Video Editing Laptops
You’re stuck on with an unresponsive touchpad, an uncooperative processor that you begin to lose faith in the potential of the video you shoot earlier. This is what happens when you choose the wrong laptop for video editing. Most people’s home laptops that are just used for normal typing and browsing can be used for video editing.
Well, they’re wrong. These laptops might not have the capacity to load your editing apps. As a professional, you know your work isn’t as glamorous as people think, and you need to get a powerful laptop that will take you through the exhausting process of editing videos.
It starts with a Central processing unit, RAM, storage, and graphics card. I’m going to recommend ten laptops that can run your video editing apps smoothly and efficiently.
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash
Top 10 Best Picks for Video Editing 2021
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
Processor: Ryzen 9 5900HS
Graphics card: NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 512GB
Display: 15.2 inches HD display
Battery: 9 hours
Popularly called the great white shark. The device features the Ryzen 9 5900HS with a clock speed of 3.3GHZ, which can be increased under load by the Turbo to 4.5GHZ. Coming in sleek white and grey colors, the device features a hinge that allows a 180-degree opening.
Under 2kg, the slim build and low height give its beauty as it very portable and premium to feel. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 comes with the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card—very perfect for video editing work. The laptop works well under pressure, and it’s smooth for multitasking. No wonder it’s the best laptop for video editing.
Razer Blade 15
Processor: Intel Core i7, the clock speed of 4.5GHz
Graphics card: NVIDIA RTX 2080
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 15.2 inches HD display
Battery: 11 hours
Year by year, Razer comes with a better version of their previous models. This device comes with the intel core i7-10875H processor with the NVIDIA RTX 2080 graphics card and a beautiful 1TB SSD.
The keyboards are now better than ever as it has enough travel and satisfaction—somehow similar to the Macbooks Butterfly Keyboard. To add to the tea, the Razer Blade 15 gives you a fantastic 1080p view at 300HZ, so you can edit your videos in high quality smoothly on a powerful machine.
Apple Macbook Pro 16 inch
Processor: Intel Core i7
Graphics card: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 512GB SSD
Display: 16 inches HD display
Battery: 6 hours
This laptop came back with a faster and smooth processor. The device comes with the 9th Gen intel core i7 processor with a clock speed of 4.5GHZ and 512GB of storage, and the graphics card is a powerful AMD Radeon Pro 5500M.
With this device, you get a beautiful display, sleek laptop, and powerful processor. It has three speakers on each side that gives an octave deeper bass—allowing the speakers to get louder without sounding far or tiny. The laptop is loud, and the stereo separation is great. The microphone has also been improved as it’s clear and less hissy.
Dell XPS 15 9500
Processor: Intel Core i9, the clock speed of 3.5GHZ
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 1660
Memory: 64GB RAM
Storage: 2TB SSD
Display: 15.2 inches HD display
One of the most premium Windows laptops with a sleek build and smooth performance. After the slimming down, the process took place, and the device comes with a 15.6-inch display and a 92 body to screen ratio. With an optional 4k model coming with the laptop, you don’t want to miss another superfly laptop that will give you a 4k resolution.
The real deal is that it has the intel core i9 processors and the NVIDIA graphics card that works perfectly on the 64GB RAM and 2TB storage. The laptop performed well with editing apps like Photoshop. The Dell XPS is one of the most powerful options for video creators and gamers.
MSI Creator 15
Processor: Intel Core i7, the clock speed of 2.5GHZ
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 2070
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 15.2 inches HD display
Battery: 11 hours
The MSI Creator 15 is designed solely for photo, video editing, and other creative work. With a full HD screen 1920 by 1080 pixel and an impressive color coverage rated 72% of NTSC gamut, you’d love to get this device.
Coming with comfortably sized keyboards with deep travel and white backlights, typing is a smooth and seamless experience on this machine. You remember I said the device is made of creative work—it features the 16 thread Intel Core i7 with a base clock speed of 2.5GHz and 5.1GHZ when maxed out. It’s a steal because most laptops with this processor go at a higher price. The MSI creator 15 worked effectively with Adobe Photoshop when ten complex filters were applied to a JPEG image—no hitch was recorded. Is this the best laptop for video editing? Continue reading and see which is the best for you!
Acer Predator Helios 300
Processor: Intel Core i7
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 2070
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 15.2 inches HD display
Battery: 9hrs
A sturdy device with a sharp chassis and a clean look. If you’re not looking into a slim build, then this device is great for you. Coming with a 1080×1920 resolution and a 3ms response time, you get a smooth video editing process with this device.
The Predator Helios 300 features a 512GB SSD and a 1T hard drive for extra storage—providing you with enough storage juice for your work. The keyboard gave short and quick throws making typing fast—with the little bump given by the W keys, and you’ll get around easier.
Acer really gave us a powerful and adaptive laptop for our lifestyles. It is coming with a Type-C USB port that allows connection to anything you might need.
Acer Concept D3 Ezel
Processor: Intel Core i7
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 1650 MAX-Q
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 14 inches
Battery: 3hrs
Acer itself claims that the device is made solely for graphics designers, illustrators, video editors, and other video or photo editing work—it targets creatives who don’t need the powerful processor or graphics card to work on their projects. You get 1920 by 1080 resolution on a 4k screen. Not only that, the display is deluxe with accurate color.
It comes with a stylus that offers 4,095 levels of pressure sensitivity—even if you rest your palm on the screen while one tablet mode, it will reject it.
If you want a convertible for both work and play, the Acer Concept D3 is the best option for you. With a premium and finished matte look, you’ll enjoy working on it.
ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3
Processor: Intel Core i9
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
Memory: 64GB RAM
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 15 inches
Battery: 9hrs
Coming into the Lenovo X-series line is the ThinkPad Extreme X1. As the name commands, it comes with an 8th Gen Intel Core i9 with 64Gb RAM—a great one for video editing. Among the first of its kind to get a graphics card—the NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 Ti. The Handbrake test took only 10 mins to transcode a 4k video to 1080p—faster than its counterparts.
Like other Lenovo laptops, the ThinkPad Extreme met the 12MIL standard as it can withstand dust, humidity, drops, extreme temperatures. It supports the Smart Card reader making it perfect for business use. dTPM encryption, fingerprint reader, Intel cameras, and the IR camera are present, so signing in to your Hello facial recognition will be seamless.
HP Envy 15
Processor: Intel Core i9
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 2060
Memory: 32GB RAM
Storage: 512 storage
Display: 14 inches
Battery: 8hrs
Here is another powerful one aimed at creatives—illustrators, video editors, graphics designers, and what have you. Its design is uncluttered, minimalist, and professional-looking. The HP Envy 15 features a variety of display choices, but the most stunning display is the 4K resolution that gives 400 nits of brightness. The display option is really cool to work with.
Let’s dive into the processor and graphics card. The powerful combo will meet any creator’s needs with the 10th gen Intel core i9 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. The keyboard is great, but it’s a little loose like the low-throw keyboards used in Elite Books. The touchpad is high precision. The laptop is a bit heavy—it’s 4.74 pounds. But it gives a battery life of 8 hours when playing videos on a 4k display.
Microsoft Surface Book 3
Processor: Intel Core i7
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 1060
Memory: 32GB RAM
Storage: 512 storage
Display: 15 inches
Battery: 12hrs
The Surface Book 3 is a luxurious convertible that can be used to smoothly perform all your video editing tasks. You get a great performance from the Intel Core i7 8th generation processor and the NVIDIA GTX 1060 graphics card. The laptop is great for video editing and drawing just by its display alone—it offers a 3240×2160 HD display.
Lasting for 12 hrs, you don’t have to worry about taking your charger along when you want to work in a coffee shop.
7 Things You Should Consider Before Getting a Laptop for Video Editing
- A strong CPU: CPUs with intel core i7 and above are highly recommended. Don’t get a lower one, so you won’t have issues when editing.
- Dedicated Graphics card: Apart from the CPU, the graphics card is also something you need to focus on—it determines how clear and smooth your work is. The least graphics card you can get is the NVIDIA GEFORCE 1660Ti.
- Storage Space: Speed gains during editing are much, and you don’t want storage space to slow your work down. Even if you can get a laptop with higher Storage space, it can easily be solved using an external hard drive.
- Weight: If you want a laptop that you can haul around everywhere, then 4.5lbs laptops aren’t for you. Try to get ones below 3lbs, so carrying it will be easier. You won’t have to worry about your shoulder or back pain.
- A responsive keyboard: Do you do a nice amount of typing? Then you need to get a responsive keyboard, has a good backlight and deep travel.
- Longevity: Most laptops tend to heat more quickly when the task is getting intense—limiting sustainability. Laptops with cooling systems work perfectly under pressure.
- Ergonomics: The editing process is long. Imagine in front of the computer for long hours. To be honest, for your comfort, a desktop is the best fit for you. Best laptops for video editing are when you need projects done as soon as possible. But if you’re going to working in an office or at home, to prevent backaches—you need to get a desktop.
We hope this article, Best Laptop for Video Editing, helped you choose yours.