Best Laptop for Video Editing in 2020

Being mobile is incredibly important in today’s world. And since most of the work we do is digital, it’s better to have a laptop to take around with you so you can get the work done anywhere. If you are a video creator or an editor, you’ll probably need a powerful laptop, and powerful laptops are often quite heavy. You really need to think about where your priorities lie, and we’re going to help you choose the best laptop for video editing according to your needs.

There are many different computer brands that make great laptops so it might be tough to choose from. With these super-speed laptops, non linear editing of the videos is easier than before, one can only imagine the cumbersome method of linear editing compared to editing using the best video editing laptops. The easiest way to describe the difference between linear and non linear editing is to know that, in non linear editing the editing can be done without destroying or harming the original footage. Also, the editing can be done from any part of the footage, without having to follow a linear process, hence the name, non linear editing.

Some Statistics Before We Start

• People love visual content, and they are more likely to engage with it. According to Statista, there are 2 billion active YouTube users worldwide. That’s huge. 
• Video content is quite important for businesses as well. 62% of the businesses use YouTube as a channel to post their content, and it’s only the second most popular platform for businesses to post videos on, the first one being Facebook.
• 90% of people discover new products or brands on YouTube according to Think With Google.

Now that we know how important video content is, we can move right on to choosing the best laptop for video editing.

Best Laptops for Video Editing

1. MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
2. Dell XPS 15
3. Acer ConceptD 7
4. Razer Blade 15
5. Huawei Matebook Pro X
6. Microsoft Surface Book 2
7. Lenovo Legion Y7000
8. Acer Predator Helios 300 15

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

• CPU: 9th-generation Intel Core i7 – i9
• Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M – Radeon Pro 5500M
• RAM: 16GB – 64GB
• Screen: 16-inch Retina display with True Tone
• Storage: 512GB – 8TB SSD
• SD card reader: No
• Thunderbolt 3: Yes

Okay, this one is a given. 16-inch, 2019 MacBook Pro is quite powerful with Intel Core chip and AMD Radeon Pro 5300M or 5500M graphics card. The 16-inch display looks great, and it is not bulky either. It also has great speakers, so you’ll be in line with the sound as well. There is one downside though, it’s quite expensive with the $2399 to $2799 price range.

Dell XPS 15

• CPU: Up to Octa-core Intel Core i9
• Graphics: Up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
• RAM: Up to 32GB
• Screen: 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160
• Storage: Up to 2 SSD
• SD card reader: Yes
• Thunderbolt 3: Yes

If you don’t want to throw your money around too much, Dell XPS 15 is a great choice. 9th Gen i9 chip, Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card, 4K OLED Display. The only big problem with the Dell XPS used to be the webcam placement, and now they have fixed it by moving it from the bottom bezel to the top. It also only weighs 4.5 pounds, which makes it incredibly easy to carry around. It also comes with an extra SD slot.

Acer ConceptD 7

• CPU: Hexa-core Intel Core i7
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
• RAM: up to 32GB
• Screen: 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 (UHD) IPS
• Storage: 1TB SSD
• SD card reader: No
• Thunderbolt 3: Yes

Acer ConceptD line is a series of desktops and laptops specifically designed with designers and editors in mind. Acer ConceptD 7 has a 4K UHD display that covers 100% of the Adobe RGB, and it has the color accuracy of Delta E <2. We don’t need to say that it is the perfect choice for color-grading. It also has the power of a gaming laptop without all the stuff that would be unnecessary for you if you are just looking for video editing. It has a Hexa-core Intel Core i7 processor and an Nvidia RTX  2080 graphics card. This device can handle Full HD and 4K processing. 

Razer Blade 15

• CPU: hexa-core Intel Core i7
• Graphics: up to GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
• RAM: up to 16GB
• Screen: 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 OLED/LCD
• Storage: Up to 512GB SSD
• SD card reader: No
• Thunderbolt 3: Yes

With the optional OLED 4K display with a pixel density of 282 on the Razer Blade 15 looks amazing. It has an Nvidia RTX 2080 graphics card, which is capable of handling even the most demanding projects, on top of that it has a hexa-core Intel Core i7 processor and many different ports. It delivers great performance with an ultra-sharp display. The thing is, it’s quite expensive.

Huawei Matebook X Pro

• CPU: Quad-core Intel Core i5 – i7
• Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
• RAM: 8GB - 16GB
• Screen: 13.9-inch, 3000 x 2000 LTPS
• Storage: Up to 1TB SSD
• SD card slot: No
• Thunderbolt 3 port: Yes

Huawei Matebook X Pro is a great and cheaper Macbook alternative. It comes equipped with a 3K LTPS display, an 8th generation i7 processor. The screen is 13’9 inch, so the MX250 is the graphics card we get. But don’t worry, it can handle light to moderate video editing works. It’s incredibly portable, it actually feels like a Macbook Air rather than a Macbook Pro in terms of weight. And if you happen to need a beefier graphics card, you can use the Thunderbolt 3 port to supplement the laptop with an external graphics card.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch)

• CPU: Dual-core Intel Core i5 – quad-core Intel Core i7
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics + optional Nvidia graphics up to GTX 1060
• RAM: 16GB
• Screen: 15.4-inch, 3240 x 2160 IPS
• Storage: 256GB – 1TB SSD
• SD card reader: Yes
• Thunderbolt 3: No

Microsoft Surface Book 2 is an incredibly powerful 2-in-1 laptop. We understand that 2-in-1s would not be your go-to choice when it comes to video editing, but the Surface Book 2 has powerful enough components to handle video editing if you buy the model with the dedicated graphics card. It also has a great battery life and it’s light, so it’s great if you want to be more mobile. Again, the only downside is it’s pricey.

Lenovo Legion Y7000

• CPU: Intel Core i7
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
• RAM: 16GB
• Screen: 15.6-inch (1080p) 
• Storage: 256GB SSD 1TB HDD
• SD card reader: No
• Thunderbolt 3: No

Lenovo Legion Y7000 is a great budget video editing laptop. It comes with an Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card, 9th Gen Core i7 processor and a decent looking 15.6 IPS 1080p display. It’s a gaming laptop, but battery life isn’t too bad either.

Acer Predator Helios 300 15’

• CPU: Hexa-core Intel Core i7
• Graphics: Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070
• RAM: Up to 32GB
• Screen: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS
• Storage: Up to 1TB SSD + 2TB HDD
• SD card reader: No
• Thunderbolt 3: No

Finally, another affordable choice. Acer’s Helios is a gaming laptop with Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics card and Hexa-core Intel Core i7 CPU. When you need to amp up the power, you can use the Turbo button that most of the gaming laptop has the increase the laptop’s performance by overclocking, and also there’s granular controlling over the fan so you don’t need to worry about extreme noise or your laptop overheating.  It also supports up to 1TB SSD plus a 2TB HDD, so if you are working on 4K, it might become quite handy.

This list is our expert opinion when it comes to selecting the best laptop for video editing. Check all of them out and make a decision based on your needs and your budget, we hope that our list for the best laptop for video editing will help you find the best laptop for the price/performance ratio.

Before you go on and buy anything, it's always best to read as many users comments and check review sites as possible, since you are spending your hard-earned money.

Feel free to add your suggestions to the comment section!

Featured Image by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash