Nowadays, there are a lot of fantastic laptops out there, and choosing one can be difficult. Having more choices is usually better, and it means that even if you're looking for a specific type of laptop, you have a lot of options. For example, we've already rounded up the best laptops for creators if you're interested in things like photo editing.

Like photo editing, video editing is already a fairly specific workload, so there are a few things that are going to be common across all the laptops here. Editing video requires both a powerful CPU and GPU and a good amount of RAM. Video projects can also be huge, so a decent amount of storage is also required. With that being said, there are still many laptops to choose from that meet these requirements.

Our picks for the best laptops for video editing in 2023

Apple silicon has changed the game for Macs and laptops as a whole, and the 2023 MacBook Pro drives that point home even more so than its predecessor did. You get more performance than ever, along with everything else that has made this a fantastic laptop for years.

The MacBook Pro is powered by the Apple M2 Pro or M2 Max chips, which deliver big performance improvements over the previous generation — and those were already leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in terms of performance and efficiency. You get up to a 12-core CPU and a 39-core GPU that deliver fantastic performance for video editing, but because of the Arm architecture, they're also very efficient, so you get unmatched performance and battery life. On top of that, you can configure these new models with up to 96GB of RAM (unified memory) and an 8TB SSD.

As for the screen, in either 14-inch or 16-inch sizes, you're getting a mini-LED panel, meaning there are hundreds of individual lighting zones that result in a higher contrast ratio and vivid colors. While there is a notch, these are sharp panels, with the 14-inch model having a 3024x1964 panel and the 16-inch version going up to 3456x2234. To top it all off, it has a 120Hz refresh rate that can dynamically adjust, as well as a peak brightness of 1,600 nits or 1,000 nits of maximum full-screen sustained brightness.

The design of the 2023 MacBook Pro models is essentially unchanged from the 2021 models. They have a flat, even design with curved edges, and they're relatively thin. Ports are the same as before, too, and that's a good thing. You also get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with HDMI 2.1, a full-size SD card reader, and a MagSafe connector for charging.

If you're willing to shell out a lot of money for a video editing laptop, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is another fantastic option that stands toe-to-toe with the MacBook Pro, at least in some respects.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is available with up to an Intel Core i9-13900H processor, which has 14 cores and 20 threads, capable of boosting up to 5.4GHz, which delivers fantastic performance for video editing and just about anything else. On top of that, you get up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, which accelerates video editing even further and potentially even allows for some gaming. You're not going to get the same level of efficiency — and in tandem, battery life — as the MacBook Pro, but performance is still very good.

As for the display, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra includes a 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. The display can produce true blacks and vibrant colors, even beyond what the MacBook Pro can offer. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother animations and transitions, and the resolution is a very sharp 2880 x 1800.

Design-wise, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is a very premium laptop featuring an all-aluminum chassis that's also fairly thin, considering the specs. It measures 16.6mm thick and weighs 3.9 pounds, so it's actually decently portable, all things considered. It only comes in one color option, though, and that's Graphite (black). Using that space, you get a decent range of ports here, with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB Type-A port, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. That gives you plenty of connectivity options, and it's hard to ask for a lot more.

The Dell XPS lineup has long been known for offering fantastic laptops in compact packages, and while that applies to the entire lineup, the Dell XPS 15 is one of the best options for video editing. It has a combination of performance and fantastic displays that's truly impressive for its size.

Despite its compact design, this is a powerful laptop, featuring 13th-generation Intel Core 45W H-series processors, up to Core i9-13900H. That gives you 14 cores and 20 threads with clock speeds up to 5.40GHz, and it's one of the fastest laptop processors out there. If that's not enough, you can configure it with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 with 8GB of memory.

The base model comes with a 1920x1200 resolution display, which is already pretty good for most people. But if you're a video editor, and you enjoy larger screens, then the 3456 x 2160 OLED panel may be for you, with both an incredibly sharp resolution and the vibrancy and true blacks you'd expect from OLED.

A downside to this laptop is the tiny webcam above the display, which is only 720p resolution. The biggest problem is the size, as there isn't a lot of light coming in, and thus, images from the camera can look grainy even in decent lighting. Thanks to the small bezels around the display, the XPS 15 is fairly compact compared to other 15-inch laptops, and it's also 0.71 inches thick. Weight starts at 4.29 pounds, so it's not overly heavy, either. Ports are limited, though, with USB-C, Thunderbolt 4, and a headphone jack.

If it is a 14-inch laptop you need for video editing, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i will be for you. This laptop isn't one to be overlooked. It's powerful, it's lightweight, and it's a solid everyday computer.

Performance-wise, we're looking at the Intel Core i7-13750H CPU under the hood. This is a 45W processor has 14 cores and 20 threads, capable of boosting up to 5.0 GHz, making this a very powerful laptop CPU. Additionally, the Slim Pro 9i packs dedicated graphics in the form of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, which is a great GPU for accelerating video rendering and other workloads. You also get up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD for storage.

Another highlight of this laptop is the display, which is also tailored for content creation and productivity. This 14-inch mini LED panel has a 16:10 aspect ratio with 3072x1920) resolution. It also has a smooth 165Hz refresh rate and 400 nits of brightness, so it's easily visible in most lighting conditions. Plus it is touch optional, which can be more intuitive for certain things. Unfortunately, we didn't find the display too good due to the color accuracy in our Slim Pro 9i review.

The chassis of the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X is all made of aluminum. This is a very portable machine that it offers, with a starting weight of 3.7 pounds and just 0.85 inches of thickness. It's a great machine for working on the go.

Rounding things out with ports, there is one USB Type-C port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and two USB Type-A ports, plus a headphone jack and aSD card reader. There is even HDMI 2.1.

Gaming and video editing are both workloads that require a lot of CPU and GPU power. That means gaming laptops also tend to be great for video editing, and that's especially true for the Razer Blade 16.

This is an incredibly powerful laptop, featuring a 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13950HX processor with a whopping 24 cores and 32 threads, plus boost speeds up to 5.4GHz. On top of that, you get up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU that can use up to 175W of power, which is incredible for any intense task. The laptop even comes with up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, with options to upgrade down the line if you need more.

Razer also delivers on the display front, with a 16-inch panel that has a 2560x1600 resolution display and 100% coverage of DCI-P3, making it great for gaming and video editing alike. You also can opt for a dual-mode mini-LED display. This screen can change from supporting 4K resolution at 60Hz (ideal for video editing) and Full HD resolution at 240Hz (ideal for gaming).

In exchange for the powerful specs above, it comes in a thicker chassis, measuring just under 22mm. It also weighs 5.4 pounds. As far as looks go, the Blade 16 is very clean, with a plain black chassis, only accented by the green Razer logo on the lid and the RGB keyboard.

One thing gaming laptops are always good at is connectivity, and it's no different with the Blade 16. It comes with two USB Type-C ports — one supporting Thunderbolt 4 — three USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader. All your peripherals can be plugged right into the laptop without needing adapters, and that's always nice to have.

A good video editing laptop doesn't boil down to just specs, and sometimes you just need a lightweight laptop. The LG Gram 17 is a great option if you're one of those who enjoy a bigger screen but in a sleek package.

To be fair, the LG Gram 17 has always been advertised for creators, and it does have great performance thanks to the 13th-generation Intel Core i7-1360P processor, which has 12 cores, 16 threads, and boost speeds up to 5GHz. But the latest model is even better because it adds a discrete GPU, specifically an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. It isn't a very high-end GPU, but this can greatly accelerate video editing tasks while also not being so powerful that it makes for a bulky laptop. That helps the LG Gram 17 remain a great machine for content creators on the go. It's also available with up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, so everything about it is high-end.

That 17-inch display is no slouch, either. It comes in 2560x1600 resolution, so it's pretty sharp, and it covers 99% of the DCI-P3 color space, something video editors and visual artists will certainly appreciate. There's nothing too fancy about it, it's just a great screen for getting work done. And above that, there's a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello facial recognition, too.

The laptop weighs just 3.2 pounds, and it measures 17.78 mm thick, and for a 17-inch laptop, that's still kind of amazing. That's because the chassis is made from magnesium instead of aluminum, allowing the laptop to be durable while being much lighter, though it can feel cheaper than an aluminum chassis.

Because of the large size, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader, which is all you can ask for.

The Dell XPS 17, hands down, is one of the most powerful 17-inch laptops that you can find for video editing. This laptop sports powerful Intel CPUs under the hood, as well as a capable RTX 40-series GPU under the hood. The display is also fantastic, packing in a high resolution. Even the design is pretty sleek.

This laptop sports up to an Intel Core i9-13900H processor. it's a 13th-generation Intel CPU that has 14 cores and 20 threads. It also comes with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU which has up to 12GB GDDR6 memory. That's more than enough for video editing and even gaming. It can also be configured with a crazy high 64GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD, so you have top multitasking and top storage capabilities.

The display is a 17-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Base models pack a 1920x1200 resolution, but you can upgrade to a top-tier 3840x2400 resolution panel which has 100% coverage of Adobe RGB, which makes this a perfect laptop for content creation. The webcam., though, is still a 720p camera with Windows Hello facial recognition support.

When it comes to design, this laptop is under 20mm thick, and the display has really small bezels. It'll be like using a portable monitor, almost. The weight might be too much, though, since it is 5.1 pounds. Ports are also a worry, as there are only four Thunderbolt ports, but Dell includes a USB-A and HDMI adapter in the box.

This isn't really a laptop, but the concept of a desktop with a built-in display is still worth considering. With most of these laptops, you won't stay away from an outlet for very long anyway, so this might be the right solution for you.

The HP Envy All-in-One 34 is a powerful machine, packing up to a desktop-level Intel Core i9-12900 processor. That's a very powerful 65W CPU with 16 cores and 24 threads, plus boost speeds up to 5.1GHz for top-tier performance. Plus, you can add up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU to accelerate video editing even further, or even get into gaming. You also have the option to go up to a massive 128GB of RAM.

The display is also great on this PC, being a 34-inch IPS panel with an ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio and a whopping 5K (5120 x 2160) resolution. It's also got 600 nits of brightness, HDR 600 support, and it covers 98% of DCI-P3, so viewing and creating content on this display should be great. There's even a built-in soundbar.

The HP Envy All-in-One 34 also has a very interesting webcam especially considering it's not attached to the PC. Indeed, this is a detachable webcam, and on top of that, it's a high-quality one, too. It uses a 16MP sensor with pixel binning. Sure, it's not a laptop, but the HP Envy All-in-One 34 is a very powerful machine that fits well into any office or workspace, and it's fantastic for getting work done.

The best laptops for video editing in 2023: The bottom line

These are some of the best laptops (and one desktop) you can buy if you're doing a lot of video editing on your PC. All the Windows PCs on this list ship with Windows 11, so you don't have to worry about that. With all of these options, you'll surely be able to find something that suits your personal preference. I'm a fan of gaming laptops, and the Razer Blade 16 looks very tempting, but that price tag is potentially prohibitive. It's a very versatile form factor, and it's still powerful enough to do some heavyweight work. If you're an Apple fan, the MacBook Pro is hard to pass up as well. But you don't have to abide by the same rules, and all the options on this list are fantastic.

Of course, not everyone likes Apple and might not be a fan of macOS, so in these cases, there are plenty of alternatives. The Galaxy Book 3 ultra is a premium option that mirrors the MacBook. The XPS 15 has a great 15-inch screen, and there's even the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, which has a solid 14.5-inch screen. All of these options should be fantastic for you.