5 Best video editing laptops for beginners in 2023 – Reviews

laptops for beginners

Are you looking for video editing laptops for beginners? Video editing is one of the most intense tasks you can do on a laptop unless you are a proper geek. When buying a laptop for video editing, it’s hard to know what to look for and choose. If you are a beginner, it becomes even more difficult.

Maybe you just bought your first digital camera and want to take things up a notch. The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money and time getting what you need. In this article, I guide you to get a clear idea of buying the best laptop for video editing.

In a Hurry! Then this is my Best Pick

This year’s best video editing laptop for beginners is Apple Macbook Pro. This laptop features 16-inch,16GB RAM and 512GB storage. It has a 9th generation 6-core Intel Core i7 processor to handle 4k video editing. Intel UHD graphics 630 with touch bar and touch ID.

This laptop has incredible performance for its price point. If you don’t have much time, you can go with this. If you want more information about it, you can read it below.

macbook pro

How do you choose a video editing laptop for beginners?

Choosing the best video editing laptops for beginners is not easy as many laptops have different features and qualities. When it comes to editing, a few things matter on a laptop. So consider the following factors that can help you buy a video editing laptop.

Processor

It is essential to make sure that you have a good processor. You’ll need at least 6 cores to edit 4k. It also handles DSLR or mirrorless camera footage. So, go for more cores if you can afford them. If you don’t, at least choose a quad-core processor.

Graphics

A good GPU will also have its RAM called VRAM. You want to make sure you have VRAM with your GPU. So choose a laptop with at least 2GB or more of VRAM.

Storage

Now we have HDD and SSD storage. SSD drives are faster than HDDs. Of course, SSDs are more expensive and often have less space to store data. You don’t need as much space on the laptop as you can buy an external hard drive. So, get at least 256GB of SSD storage.

RAM

When you edit videos, you want as much RAM as you can afford. I recommend choosing a laptop that offers at least 16GB of RAM.

Display

I believe a bigger display, which is color accurate, is much needed. So choose at least a 15-inch IPS display. A 15-inch works well for small edits, but when you’re working on a larger project, a 17-inch display comes in handy.

Battery Life

If you are doing heavy work, then, of course, the battery life gets reduced a lot. So make sure your laptop offers at least 5 or 6 hours of battery life.

5 Best video editing laptops for beginners in 2023

#Product
1Apple MacBook ProView on Amazon
2Alienware m15 R3View on Amazon
3HP Spectre X360 View on Amazon
4Dell XPS 15View on Amazon
5Microsoft Surface Book 2View on Amazon

Let’s see the review of these laptops and their design, display, and performance. I hope this may help you to choose a laptop.

macbook pro

Display: 16-inchs Full HD display | Processor: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 | Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5000M series | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 256GB SSD | Battery Life: Up to 8 hours | Weight: 4.3 lbs | Dimensions: 9.68 x 14.09 x 0.64 inches

First on the list is the Apple MacBook Pro. It comes with a 16-inch Retina display and 500 nits brightness for great highlights and bright whites. It also has the P3 wide color gamut, offering excellent, true-to-life images and videos.

The MacBook Pro has a whole new class of displays. It has an Intel Core i9 processor with up to 8 cores and 16 threads for high performance over a long time. The MacBook Pro handles this in no time when you’re editing video, rendering 3D models, or compiling.

The MacBook Pro has a fast 2666MHz 16GB DDR4 RAM, which gives you smooth performance whether you’re loading hundreds of images, audio, or video footage.

The AMD Radeon Pro 500M series delivers excellent graphics horsepower. You can use the MacBook Pro to work on intensive graphics projects like 3D rendering, 4K video editing, or high-end game development.

The MacBook Pro also has a Magic Keyboard, Touch Bar, and Touch ID. It has a six-speaker sound system that produces stunning wide stereo sound. The Dual force-canceling woofers dramatically reduce vibration for a clearer and more natural sound experience.

Now storage. It has 512 SSD storage. You can take your photo or video library with you everywhere you go. The 100-watt-hours lithium-polymer battery delivers up to 8 hours of battery life. Of course, if you do video editing, photo editing, or play games, the battery life is significantly reduced.

Pros

  • Thunderbolt 3
  • Great performance
  • Long battery life
  • Ultrafast SSD
  • Stunning display

Cons

  • Little heavy
  • No SD card slot
alienware m15 r3

Display: 15.6-inchs Full HD display | Processor: 5.1 GHz Intel Core i7 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDR6 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Storage: 512GB SSD | Battery Life: Up to 5 hours | Weight: 4.65 lbs | Dimensions: 18.3 x 16.8 x 4.8 inches

The finish on the interior and exterior of the Alienware M15 is a soft touch and very comfortable. I’d say it’s noticeable during day-to-day use compared to other laptops.

The keyboard generally feels mushy and is not very satisfying to type on. I think it’s a great size, not too big, not too small. You get a grille on the front ledge along with bottom-mounted speakers.

The Alienware M15 R3 features a 15.6″ Full HD display. It has a 144Hz panel that covers 72% of the color gamut. It’s a bit heavy compared to some of the high-end panels I’ve come across this year. You get 300 good night brightness when you do video editing outdoors.

You have 1 Ethernet, 3 x USB A, 1 headphone jack, and 1 micro SD slot in ports. On the back, we have a charging port, an amplifier port for connecting to their external GPU, or you can do so via a Thunderbolt 3 port, which can charge laptops as well. You’ve also got a Mini DisplayPort and an HDMI 2.0 port.

The Alienware has an Intel Core i7 10th Gen processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD storage, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6, making this laptop a high-end gaming laptop. This laptop has such impressive cooling that it allows you to run the fan quieter while maintaining a high frame rate in most ultra settings games. So you don’t need to compromise between performance and fan noise.

Pros

  • Thunderbolt 3
  • Great performance
  • 300Hz display panel
  • Many useful ports
  • Attractive design
  • Strong speakers

Cons

  • Little heavy
  • Brief battery life
hp spectre x360

Display: 15.6-inches 4K UHD Touchscreen | Processor: Up to 4.9 GHz Core i7 8th Gen | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce MX330 2GB | RAM: 16GB DDR4 SDRAM | Storage: 512GB SSD + 32GB Optane | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 4.23 lbs | Dimensions: 14.2 x 0.8 x 8.9 inches

The HP Specter x360 15.6-inch convertible laptop is one of the most attractive ultrabooks. It has a classy luxury look. Copper luxe with a two-tone finish stands out from it.

You have a power button, connector, a full-size HDMI, and headphone jack on the left. On the other hand, you have 2 USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, a USB port, a webcam kill switch, and a micro-SD card slot.

The keyboard has a nice tactile feel. It’s full-sized, so you get that numeric keypad. You can turn off the microphone straight from the top lineup.

It is a 15.6-inch 4K OLED display. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio with 340 nits brightness which looks gorgeous and bright. It is color accurate and has an excellent color gamut.

Two Olufsen speakers are given at the bottom of the laptop. Speakers are loud and very punchy, but obviously, they’re not good for this price range.

It is powered by a 1.8GHZ i7 10th generation quad-core processor. It has 512GB SSD storage + 32GB Intel Optane. It is paired with Nvidia GeForce MX330 2GB GPU and 16GB DDR4 SDRAM. You can do photo editing, video editing, blender, and regular work. You can also play games.

Pros

  • Stylish display
  • Gorgeous design
  • Great performance
  • Comfortable keyboard

Cons

  • Bad webcam quality
  • Brief battery life
dell xps 15

Display: 15-inch FHD Anti-Glare Display | Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i7 | Graphics: Nvidia GeFore GTX 1650 Ti | RAM: 16GB DDR4-2933MHz | Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 6.27 lbs | Dimensions: 22.09 x 15.63 x 3.62 inches

The Dell XPS 15 has a premium metal design, and when you open it, you have a carbon fiber deck. It is one of the best-looking laptops on the market.

The keyboard is excellent and has a reasonable travel distance. When you press your finger on a key, there is great satisfaction in pressing it.

You have your two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left, along with your Kensington lock, and then on the right, you have a full-sized SD card slot and a USB Type-C 3.2 gen port that can also be used to connect to displays or for power delivery.

You have a 15.6″ Full HD display with a non-touch anti-glare display and a 16:10 aspect ratio, which feels so big. The color accuracy and 500 nit brightness on this panel are superb. Even if you don’t spend extra money on the 4k panel, you’re going to love this thing because I feel very confident doing content creation on it, and everything looks great.

It is also equipped with 100% Adobe RGB, 994% DCI-P3 color gamut, and Dolby Vision. The display offers over 16 million ultra-vivid colors, 40 times brighter than the previous version.

It comes with 16 gigabytes of DDR4 2933MHz RAM, 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU.

If you are using Adobe Suite and Adobe Premiere, it performs well. This is not a gaming laptop, and you are not going out to buy for the game. However, this laptop can handle games at a higher setting at around 60 frames per second if you’re gaming on the side.

There are four different profiles to choose from. You have a massive 86-watt-hour battery. I got excellent battery life with over 10 hours of usage using the optimized profile.

Pros

  • Premium design
  • Beautiful display
  • Great performance
  • Thunderbolt 3 support
  • Great battery life
  • Amazing speakers

Cons

  • Little heavy
  • Low-resolution webcam
microsoft surface book 2

Display: 15-inch PixelSense Touchscreen display | Processor: 8th Gen Intel Dual Core i5 | Graphics: Intel HD 620 Integrated GPU | RAM: 16GB RAN | Storage: 256GB | Battery Life: 7 hours and 30 minutes | Weight: 4.20 lbs | Dimensions: 13.5 x 9.87 x 1.74 inches

Last on the list is the Microsoft Surface Book 2. This laptop is designed with lightweight and premium aluminum material that perfectly balances a laptop’s phenomenal performance. It comes with a stunning 15-inch PixelSense display (3:2 aspect ratio) with a Surface Pen and touches support.

The Microsoft Surface Book 2 can be detached into a table that you can take anywhere. It’s perfect for creative tasks like drawing, sketching, or photo editing. You can also use this laptop as a studio mode for intensive work like video editing and 3D rendering.

In terms of ports, you have two USB 3.1 ports, 1 USB 3.1 Type-C, two Surface Connect, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 comes with an 8th generation Intel dual-core i5 processor, 256GB storage, 16GB RAM, and Intel HD Graphics 620 integrated GPU. It’s not the best laptop for video editing, but for beginners, you can use the Microsoft Surface Book 2 for video and photo editing.

This laptop scores 7 hours 25 minutes on the battery test, which is quite acceptable.

Pros

  • Long battery life
  • Great performance
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • Small trackpad
  • No surface pen included

What is the best video editing laptop for beginners?

Apple MacBook Pro is the best video editing laptop for beginners. It has a 16-inch full HD display, Intel Core i7 processor, AMD Radeon Pro GPU, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD storage.

Conclusion

In this article, I guide you to choose a video editing laptop. So, before choosing a video editing laptop, you should consider the following factors I listed above.

If you have any laptops in mind, then make sure to check their features and qualities.

I hope this article helps you to clear your doubt.

For any doubts, “contact us through the comments sections, and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.

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