Best laptops for video editing: Acer ConceptD, Dell XPS, and more
Nowadays, there are a lot of fantastic laptops out there, and choosing one can be difficult. Having more choice is usually better and it means that even if you’re looking for a specific type of laptop, you have options. For example, if you’re a content creator, we’ve already rounded up some of the best laptops you can buy. In this article, we’re focusing specifically on video content, and the best laptops you can get for video 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 too. Video projects can also be huge, so a decent amount of storage is required as well. With that being said, there are still many laptops to choose from that meet these requirements. Not only that, each of them have strengths and weaknesses compared to the others.
Navigate this article:
- Best convertible: Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel
- Best with an OLED display: Dell XPS 15
- Best 14-inch: Razer Blade 14
- Best 15-inch: Alienware m15
- Thin and light 15-inch: Lenovo Legion Slim 7
- Best 17-inch: Dell XPS 17
- Best AMD laptop for gaming: HP OMEN 15
- Best for business: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
- Best All-in-One: HP Envy All-in-One 32
Best convertible: Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel
Convertible laptops are awesome, and the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is a very interesting approach to this form factor. It looks like a normal laptop, but the screen rotates on a separate hinge so you can use it in a few different ways. It doesn’t rotate 360 degrees around the keyboard, but instead, you can fold it down over the keyboard, or even use it in a way that leaves your trackpad accessible. It’s also easy to rotate the display around to share something with someone across the table, for example.
The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is a very powerful laptop, featuring an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for storage. That Intel processor is still a very powerful and high-end unit, though it’s not the latest available out there yet. Acer plans to update the ConceptD 7 Ezel with 11th-generation Tiger Lake processors soon, and it might make sense to wait for those.
On top of that, this laptop also comes with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. Again, this is still very powerful hardware, and it will do a fantastic job for video rendering and anything else you might need. Still, newer models will likely feature NVIDIA’s RTX 30 series graphics cards with even more power. It may make sense to wait if you can, but if you need a new laptop right now, this is still a phenomenal choice.
That’s only exacerbated by the display, which not only supports touch but Wacom AES active pens. You also get 100% Adobe RGB coverage, a Delta E of less than 2, and an incredibly sharp 4K display. Be it video or other media editing, everything will look fantastic on this laptop’s display, and you can be sure the final product will look how you intended it to. Every display is validated by PANTONE, too.
The Acer ConceptD 7 also features a backlit keyboard with an amber-colored glow, and top-firing speakers right above that. For connectivity, you get two Thunderbolt ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, SD card reader, and a headphone jack. You can easily connect what you need to your setup this way.
With all of this on offer, the ConceptD 7 Ezel is a bit pricy, but it’s well worth the money if you have use for all of its features. You can step down to the ConceptD 3 Ezel if you don’t need the 4K display and you’re fine with a GeForce GTX 1650 GPU to save some money.
- The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is a powerful and unique-looking convertible laptop that's great for all kinds of content creation, including video editing. With high-end Intel CPUs, NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, and a 4K display, there isn't much more you could ask for.
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Best video editing laptop with an OLED display: Dell XPS 15
The Dell XPS lineup has long been known for offering fantastic laptops in compact packages. While that applies to the entire lineup, the Dell XPS 15 is extra special. It comes with an incredible 3.5K (3456 x 2160) OLED display, which is going to look stunning no matter what you do on it. Since it’s OLED, you get pure blacks and vivid colors with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio. Plus, it covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. It’s also a touchscreen, which you might find more intuitive to use in some cases. You also get tiny bezels all around, which helps the screen feel that much bigger. A downside to this is the tiny webcam doesn’t produce great-looking images, so if you’re planning to hold video meetings, you’re going to want an external webcam.
This is a powerful laptop too. Despite its compact design, it comes with 11th-generation Intel Core H-series processors, up to Core i9-11900H. That gives you 8 cores and 16 threads with clock speeds up to 4.9GHz. If that’s not enough, you can configure it with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, with 4GB of memory and 45W of power. That’s impressive considering the compact design of this laptop. You get up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of SSD storage, so you won’t be short on power or space for your projects.
Design-wise, the Dell XPS 13 is also unique in that it offers a couple of different options. You can get it with a silver exterior and black carbon fiber interior for a more unique look, or opt for the frost exterior and white interior made from woven glass fiber composite. The keyboard deck also features a large trackpad and four top-firing speakers flanking the keyboard for a great sound experience.
Ports on the Dell XPS 15 are both limited and extremely versatile. You have two Thunderbolt 4 ports, meaning you can connect dozens of peripherals, including external displays, with a Thunderbolt dock. However, that’s just it — you’re probably going to need a Thunderbolt dock. Aside from Thunderbolt, you only have one more USB Type-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2) and an SD card reader. You don’t get USB Type-A ports or even HDMI, although an adapter is included that adds both of these.
- The Dell XPS 15 is a compact, but powerful laptop, and a rare example of a laptop with an OLED display. Offering strong contrast and deep blacks, on top of high-end performance, this is a phenomenal laptop for video editing and media consumption alike.
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Best 14-inch laptop for video editing: Razer Blade 14
Razer’s first AMD-powered laptop made quite a splash, and it’s no surprise. This 14 inch laptop packs a lot of power, starting with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, an 8-core, 16-thread beast capable of reaching up to 4.6GHz clock speeds. It comes with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 8GB of memory and up to 100W of power, which is incredible for this small form factor. Whether you’re gaming or editing video, the Razer Blade 14 will most certainly breeze through any task you might need to do. You also get 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, and the latter can be upgraded later if you need more.
The display is impressive, too. It comes in at Quad HD resolution — the sweet spot for a laptop this size — and with a 165Hz refresh rate, you can get super smooth gaming out of it, too. Of course, the display also supports AMD FreeSync Premium, and it covers 100% of DCI-P3 so it’s also great for video editing. The display specs aren’t the absolute best out there, but they’re a great balance that gives you some headroom to get better performance without overheating.
It wouldn’t be a Razer laptop without RGB lighting, and the Razer Blade 14 makes great use of it. Each of the keys is individually backlit through the label, which gives you personalization without being obnoxious. That’s the only lighting you’ll see anywhere on the laptop too, so you can just easily use it in your home or take it to the office without any weird looks. Flanking the keyboard, you get top-firing speakers for sound.
For ports, you get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports with DisplayPort and power delivery, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, and a headphone jack. Because it’s an AMD laptop, you don’t get support for Thunderbolt, but standard USB connections are already fairly versatile.
Considering its specs, size, and weight, the Razer Blade 14 is still reasonably priced at $2,799 for its top-tier configuration. You can step down to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU for $2,199 if you prefer that. Either way, you’ll have plenty of power for video editing and gaming whenever you need it.
- Razer's first AMD-powered laptop is a 14 inch beast, featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX and high-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics. It comes in a design that weighs under 4lbs, making it quite portable for a device this powerful.
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Best 15-inch laptop for video editing: Alienware m15 R6
If you’re looking for a laptop that can handle gaming and video editing alike, the Dell Alienware m15 is a fantastic choice. This is an extremely powerful laptop, starting with an Intel Core i7-11800H, an 8-core, 16-thread CPU that can boost up to 4.6GHz. Backing that up, there’s an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 8GB of memory, capable of using up to 125W of power. That makes this one of the most powerful laptops you can find already, but you also get 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD to store games and video projects alike.
For gaming aficionados, the Alienware m15 R6 comes with up to a 360Hz Full HD display, giving you the smoothest possible experience. If you value resolution more, you can also get it with a Quad HD 240Hz panel, although that requires stepping down to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. Either way, you’re getting NVIDIA G-Sync support for variable refresh rates, ensuring games look as smooth as possible, even when the frame rate varies. While the display has generally small bezels, it can still fit in a Windows Hello webcam to make logging in easier.
Design-wise, the Alienware m15 R6 is meant to appeal to flashier gamers, featuring plenty of RGB lighting. The keyboard is backlit through the primary labels on each key, and the Alienware logo on the back also has a customizable backlight. The biggest backlit area is a ring around the ventilation area on the back, offering customizable animated effects. The laptop also uses honeycomb-shaped patterns in various places, including the top-firing speakers above the keyboard. Starting at 5.34lbs, this isn’t a light laptop, but that’s not too surprising considering the power inside.
Rounding things out with ports, we have one Thunderbolt 4 port on the back of the laptop, along with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, HDMI 2.1, and a charger port. On the sides, you get two more USB Type-A ports, gigabit Ethernet, and a combo audio jack. Having ports on the back can make some connections easier, plus it frees up some space for peripherals like mice on the side of the laptop.
- The Dell Alienware m15 R6 is a powerful laptop for gaming and video editing. It has Intel's latest 11th-generation processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, capable of powering the high-refresh display offered.
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Thin and light 15-inch laptop: Lenovo Legion Slim 7
Carrying around a laptop like the Alienware m15 is going to take a toll on your back, so you can still find a powerful laptop with a much more manageable weight. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is exactly that, and it doesn’t skimp out on much. It comes with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, which already makes it an incredibly powerful laptop with its 8 cores and 16 threads running up to 4.6GHz. It also includes NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, and up to an RTX 3060 with 100W of power. In terms of power, this is like a larger Razer Blade 14.
The display is pretty good, too. You can get it with a Full HD 165Hz display if you’re more into gaming, or go for the 4K 60Hz panel if you value video editing more. If you opt for the 4K panel, you also get HDR 400 support, Dolby Vision, and 500 nits of brightness, making the display easily visible under bright lights.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 also has one of the most interesting keyboards on this list, for a couple of reasons. It has full-sized arrow keys, and they’re lowered to ensure you don’t hit other keys accidentally. It’s also the only laptop on this list with a number pad, which you may or may not find useful. The keyboard is also backlit (with optional RGB), and that light comes through the labels on the keys as well as the translucent edges.
Design-wise, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 weighs 4.2lbs and it’s fairly thin considering everything it offers. In terms of ports, you get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports (with power delivery and DisplayPort) on the right, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports with the same data speeds on the back, an SD card reader, and a combo audio jack. There’s no Thunderbolt support here because this is an AMD-powered laptop.
Starting at $1,499, this is one of the more reasonably-priced laptops on this list. The model with a 4K display and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti can be found below, but you can also configure your own on Lenovo’s website. You can always read our review if you’d like to know more about what this laptop can do.
- The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is one of the thinnest and lightest you can find for video editing, especially considering it's a 15 inch laptop. It's packed with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, along with a 4K display that's great for work.
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Best 17-inch laptop for video editing: Dell XPS 17
We’ve already given the spotlight to the Dell XPS 15 on this list, but the XPS 17 has a lot of its own merits, too. The most notable of those is performance. The Dell XPS 17 is available with up to an Intel Core i9-11980HK, an 8-core, 16-thread CPU capable of boosting up to 5GHz. You can also configure it with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 capable of drawing 70W of power, an extremely powerful combination for video editing and even some gaming. Additionally, up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage make this a laptop that can handle almost anything you throw at it.
The 17 inch display on this laptop is also excellent for productivity. It comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio, giving you more vertical space to work with. Those extra specs can give you more room for reading or for managing the timeline on a video project. And if you’re editing video, the 4K panel option can also help with that. This panel covers 100% of the Adobe RGB color space and 94% of DCI-P3, making it great for content consumption and creation alike. Plus, the increased pixel density means everything will look sharper and UI elements can become smaller, freeing up screen real estate.
Despite its larger size, the Dell XPS 17 is very similar on the inside compared to its smaller sibling. The keyboard is flanked by large speaker grills that hide the four stereo speakers giving you a great audio experience. Below that, a very large trackpad makes this a fantastic laptop to work on, even without a traditional mouse.
Ports are somewhat limiting here though, with the Dell XPS 17 relying almost exclusively on Thunderbolt. Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two on each side, handle all the peripherals you may want to connect, including displays and external storage. A USB Type-C to Type-A and HDMI adapter is included in the box if you need those connections. Aside from that, the laptop only has an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
You can buy the Dell XPS 17 with an Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, as well as the 4K UHD+ display option, using the link below. This version also comes with Windows 10 Pro instead of the Home edition. Otherwise, you can configure your own XPS 17 on Dell’s website.
- The Dell XPS 17 is a powerful but compact 17 inch laptop. Featuring 11th-generation Intel Core processor, NVIDIA RTX graphics, and a 4K display, this is a fantastic laptop for video editing and productivity.
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Best AMD laptop for gaming: HP OMEN 15
Video editing requires a powerful laptop, but a powerful laptop doesn’t have to be limited to video editing. The latest HP OMEN 15 offers a stellar combination of specs at a compelling price, making it great for a college student who wants to do some gaming on the side. For starters, you get an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, with 8 cores and 16 threads to handle just about anything you might need. That’s backed up by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with 8GB of memory, making this an extremely compelling product for the $1,549 starting price. The base configuration includes 8GB of dual-channel RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, but you can double both of those with individual upgrades.
You also get a very nice display to start with — a Full HD 144Hz panel already gives you a very smooth gaming experience, and it’s sharp enough, too. That won’t really push the hardware inside this laptop though, so you can always opt for the Quad HD 165Hz panel, for an even crisper image and slightly smoother visuals in games.
The HP OMEN 15 has a somewhat subdued design for a gaming laptop, and the flashiest part about it is probably the OMEN logo on the back. The keyboard uses a white backlight by default, though you can upgrade to 4-zone RGB lighting if you enjoy the extra flair.
In terms of ports, you get one USB (3.2 Gen 1) Type-C, three USB Type-A ports at the same speeds, HDMI 2.1, Mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, and a combo audio jack, in addition to a custom power adapter plug.
This laptop doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but that might be a good thing. It focuses on nailing the basics, and it does it pretty well, offering fantastic specs for its $1,549. You can configure your own using the link below.
- The HP OMEN 15 may not be the flashiest laptop, but on the inside, it has all the power you could want from a gaming and video editing rig. With a Ryzen 7 5800H processor and NVIDIA RTX graphics, it's a compelling offering for its price.
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Best for business: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
What if, in addition to powerful video editing capabilities, you also need business and security features? Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 might be the answer to your problems. First off, it comes with 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processors, including the vPro version of it. This variant of the Intel Core i7 has some additional performance and extra security features, making it ideal for business. You can add up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU with 8GB of memory, so you’re not sacrificing power to get those extra security features. You also get 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. Lenovo actually touts up to an Intel Core i9, 64GB of RAM, and 4TB of storage, but these options don’t seem to be available to buy yet.
That’s not all, though. The default configuration on this laptop comes with a 16 inch, Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) IPS display. That’s not only super-sharp already, it’s in the 16:10 aspect ratio, which is fantastic for productivity. One could argue Quad HD is the sweet spot for resolution on a laptop since it offers a good balance of battery life and sharpness. But if you absolutely need more resolution, you can even go up to an Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) display with Dolby Vision and HDR 400 support. This model also includes a 600 nit display, great for visibility under bright lights.
But there are even more business goodies here. You get the classic ThinkPad design, meaning there’s a little nub and duplicate trackpad buttons for mouse control. There’s a fingerprint reader built into the power button, plus an optional IR camera for Windows Hello. Some models will offer optional 5G support, allowing you to stay connected on the go. Again, these models don’t seem to be available yet, but they should show up eventually.
You also get a handful of ports for connectivity — two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB (3.2 Gen 1) Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. All of that comes in a package starting at just under 4lbs, making this an extremely impressive machine.
You can check out the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme using the link below. A few configuration options are already available, but more of them will become available over time.
- The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is a very powerful business laptop featuring high-end specs in the classic ThinkPad design. It comes with Intel Core H-series vPro processors and NVIDIA RTX graphics, and it also includes features like a fingerprint reader, optional IR camera, and a super sharp display.
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Best all-in-one: HP Envy All-in-One 32
Alright, 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’re not going to stay away from an outlet for very long anyway, so this might be the right solution for you.
The HP Envy All-in-One is a powerful machine, packing up to a desktop-level Intel Core i9-10900 processor. That’s not the latest hardware available, but with 10 cores and 20 threads, you really won’t be lacking in power. Plus, you can add up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q design, giving you all the power you could need for video rendering or gaming. Plus, you get up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage (you can get a 2TB HDD, but you really shouldn’t).
The display is also great on this PC, being a 31.5 inch IPS panel with a whopping 4K resolution. It’s also got 600 nits of brightness and HDR 600 support, so viewing and creating content on this display should be great. Likewise, the built-in soundbar should give you a very good experience as well, with multiple speakers offering rich stereo sound tuned by Bang & Olufsen.
The HP Envy All-in-One is also hiding some goodies you might not notice immediately. There’s a 5MP pop-up camera hiding above the display, complete with support for Windows Hello facial recognition. You can bring it up when you need it, and rest assured your privacy is protected when you don’t need it. Another neat feature is wireless charging available on the computer’s base. You can put your phone down on it, and it will charge wirelessly (if it supports wireless charging).
Rounding things out, you get plenty of ports, including one Thunderbolt 3 port (40Gbps), a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, HDMI in and out, and Ethernet ports on the back. Plus, an extra USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port and a combo audio jack on the side for anything you want to plug in quickly. This all comes in a sleek and modern design that will look great on any desk. You also get a matching keyboard and mouse so you’re ready to go right out of the box.
- The HP Envy All-in-One 32 is a powerful compact PC that has a lot to offer. Featuring high-end Intel Core processors and NVIDIA RTX 20 series graphics, it can handle all the video editing tasks you can throw at it, and some gaming too.
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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. They’re all PCs running Windows 10, but they’ll get Windows 11 once the update is available. With all of these options, you’ll surely be able to find something that suits your personal preference.
Personally speaking, I would always want a convertible, and the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is an extremely interesting concept for this form factor. But you don’t have to abide by the same rules, and all the options on this list are fantastic.
The post Best laptops for video editing: Acer ConceptD, Dell XPS, and more appeared first on xda-developers.
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