Best Laptop For Video Editing: Our Top Picks For November


When it comes to finding the best laptop for video editing, let's face it, there is so much choice it can be difficult to know where to start.

We've done our own research looking at specs, reviews and additional features to compile this list of our top picks.

From a rather professional pick in the Gigabyte Aero 17 to a brilliant mid-range choice like the Dell XPS 15, we've got it right here.

Let's get into it!

Best Laptop For Video Editing

Best Laptop For Video Editing Professional - Gigabyte Aero 17 (2021)

Best Laptop For Video Editing Professional Gigabyte
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Image Credit: Gigabyte

Brand: Gigabyte | Colour: Black | Operating System: Windows 10 Pro | Processor: Intel Core i9-10980HK | Screen Size: 17.3 inches | Display: OLED | Memory: 32GB RAM | Storage: 512GB/1TB SSD | Display Resolution Maximum: 3840 x 2160 Pixels

Gigabyte is well-known for producing some of the best gaming monitors, however, when it comes to laptops we think their latest, the Aero 17, is a fantastic choice for video editing too.

If you're a professional, you'll need a lot of power and that's exactly what you get with this laptop, which features an Intel Core i9-10980HK and 32GB of RAM that should be fantastic when editing.

In terms of display, you're getting a 4K UHD resolution which could be an excellent tool when fine-tuning the detail in your edits.

We think the Gigabyte Aero 17 is a superb choice for any working professional that needs a mobile editing station.

Best Laptop For Video Editing Premium - Microsoft Surface Book 3

Best Laptop For Video Editing
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Image Credit: Microsoft

Brand: Microsoft | Colour: Silver | Operating System: Windows 10 | Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G7/ i7-1065G7 | Screen Size: 13 inches | Display: LED | Memory: 8GB – 32GB RAM | Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB SSD | Display Resolution Maximum: 2256 x 1504 Pixels

We think the Microsoft Surface Book 3 is one of the best laptops, featuring a stunning 13-inch display and a smooth, comfortable keyboard, and brilliant functionality.

Under the hood this thing is seriously impressive, the most powerful Surface yet, with a 10th Gen Intel quad-core processor and up to 32GB of RAM which is more than you'll likely ever need.

It is also highly dynamic as the touchscreen display is detachable from the keyboard making this a robust laptop and powerful tablet all in one.

The Surface Book 3 will have no issue handling large files with up to 1TB SSD which makes this laptop a great choice for content creators.

Best Laptop For Video Editing Mid-Range - Dell XPS 15

Best Laptop For Video Editing Mid-Range
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Image Credit: Dell

Brand: Dell | Colour: Silver | Operating System: Windows 10 | Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i5-i7 | Screen Size: 15.6 inches | Display: LED | Memory: 8-16GB RAM | Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB NVMe SSD | Display Resolution Maximum: 1920 x 1080 - 3840 x2400 pixels

The Dell XPS 15 is a great choice if you're looking for a mid-range option.

This laptop boasts a gorgeous, 15-inch, edge-to-edge, LED display with HDR allowing for brighter whites and darker blacks which could be a useful advantage when editing videos.

Not only does this laptop look great, but it also provides some impressive power for the price, with 10th Gen Intel Core up to i7 which should ensure fast speeds and increased performance.

There is an even more powerful version available, the Dell XPS 17, that is equipped with an Intel i9, however, with this option of course comes a much heftier price tag.

With the relatively cheaper price, we think the XPS 15 gives you more than you bargained for.

Best Laptop For Video Editing Under 1000 - 2020 Apple MacBook Air

Best Laptop For Video Editing Under 1000
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Image Credit: Apple

Brand: Apple | Colour: Silver/Gold/Space Gray | Operating System: Mac OS Big Sur | Processor: Apple M1 Chip with 8-core | Screen Size: 13.3 inches | Display: LED | Memory: 16GB RAM | Storage: 256GB/512GB SSD | Display Resolution Maximum: 2560 x 1600 pixels

If you're looking for a great bit of kit that delivers the goods when it comes to video editing, the Apple MacBook Air could be what you're after.

This laptop is small but mighty, featuring a 13.3-inch display with retina technology, allowing for a wider range of colours providing a heightened sense of realism when it comes to visuals.

The Apple M1 Chip is their fastest processor yet, designed specifically for Mac, so you shouldn't have any issue editing complex videos or multitasking.

This MacBook is could be a great option, especially if you're editing on the go.

Best Laptop For Video Editing And Gaming - Razer Blade Stealth 13

Best Laptop For Video Editing And Gaming
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Image Credit: Razer

Brand: Razer | Colour: Black | Operating System: Windows 10 | Processor: Intel Core 10th Gen i7| Screen Size: 13.3 inches | Display: LED | Memory: 16GB RAM | Storage: 512GB SSD | Display Resolution Maximum: ‎3840 x 2160 pixels

The Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a great piece of tech and if you're looking for something that you can edit videos and play games on, look no further.

Razer is no stranger to our best laptops for gaming list, they are well-known for providing cutting edge technology when it comes to all things gaming.

The Razer Blade Stealth is no exception, with a powerful 10th Gen i7 processor and 4k display, experience fast-paced action alongside stunning visuals.

This laptop is equipped with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card which is great for the price and unlike the 'typical' gaming laptop, this is actually quite thin.

16GB of RAM and 512SSD is more than enough to handle large video files for editing and if you need more space you can always attach an external hard drive through the USB ports available.

What To Look For?

If you're wondering where to get started with finding the best laptop for video editing there are a couple of things you'll want to keep an eye out for.

With RAM, it's not so much a question between 4GB or 8GB being better with these laptops, but rather how much can you possibly get for your chosen budget.

Video editing, especially if it's 4K, can make large demands on your laptop, so ensuring you've got at least 16GB of RAM and a pretty hefty SSD should serve you in good stead.

There's also the screen that you'll need to make sure its colour accuracy is good enough for your work, especially if you're working solely on a laptop and don't fancy connecting it to a brilliant ultra-widescreen monitor.

Aim for a pretty high % of colour gamut as a rule of thumb, combined with a decent level of brightness (at least 300 nits should be fine).

We'd also say that finding a laptop with pre-installed ports for SD cards is a real plus, as it means you don't have to go off and buy any accessories you may not want to.

Further to this, it also means you can travel with less equipment if you're on the go...which means fewer valuables to potentially drop or damage!

For the price, we'd say lean more towards something in the midrange for video editing as the activity does demand a lot from your computer, which you may not find with even some of the best laptops for under 500.

Are Macbooks worth it for editing?

Arguably a Macbook provides greater versatility on the editing front as it can support additional software such as Final Cut Pro that isn't available on Windows and can access other staples such as Adobe Premiere Pro.

On the hardware front, there's also a difference. Newer Macbooks come shipped with Apple's own M1 chip that provides better overall CPU performance than their Intel-based predecessors.

However, as long as either Windows or MacOS based machines have a good capacity of RAM, storage, and a colour accurate display, then performance differences aren't too noticeable.

Do I need a graphics card to edit video?

For editing, you don't always need a discrete GPU in order to get the fastest experience or best performance.

Having one can of course be of help if you also want to run other programs in the background, or switch from editing one hour to gaming the next.

However, a lot of the best laptops for editing instead come with integrated graphics. These have become a lot more powerful in recent years thanks to processor innovation which in turn means a lot of the newer laptops' iGPUs are definitely up to the task of intensive 4K editing.

Can you edit 4K video on a 1080p laptop?

You don't strictly need the laptop's screen resolution to match the quality of the footage you're editing.

There are some laptops that operate with a dedicated 4K panel, but 1080p screens, or 1440p are plenty good enough to handle pieces of 4K video.

The only problem might come when you want to view any 4K videos. It's possible to watch 4K or UHD content on an HD screen and there's a noticeable difference in sharpness, but to truly reap the benefits, it's worth investing in a dedicated 4K panel.

Which editing software is best on laptops?

This depends on which laptop you buy of course. It's worth noting that if you're running with a Macbook, then you're limited to what apps Apple support, such as their own Final Cut Pro.

For Windows laptops though like the Microsoft Surface Book 3, then whilst you don't have access to Final Cut, Windows laptops can run things such as Vegas Pro that Apple products can't.

READ MORE: Best Laptops For Students 2021

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