The 2022 Best Laptops for Video Editing: Reviewed and ranked

We consider the Dell XPS 17 the ultimate content creation laptop, so it’s no surprise to see this atop our list of the best laptops for video editing. The Intel 12th-gen Core i7-12700H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX3060 in the inside, and a 1TB SSD provide top-notch storage performance to move large projects around.

The XPS 17 also includes crucial extras coveted by video editors, such as an SD card reader, Thunderbolt 4 ports aplenty, and a luscious 17-inch touchscreen panel with 3840×2400 resolution, and a more productive 16:10 aspect ratio. Dell even managed to cram all these niceties into a relatively portable-for-its-class 5.34-pound design that can run for 11 hours before needing a charge—improving upon the previous XPS 17 version by over one hour.

The Dell XPS 15 9520 boasts a stunning OLED screen and is one of our favorite choices for content creators and editors. It also features the latest Intel Core i7-12700H processor and GeForce RTX3050 Ti graphics. The rugged and beautiful all metal enclosure adds to the already impressive system.

Despite being a 15 inch laptop, it is a bit heavy to transport on a daily basis. But the gorgeous OLED display is the star of the show, and it doesn’t let you down with a 3456X2160 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio, and ultra vivid and accurate colors.

Here’s something a little different. The Asus Zenbook Pro 14 packs a lot of firepower. This includes a Core i7 CPU, GeForce RTX3050 graphic cards, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. It also has a 14.5-inch 4K touch OLED panel that dazzles at an ultra-bright 547 nits while covering 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut—a screen built for serious content creators. But the truly interesting part is the secondary 12.7-inch 2880×864 screen located just above the keyboard. Windows considers it a secondary monitor. The bundled Asus software can be used to make it do many useful tasks such as displaying a panel of touch controls or a trackpad for certain Adobe apps.

The Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is basically a portable midrange workstation, though the mediocre battery life may mean you’ll need to carry around a charging cable if you need to do some serious work. Despite this, the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is a well-tuned machine for content creators, excelling at tasks such as 3D rendering and encoding and this latest version of Asus’ dual screen is the best yet.

Razer Blade 14 is the ideal laptop for anyone who needs to be mobile. Razer Blade 14 is ultra-thin at 0.66 inches and weighs in just 3.9 pounds. This laptop is significantly smaller than other laptops that can do video editing. But Razer didn’t skimp on the firepower, loading the Blade 14 with AMD’s 8-core Ryzen 9 5900HX flagship CPU, Nvidia’s 8GB GeForce RTX 3080, a 1TB NVMe SSD, and 16GB of memory.

You’ll give up some perks in exchange for the Blade’s portability though: The 14-inch IPS-grade screen comes factory calibrated, but tops out at 2560×1440 resolution. Although 4K video editing is not possible, the laptop supports the entire DCI/P3 color gamut. Razer’s notebook also lacks an SD card slot. The Blade 14 is a great option if you want a powerful rig capable of ripping through edits and renderings and then slips easily into your bag.

If it’s battery life that you’re concerned about, the Dell Inspiron 16 should cover you just fine. The Inspiron 16 was able to last a long 16.5 hours on one charge when we ran our battery benchmark. It cycles through a series a tasks until it dies. That should allow you to edit to your heart’s content while out on the road. Due to the battery, it isn’t the most portable, however, weighing in at a substantial 4.7 pounds.

It’s rather inexpensive, but for the price you will have to make sacrifices. It features an Intel Core i7-1260P CPU and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage. It is capable of handling most video-editing projects. However, it lacks storage capacity so you will need an external hard drive. external drive if your saving video files. This laptop’s real star is its exceptional battery life, an important aspect of mobile video editors. It also includes a quad speaker system, which is a bonus perk. For ports, you’re getting two USB Type-C, one USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, one HDMI, one SD card reader, and one 3.5mm audio jack.

If you’re looking for the most raw firepower possible, on the other hand, nothing burns through video edits faster than a big, heavy gaming laptop. The MSI GE76 Raider chewed through the Adobe Premiere test in UL’s Procyon benchmark faster than any other notebook thanks to its burly 14-core Intel Core i9-12900HK chip, an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti tuned for a blistering 175 watts, and ample interior cooling. It even has an SD Express reader, which can be connected to the PCIe bus to allow for high-speed card transfer. One downside to using last year’s model was its gamer-focused 360Hz 1080p display, but the higher-end version of this year’s 12UHS added a 4K, 120Hz panel that, while not tuned for content creation, should satisfy video editors much more, especially with its spacious 17.3-inch screen size. All that power comes at a price.

You’ll need to spend up for heftier hardware if you want the fastest possible video edits and renders, but not everyone can afford to. If you want a solid, basic content creation laptop that won’t break the bank, check out the HP Envy 14. The entry-level GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU and Core i5-1135G7 processor aren’t barnburners, but they’ll get the job done, and at roughly $1,000 the price is certainly right. The 14-inch 1900×1200 display features a 16:10 aspect ratio for improved productivity, along with factory color calibration and 100-percent sRGB support (though not DCI-P3). The HP Envy 14 also includes essential Thunderbolt and SD card ports. It runs quiet, too.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 is a video editor’s ultimate dream. This laptop has lightning fast GPU and CPU performance as well as a 17.3-inch 4K display at 120Hz. The premium experience is enhanced by the all-metal chassis and six speaker sound systems. It also features Thunderbolt ports and an SD card slot, which is a great advantage for video editors. However, you’re going to pay out the nose for it. If you’ve got a flexible budget and you won’t settle for anything other than the best of the best, the Zephyrus S17 is truly the bees knees.

Many powerful laptops are heavy and bulky, often weighing in at five to six pounds. Well, that’s not the case with the XPG Xenia 15 KC. It weighs a little over four pounds, which is fairly lightweight for a laptop that’s capable of delivering zippy performance across the board. It runs extremely quietly. According to our review, it “rarely makes noise under normal use.” That’s impressive, as most gaming laptops tend to sound like a rocket blasting off. If you’re looking for something that’s both quiet and portable, the Xenia 15 KC is an excellent choice, though its 1440p display and relatively slow SD card reader performance may make some content creators balk.