workstation. It's available with Intel 13th Gen H-series CPUs and various NVIDIA discrete GPUs, up to an RTX 4070. Like the MacBook Pro 14, it provides a premium user experience with a nice display, a comfortable keyboard, and a large touchpad. Its port selection is more limited, as it only has three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports and an SD card reader. Its main advantage over the MacBook Pro is that its RAM and SSD are user-replaceable. By the way, Dell has released new XPS laptops in 14- and 16-inch sizes, with the former replacing the XPS 15, so if you like the 15-inch size, this is a good time to get one before stock runs out. Plus, it's often on sale through Dell now that the new models are out.

Our best mid-range pick is the Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023), a 16-inch gaming laptop. This model is available with powerful AMD or Intel CPUs and various discrete GPUs, up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, giving you plenty of processing power to complete your tasks quickly. Of the three display options, we recommend the QHD+ panel with DCI P3 coverage, though you can also go with the 100% sRGB panel if you only work in SDR. The displays only get up to 300 cd/m² of brightness, which is fine for most indoor settings but definitely a step down from 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 very well-built. It just doesn't feel as premium and isn't as portable. The keyboard has tons of travel and tactility, and the touchpad is small but responsive. You get plenty of ports to connect peripherals and external displays, including two USB-As, two USB-Cs, an HDMI, and a full-size SD card reader. Unfortunately, its battery life is terrible at only 2.5 hours of light use, and the fans get pretty loud under load. This laptop starts at $1,699 USD (MSRP), and like most Dell laptops, it's easier to get through Dell.

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 (2023) is a great option if you prefer an ultraportable for the occasional video editing. It has a sharp, bright display with DCI P3 coverage, and like all Apple products, its factory calibration is superb. Its M2 chip 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 can only support one external display. You can get up to 24GB of memory and 2TB of storage; just remember that these components aren't user-replaceable. Also, the base 256GB SSD has slower speeds, which can affect performance when dealing with large footage, so it's worth upgrading to one of the larger-capacity drives.

Apple has released a newer M3-equipped MacBook Air 15 (available as of March 8). Not much has changed; the upgrades include Wi-Fi 6E (from Wi-Fi 6), a marginally faster M3 SoC, and support for a second external monitor. The latter has a caveat: you can only use two external displays when the laptop is closed. If you don't need these upgrades, you can probably find a good deal on the older M2 model through a marketplace, third-party seller, or Apple's refurbished section. The M3 Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is also a good choice if you prefer portability over screen size. The downside is that the base model has two fewer GPU cores than the base 15-inch model, meaning you need to upgrade to a higher-end configuration to get the same GPU performance.