Over the last ten years, the video has become one of the most popular mediums across the globe. It is present everywhere – from television and Netflix, to content sharing networks, social media, and even advertisements. Many YouTubers have become real “stars” thanks to their videos, and some of them even earned a fortune.
Due to the fact that video has become so prominent among the rising generation, creating and editing your own videos has never been easier. Nowadays, anyone can become a video editor. Thanks to software companies such as Adobe, Sony, Apple and Microsoft, video editing has been brought to masses. Personal computers and laptops have also become much more powerful, which is why creating videos has become a very profitable business.
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However, in order to start making some videos, you’ll need to get some high-quality equipment to get the job done. First of all, you will need to get an excellent high-resolution camera. If you plan to record your videos with a smartphone, then you’ll have to set aside a few hundred dollars for a good mobile device that will record all of your videos in high quality.
In addition to all the above, it is extremely important to get yourself a powerful computer that will allow you to process your video materials. Desktop computer will always outperform notebook computers, however, if you want to increase your work’s mobility, and do your job on the go, then getting a high-performance laptop is a must. Compared to desktop PCs, laptops weigh less, feature compact dimensions, and can be carried around wherever your job brings you.
Best laptops for video editing are usually quite expensive, however, they offer very good return on investment (ROI) once you set your job up and running. Compared to ordinary consumer laptops, content creation laptops feature high-quality display screens with great color reproduction capabilities, and high screen resolution. This allows you to easily edit all of your 4K, and even 8K videos, without too much hassle.
Next up, video editing laptops usually come with powerful CPUs and plenty of RAM that allow you to quickly and easily process all of your video content. Last but not least, video editing laptops usually feature plenty of input and output connectors, thus enabling you to effortlessly transfer all of your content from different media devices, as well as capture sound, or even record computer user interfaces.
In the following section we’ll show you the best video editing laptops you can get in 2021. Whether you are a serious video editing professional, an amateur content creator, a student of visual arts, or a passionate YouTuber, these laptops will deliver you the best performance in any situation you find yourself in. So, without further ado, here they are.
Best Overall:
Apple MacBook Pro M1 (2020)
Best High-End:
Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition
Best Portability:
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme
Best Budget:
Dell G5 SE 5505
Best for 4K Videos:
Dell XPS 15 (2020)
Best Ease of Use:
ASUS ZenBook Duo UX481
Best Overall: Apple MacBook Pro M1 (2020)
CPU: Apple M1 | GPU: Integrated 8-core graphics processing unit | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Screen: 13.3″ IPS (2.560×1.600), Retina display | Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD | Battery: 58.2 Wh
- Outstanding system performance
- Impressive battery life
- High-quality display
- Excellent software support
- Low resolution webcam
- Only two Thunderbolt ports
You may not love Apple’s products, but when it comes to productivity and content creation, the Apple’s new MacBook Pro with M1 chip is by far the best laptop for video editing. If you’ve read our review about the new MacBook, then you already know how much we adore it. Despite the fact that it features a brand new ARM central processing unit, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is Apple’s most powerful notebook computer to date. It is around 97% faster compared to the 2019’s MacBook Pro in multi-core tests, and it features incredibly fast SSD which allows you to process 4K videos blazingly fast, and on the go.
The new MacBook Pro can also boast with very efficient thermal design, outstanding battery life of up to 20 hours, and high-quality IPS Retina display with impressive color reproduction capabilities. This laptop also comes with state-of-the-art software emulation engine which allows you to run x86 applications on an ARM-based CPU. This means that video editing apps, such as Adobe Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve, run perfectly fine on the new MacBook Pro. Overall, if you need a seriously powerful laptop PC for your video editing job, then the new MacBook Pro is your best bet.
Best High-End: Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition
CPU: Intel Core i7-10875H | GPU: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 | RAM: 32GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ OLED 4K (3.840×2.160), 60 Hz | Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD | Battery: 80 Wh
- Extremely powerful hardware
- 4K OLED touchscreen display
- Very thin and light chassis
- Great battery life
- Very expensive
- It runs very hot under full load
The Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition is a seriously powerful laptop designed to function as a mobile workstation. Featuring incredibly fast Intel Core i7-10875H processor, as well as the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 graphics card and a whooping 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, this laptop can do pretty much anything you want. If you are serious content creator, then you also appreciate the fact that Razer Blade 15 comes with a super-fast 1TB PCIe SSD, and it also features a fully functional 4K OLED display with touchscreen capabilities.
Featuring CNC aluminum unibody frame, the Razer Blade 15 can fit perfectly in any professional environment, and it even comes with an RGB keyboard which allows you to change its appearance from time to time. Despite being only 1.77 cm thin, and weighing only 2.22 kg, this laptop comes with an incredibly large 80 Wh battery which allows you to easily perform all of your work while being on the go. Provided that you don’t mind its hefty price tag, and you need a serious tool for video editing or 3D modelling, then the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition is the best thing you can get right now.
Best Portability: Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 | RAM: 32GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ IPS FHD (1.920×1.080), 60 Hz | Storage: 1TB SATA SSD | Battery: 80 Wh
- Big 17.3-inch 120 Hz display screen
- Very good gaming performance
- On-board WiFi 6 802.11ax module
- HTC VIVE & Oculus Rift optimized
- Weak battery
- Buggy proprietary software
Although Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme isn’t the lightest video editing laptop out there, it is surely equipped with tons of useful features that will allow you to quickly and effortlessly process all your video content while being on the move. The Thinkpad X1 Extreme comes with the 9th Gen Intel CPU, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. Along with that you also get a 1TB SATA SSD, and a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display screen.
From other features, it is worth to point out a high-quality 720p webcam, a Bluetooth 5.0 module, a fingerprint reader, backlit keyboard, and a wide variety of connectors – two USB 3.0 ports, one mini-DisplayPort connector, two Thunderbolt connectors, and one HDMI connector. The Thinkpad X1 Extreme can also boast with impressive 14 hours of battery life thanks to its capacious 80 Wh battery, as well as with incredibly durable and robust chassis which allows this laptop to safely operate in any environment. Last but not least, it is around 50% cheaper than the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition, so if you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, then this is the one.
Best Budget: Dell G5 SE 5505
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H | GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5600M | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ IPS FHD (1.920×1.080), 120 Hz | Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD | Battery: 51 Wh
- Excellent video editing performance
- Good gaming performance
- 120 Hz display screen
- Robust chassis
- Fans get very loud under full load
- Mediocre battery life
The Dell G5 SE 5505 is one of the first budget-friendly high-performance laptops to feature all the latest AMD hardware. For a price of around $1,000, the Dell G5 SE 5505 with AMD Ryzen 5 4600H and Radeon RX 5600M blows its competitors out of the way. This laptop can also boast with beautiful 15.6-inch Anti-Glare display, backlit keyboard, and a battery that can last up to 7 hours.
When it comes to video editing, the Dell G5 SE 5505 is able to offer great performance for an affordable amount of money. Its Ryzen 5 4600H CPU is able to encode a one hour long video within 42 minutes, which puts it right next to the pricy Intel Core i7-10875H CPU in terms of performance. The Dell G5 SE 5505 is also able to deliver excellent performance in professional applications, such as Adobe Premiere and Photoshop, while its Radeon RX 5600M GPU can also be used for some high-end 1080p gaming. Overall, the Dell G5 SE 5505 is the best budget laptop for video editing, and if you plan to get one, be sure to grab it before it goes out of stock.
Best for 4K Videos: Dell XPS 15 (2020)
CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti | RAM: 32GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ OLED 4K (3.840×2.160), 60 Hz | Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD | Battery: 86 Wh
- Stunning 4K OLED touchscreen
- Strong system performance
- High-quality materials
- Wide variety of connectors
- Somewhat weak graphics card
- Very expensive
You’ll love Dell XPS 15 if you frequently have to edit 4K videos. Although it’s not well-suited for gaming, the Dell XPS 15 is a mobile powerhouse when it comes to professional content creation. Featuring 4K OLED display with touchscreen capabilities, as well as a powerful Intel Core i7-10750H CPU and 32 GB of DDR4 memory, this laptop is able to deliver splendid performance and make video editing a joyful activity.
The Dell XPS 15 is also equipped with ultra-fast 1TB PCIe NVMe solid-state drive, as well as with a fully backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Its platinum silver chassis is made of CNC machined aluminum, and there is also a black palm rest made of carbon fiber composite material. The XPS 15’s 4K screen also fully supports HDR technology, which many professional content creators will be thrilled with. Although its GeForce GTX 1650 Ti is kind of weak when it comes to gaming, the Thunderbolt 3 port allows you to connect an external, desktop GPU, which is nice if you need some extra rendering power for more demanding projects.
Best Ease of Use: ASUS ZenBook Duo UX481
CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | RAM: 16GB DDR3 | Screen: 14″ IPS FHD (1.920×1.080), 60 Hz + 12.65″ (1.920×515) ScreenPad Plus | Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD | Battery: 51 Wh
- Two display screens
- Outstanding multi-tasking features
- Excellent build quality
- Battery life is above average
- Keyboard is a bit too small
- Limited viewing angle of ScreenPad
The UX481 is the more affordable version of the amazing ASUS ZenBook Duo, and as such is a perfect laptop for professional and amateur content creators who want to achieve the best workflow when it comes to video editing. The ZenBook Duo UX481 comes with a low-powered Intel Core i7-10510U processor, 16 GB of system memory, and GeForce MX250 graphics card. However, its most interesting feature are its two display screens. One 14-inch, and one 12.65-inch, also known as the ScreenPad.
Great thing about ScreenPad is that it allows you to expand the capabilities of your working interface. For example, you can have two applications opened at the same time, or if you use a video editing software (such as Adobe Premiere), you can show the timeline panel on the ScreenPad, while program pane can be expanded on the main screen. The ASUS ZenBook Duo can also boast with excellent build quality, as well as with high-quality keyboard, and impressive battery life. Overall, if you are in search for a sub-$1,500 laptop for video editing, then ASUS ZenBook Duo is able to offer great value for the money it asks for.
Conclusion
And that’s it! If you still haven’t found the right laptop for you, then head on over to our Laptops section where we post reviews and buying guides about the best laptops currently available on the market. We hope our buying guide helped you in search of the information you were looking for. If you still feel confused, and need advice about buying, feel free to post a comment below. We will try to help you.