Best laptops for video editing in 2018

If you’re looking for the best laptop for video editing, then finding the right machine can be tricky. After all, video editing is one of the most taxing tasks you can perform on any computer, let alone a laptop.

That’s where our list of the best laptops for video editing in 2018 comes in, as our expert advice means you can shop in confidence. 

We also have a price comparison tool that will make sure you are getting the best deals for the best laptops for video editing.

So, read on to find out what we think are the best laptops for video editing in 2018…

Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

CPU: Dual-core Intel Core i5 – i7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 – 650 | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 13.3-inch, (2,560 x 1,600) IPS | Storage: 256GB – 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD

Once you go Apple, you are pretty much locked down when it comes to your hardware options. Fortunately, this MacBook Pro is hands-down the best Mac laptop ever designed for video editors.  The innovative Touch Bar makes it easier for videographers to intuitively access commands, while the Retina display on the 15-inch model offers more than enough pixels should you want to edit at native resolution in Full HD on the move.

We’d advise that you opt for a quad-core model rather than a dual-core one and choose as big a hard disk drive as your budget will allow. The laptop’s video subsystem is powerful enough to drive up to four 4K monitors if needs be, and with a 76Whr battery, it has enough oomph to last longer than most rivals.

2. Dell XPS 15

CPU: Intel Core i5-7300HQ – i7-7700HQ | Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5 | RAM: 8GB – 16GB DDR4 | Screen: Up to 15.6-inch Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge touchscreen | Storage: 1TB HDD – 512GB SSD

The Dell XPS 15 is a brilliant laptop it its own right, and it really excels when it comes to video editing. It comes with a gorgeous 15-inch InfinityEdge screen, and the very top end version has a 4K color-accurate display which makes it perfect for video editing. It’s also got plenty of processing power as well, making it a dab hand at rendering video files, which is important when looking for a laptop for video editing.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 15

3. HP ZBook Studio G3

CPU: 2.8GHz (3.7GHz) Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 | Graphics: Nvidia Quadro M1000M | RAM: 32GB | Screen: 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 pixels | Storage: 512GB SSD

The HP ZBook Studio G3 laptop easily fits in the Ultrabook category with a weight of a tad under 2kg and a thickness of only 18mm, slightly heavier and a smidge thicker than the Precision 15 5000 but more portable and svelte than Lenovo’s laptop. Where HP manages to score highly is when it comes to sheer value for money when it comes to powerful components, with a high performance processor and gorgeous 4K screen, which makes it one of the best laptops for video editing.

4. Dell Inspiron 15 7566

CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6300HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GTX 960M | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels | Storage: 256GB SSD

Very few laptops on the market can compete with this model. Dell’s Inspiron range is aimed at business and consumers with a definite nudge towards the former. For the price, you get a laptop with an aluminium chassis and a long list of impressive features, and thanks to a decent discrete graphics card in the form of the Nvidia GTX 960, and a vibrant 1080p display, the Dell Inspiron 15 7566 is a great laptop for video editing if you’re on a budget.

5. Lenovo ThinkPad P70

CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 | Graphics: Nvidia Quadro M5000M 8GB | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 17.3-inch, 3840 x 2160 pixels | Storage: 512GB SSD + 500GB HDD

Lenovo’s ThinkPad P70 was one of the first notebooks featuring Intel’s Skylake processor, which should give it a boost in performance compared to Broadwell or Haswell chips.  Equipped with ample storage and plenty of RAM, an excellent keyboard and a wide selection of ports for connectivity, Lenovo is positioning the ThinkPad P70 as the ultimate workstation that you can take on the go without missing your desktop. Also worth mentioning is the X-Rite Pantone calibration tool, available as an option, which is great to keep your screen accurate for production work, as well as the Quadro GPU that comes with all the P70 SKUs. 

6. Microsoft Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch)

CPU: Intel Core i5-7300U – Intel Core i7-8650U 1.9GHz | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620; Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 (2GB GDDR5 VRAM) | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 3,000 x 2,000 (267 ppi) PixelSense display, 3:2 aspect ratio | Storage: 256GB – 1TB SSD

The Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch) is one of the most powerful 2-in-1 laptops in the world. While 2-in-1 laptops may not be the first choice for video editors, the Surface Book 2 has some powerful enough components to handle video editing if you go for a model with a dedicated graphics card. Brilliant build quality and excellent battery life makes this a wonderful device for using as either a laptop, or as a powerful Windows 10 tablet. The tablet mode is convenient if you want to shoot footage and edit it while out and about.

7. MSI GS65 Stealth

CPU: Intel Core i7 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5X VRAM, Max-Q) | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) anti-glare, wide-view 144Hz panel | Storage: 512GB M.2 SSD

OK, so the MSI GS65 Stealth is primarily a high-end gaming laptop – with a price tag to match – but it also doubles as an absolutely brilliant laptop for video editing. This is because it comes with an excellent array of cutting edge components, which includes an 8th-generation Intel Core i7-8750H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU. This means multi tasking and video editing is handled with aplomb – and if you also want to do a bit of gaming on the side, then it’s a no-brainer.

Watch the video below for the top 7 things to consider when buying a laptop. 

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