In this article, we have enlisted the best laptops for film editing for 2021. With so much choice out there, it can be hard to make the right buying decision. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide that you can find today.
Gone are those days of using a bulky desktop PC for video editing. Those machines had many disadvantages, the prominent is the non-portability. In contrast, modern-day laptops are more powerful, portable, and adapt to modern technology. They offer enough power to you to edit, view and encode 1080p and 4K videos. Further, the laptop will provide fast rendering times with minimal hanging problem.
Some Benefits Of Best Laptops For Film Editing:
Editing video is a tiresome task that requires a laptop having immense power and memory. For this investing in a cheap machine would be a false economy. Average laptops can’t achieve this feat as when you scale things down, the improved portability will curtail other features like battery and performance.
Various software is required for film editing. One id the Adobe Premiere Pro that demands a larger screen to split its windows into quadrants for ease of access, for this a minimum of 15-inch display screen id recommended. Most software requires dedicated and intelligent graphics, the best available for this is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050. Coming to processor an Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen would serve the purpose better. Also keep in mind about the battery life and weight, which are the key points when portability is under consideration.
Mostly gaming laptop is packed with enough features to be the best workstations for video editing. They usually have a dedicated media creation system for fast rendering, capable of handling more graphics, accelerate performance, and has a huge stunning display.
In this article, we have selected the best laptops for movie editing, which are rated well for film and video editing. Let’s explore the list.
Our Top Picks Best Laptops For Film Editing:
We have enlisted the best laptops for film editing 2021 for you that can give you the ultimate experience. Our team of experts has done extensive research and have come up with the list of these laptops with endless features.
1. Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch – Best Mac Laptop For Film Editing
Rated as one of the best laptops for film editing, the MacBook Pro is beloved by creators and graphic designers. Apple’s MacBook has tons of unrivaled features to appeal to its fans. From the last three decades, the industry has been garnering its prestige and delivering ultimate user experience.
The MacBook Pro has a 16-inch retina display with true tone technology and 3072x1920for an immersive viewing experience. It is specced with 2.6GHz 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and a whopping memory comprising 16GB of ram and 512GB of ultra-fast SSD storage.
The MacBook keeps you going through large edits and complex after-effects by the courtesy of dual graphics consisting of AMD Radeon Pro 5500M graphics with 6GB GDDR6 memory and Intel UHD Graphics 630 with integrated video memory. You should opt for it if you are indulged in projects involving fast 3D rendering or high-end game developments. Working on macOS the system allows more editing applications.
The sensitivity of the MacBook is really outstanding. The touch bar screen set horizontally above the keyboard allows you some quick access while using various software. The trackpad is also sensitive with a haptic feedback sensor and Touch ID allows fast authentication.
The laptop weighs around lbs, the MacBook has a battery life of 11 hours. Awesome of the kind with 6 speaker sound system, bigger bass with force canceling woofers, and three mic-array with superior heat sink system.
There are lots of connectivity options and its ports also include Thunderbolt 3. The storage space is upgradable to 64GB ram and 8TB storage.
- The virtually border less display maximizes screen space by accommodating a 15.6 Inches Display inside a laptop closer to the size of a 14 inches, thanks to a bezel measuring just 5.7 millimeters
- Beautiful from any angle: The anti reflective screen combined with superior 400 nit brightness frees you to enjoy your entertainment outdoors. Plus, the IPS panel provides a wider viewing angle, so you can share your screen without missing a thing
- With the UltraSharp 4K Ultra HD display (3840 x 2160), you can see each detail of every pixel without needing to zoom in. You can edit images with pinpoint accuracy without worrying about blurriness or jagged lines
2. Acer ConceptD 7 CN715 – Best Laptop For Movie Editing
Acer ConceptD line is a series of the laptop which require more investment for a sophisticated machine. This laptop is fine-tuned for designers and creators and is used extensively for gaming as the laptop provides immense power without any casing or RGB backlighting.
It is equipped with a 15.6-inch 4K display with IPS technology and Ultra HD Widescreen resolution of 3840×2160. Moreover, the Acer ComfyView LED-Backlit TFT LCD with Acer ColorBlast technology provides extreme viewing experience and 100% Adobe RGB color gamut. Designers and editors would have a perfect space for editing that demonstrates superior fidelity in reproducing the PANTONE Matching system and true-to-life colors.
Further, the laptop is powered by the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H 6-core processor with base speed up to 4.5GHz and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card with MAX-Q design and 8GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM. On the storage front, it has 32GB ram and 1TB SSD storage. With over 6 hours of battery life, the laptop weighs about 7.6lbs.
Furthermore, the laptop has a fingerprint reader, Amber colored Backlit keyboard, various connectivity options, and ports, and runs on Windows 10 Home.
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H 6-Core Processor (Up to 4. 5GHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with MAX-Q Design with 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM | NVIDIA Studio | RTX Studio Laptop
- 15. 6 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) widescreen LED-backlit IPS Display | PANTONE Validated | Delta E <2 | 400nit Brightness | 100% Adobe RGB Color Gamut
- 32GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory | 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Amber Colored Backlit Keyboard | LAN: Killer Ethernet E3000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (Up to 2. 5 Gbps) | Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless-AC 1550 802. 11ac
3. Razer Blade 15 – Best Laptop For Film Editing
The Razer Blade is one of the laptops that feature an optional OLED display with 4K resolution. The screen looks incredible with vibrant colors and 282-pixel density. It has a thin and compact body with CNC durable precision-crafted aluminum chassis and 0.78 inches thin bezel.
The laptop has a 15.6 inch Full HD thin-bezel display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and 1920×1080 resolution. The screen has a matte finish with anti-glare technology and factory calibrated 100% sRGB color space. The incredible performance of the laptop is brought to you by the 10th Gen 2.6GHz Intel 6 Core i7-8750H 6 core processor, further, an ultimate level of performance of up to 5.0GHz can be reached with Max Turbo.
Paired with the display the laptop also has a cutting-edge graphics comprising NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM that allows cinematic-quality rendering to most of the video editing tasks. To deal with the memory, the laptop has 16GB of DDR4 ram and 512GB of SSD storage. With over 6 hours of battery life, the laptop weighs about 8.81lbs.
Further, its connectivity includes Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt ports, etc. The system runs on Windows 10 Home and has a backlit keyboard with Razer Chroma single-zone RGB lighting.
- 15. 6” 144Hz Full HD edge-to-edge display (4. 9mm bezels), color calibrated
- Thin and compact, durable CNC aluminum anybody (0. 68” x 9. 25” x 13. 98”)
- 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H 6 core Processor. Battery - up to 6 hours
- NVidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q design VR Ready Graphics; 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
- Innovative vapor chamber cooling System with gaming Mode power boost
4) ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus has historically been big beats in serving ultimate power with portability. This svelte gaming machine is supremely versatile with elegant hybrid design and weighs just about 4.85lbs made exclusively for content creators and gamers.
The laptop has a 15.6 inch IPS Type Full HD Pantone validated display with a resolution of 1920×1080 and a 240Hz refresh rate plus 3ms response time. Its 6.2mm thin bezel with 81% screen to body ratio provides wide viewing angles. The laptop is powered by 8 core 2.9Ghz AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS processor, further upgradeable to 4.2 GHz with Turbo Boost. Paired with the processor is an excellent graphics comprising NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card with 6GB GDDR6 memory and ROG boost.
The laptop has huge storage featuring 16GB DDR4 ram and 1TB SSD. The precision comes with more power, it has a battery life of about 9 hours. Moreover, there is an intelligent and innovative cooling system with anti-dust tunnels to ensure proper cooling and unlocking greater performance alongside system stability.
The system runs on Windows 10 Pro and has additional; features like Backlit keyboard, Thunderbolt 3 ports along with other ports to work on the go, and front-firing speakers with immersive sound.
These features makes it a capable machine and one of the best laptops for film editing 2021 as well.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 with ROG Boost (Base: 982MHz, Boost: 1198MHz, TDP: 65W)
- AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS processor (up to 4.2GHz)
- 15.6” 240Hz 3ms IPS-Type Full HD (1920x1080) PANTONE Validated display
- 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM | 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD | Backlit Precision Gaming Keyboard | Windows 10 Professional
- 0.8” thin, 4.85 lbs ultraportable form-factor
- Gig+ Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | USB Type-C Charging Capable
- ROG Intelligent Cooling system with self-cleaning anti-dust tunnels preserves cooling performance and system stability
5. Microsoft Surface Book 2
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 displays an incredible feat of engineering with a powerhouse of a performance. The electromagnetic latch securely connects the tablet to the keyboard without any wiggle. The laptop provides extreme portability and versatility with 4 modes of usage laptop, tablet, and studio.
The laptop is equipped with amazing dual GPU units comprising NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 discrete GPU with 6GB GDDR5 memory and Intel HD graphics. The graphics are designed to handle all advanced 3D gaming, video edits, and after effects renders. Thanks to its vibrant 15-inch touchscreen PixelSense display with a resolution of 3240×2160. Alongside 10 points Multi-touch G5 touchscreen tablet mode makes it further easier to edit videos on the go and in any environment.
The laptop is powered by 8th Gen Intel Quad Core i7-8650U processor, with 4.2GHz Max turbo combined with huge memory featuring 16GB of ram and 1TB of SSD storage. Further, there are 17 hours of video playback battery life makes it a viable option to consider.
Additionally, the laptop has a TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security in coordination with Windows Hello, 5MP front-facing 1080p HD Webcam, and 8MP rear-facing camera with autofocus, front-facing speakers with Dolby audio premium and microphones, lots of connectivity options and sensors. The system runs on Windows 10 Pro and weighs about 4.20lbs.
Better yet, it also gets our vote as among the best laptops for movie editing, especially from a value perspective.
- Microsoft Surface Book 2 Features a 8th generation Intel Quad Core i7 Processor, 512 GB of storage, 16 GB RAM, and up to 17 hours of video playback
- Enhanced Graphics performance with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 discrete GPU w/6GB GDDR5 Graphics Memory
- The fastest Surface Book yet, with 4x more power
- Vibrant PixelSense Display: now available with a new 15 touchscreen. Weight : Starting at 4.2 pounds including keyboard
- Four versatile modes of use and new USB-C port
6. Dell XPS 15 9570
The Dell XPS 15 is the best feature laptop suited for video editing and not for gaming. Immense power and versatility with huge storage and intelligent graphics are what the laptop excels at.
The laptop has a 15.6 inch 4K Ultra HD InfinityEdge touch display with a resolution of 3840×2160. The virtually borderless display provides maximum screen space for editing tasks. The laptop is powered by the 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK processor. The super-fast processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphics card with 4GB GDDR5 video memory lets you blaze through most intensive tasks like faster 4K video editing with Adobe Premiere Pro. You can reach your content faster with a huge memory comprising 32GB of DDR4 ram and 1TB of SSD storage.
The laptop runs on Windows 10 and has a total weight of 3.96lbs. It also features 14 hours of video playback battery life and not much heating issues either.
The efficient killer wireless adapter provides a secure and reliable connection to your online videos or voice and games with network traffic monitoring. It has lots of connectivity ports including Thunderbolt 3 so that you can supplement it with an external display or GPU.
7. HP ZBook Studio X360
The HP ZBook X360 is a renowned product for its portability and versatility. It is for those editors who love to work on the go and use the 2-in-1 laptop/tablet daily. This laptop has a latest convertible design that folds the screen back over forming a tablet, with the help of Wacom digitizer under the display the pen provides smooth pressure sensitivity to illustrate elements for video edits and animations.
The laptop has a 15.6 inch LCD IPS technology display with a screen resolution of 1366×768 pixels. There is a range of display options available, the best is the 4K dream color panel which covers 100% of Adobe RGB color gamut with max brightness.
It is powered by 2.3GHz 8th Gen Intel Quad Core i5-8300H processor and Intel HD graphics coprocessor. On the storage front, the laptop has 8GB of DDR4 ram and 256GB of SSD storage. Though the storage is further expandable to 64GB of ram and 2TB of SSD storage, a unique of its kind.
The laptop has a 720p rear Webcam, lots of connectivity ports including Thunderbolt 3 and more. With over 14 hours of battery life, the system runs on Windows 10 Pro and has a total weight of 5lbs.
- 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H processor (2.2 GHz, up to 4.1 GHz with Turbo Boost, 9MB cache, 6 core), NVIDIA Quadro P1000 (4 GB GDDR5 dedicated) Graphics
- 15.6 diagonal FHD LED UWVA for HD Webcam slim Touchscreen Ambient Light Sensor (1920x1080) Display, Intel 9560 ac 2x2 +Bluetooth 5 (vPro disabled)
- 16GB DDR4 Memory, Built-in webcam,Integrated HD 720p DualAryMic Webcam, Keyboard:Clickpad Backlit Collaboration
- 256GB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD, 1 USB 3.0; 1 USB 3.0; 1 HDMI 2.0; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 1 power connector; 2 USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 (DisplayPort 1.3), SDHC, SDXC card reader
- Windows 10 Professional (Win 10 Pro), 1 Year Manufacture warranty from GreatPriceTech (Professionaly Upgraded by GreatPriceTech)
8. Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315 – Best Budget Laptop For Film Editing
Another Acer product on our list is the Acer Predator Helios 300 available at a very affordable price and offers the same level of competition to the high-end laptops. Video professionals who are new to film editing can benefit from this laptop.
The laptop is equipped with a 15.6 inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1920×1080 and 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. The screen has 72% screen to body ratio with NTSC and 300nits bright display.
The laptop has 6 Core Intel Core i7-9750H processor, with a base speed of up to 4.5GHz. This gaming laptop is supported by NVIDIA Turing GPU architecture and RTX platform. You can count on the fastest and realistic with AI advanced graphics comprising NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6GB of memory. On the storage aspect, the laptop has 16GB ram and 1TB HDD plus 256GB SSD.
Like most of the gaming laptops, the Acer predator has a low battery life of around 4 hours. The system runs on Windows 10 Home and weights 5.56 lbs. alongside the laptop has lots of connectivity ports and Killer Doubleshot Pro Wi-Fi for a faster and reliable connection.
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750H 6 Core Processor (Up to 4.5GHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
- 15.6 inches Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED backlit IPS Display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness and 72 percentage NTSC)
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots; 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) and 1 Available Hard Drive Bay
- Backlit Keyboard; LAN: Killer Ethernet E2500 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN; Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless AC 1550 802. 11ac; 4th Gen All Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
9. Huawei MateBook X Pro – Best Cheap Laptops For Film Editing
The Huawei’s MateBook is quite a different product from the MacBook’s but resembles it in some features. The MateBook has a gorgeous metal body with biometric security and excellent speakers. Its beefier graphics serves all film editing tasks, further, you can add an external GPU with the help of Thunderbolt 3.
It has a 13.3-inch 3K touchscreen display with a stunning resolution of 3000×2000. The full view display screen has 91% screen to body ratio and 0.57-inch thin. It has a powerful interior with no bloatware. The laptop has 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U processor, a powerful CPU, and NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU. A combination of both boots the performance of the machine up to 40% over its predecessor.
It has a great battery life of 13 hours and this signature edition has a one-touch power button with Windows Hello support to enable fast unlock feature to its users. The storage includes 16GB ram and 512GB SSD, though upgradable to up to 1 TB SSD. The system runs on Windows 10 Home and comes with a warranty of 1 year.
It is lightweight, weighing only 2.93lbs making it perfect for at-home or on-the-go computing. The laptop is available in two color options, both of which look great on its elegant metallic body.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro a great combination of affordability and power, and that’s exactly why it’s one of the best budget laptop for film editing.
- Worlds First FullView Display: Immersive 13.9-inch 3K touchscreen with 91% screen-to-body ratio, only 0.57-inch thin and weighs only 2.93 lbs., perfect for at-home or on-the-go computing
- Powerful Inside: Windows 10 Home Signature Edition with no bloatware. 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8550U processor + NVIDIA GeForce MX150 - boosts performance up to 40% over its predecessor
- Home Theater: 3K touchscreen with 3, 000 x 2, 000 resolution, 1500:1 contrast ratio and 260 PPI allow you to see vivid details when viewing HD content. 2nd Gen Dolby ATMOS for immersive audio
- One Touch Power Button: Enabling users to power on the notebook, finish identity authentication through Windows Hello and access the desktop in less than 8 seconds. Bluetooth - Bluetooth 4.1
- Includes compact Mate Dock 2.0: USB-A port, USB-C port, HDMI port and VGA port. Includes 1 year Office 365 Personal and 1 year manufacturer warranty.60Hz refresh rate
10. Lenovo ThinkPad P53 – Good Laptop For Film Editing
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 has a traditional look with incredible internal and best suited for business and video edits. As it suits your business it is also a very versatile laptop having various options ranging from beginner level edits to supercharged version of 4k edits.
This slim and thin powerful mobile workstation laptop has a 15.6 inch UHD 4K display with a resolution of 3840×2160. The non-touchscreen has anti-glare technology and wide view angles.
The laptop has a lightning-fast processor and graphics with cutting-edge technology to handle most intensive tasks. It also has a 9th Gen Intel Hex Core i7-9750H a processor with 12M cache and a base speed of up to 4.5 GHz. Paired with it is the NVIDIA Quadro T2000 discrete graphics with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM.
On the storage front, the laptop has 16GB ram and 512GB SSD storage. Moreover, the laptop has a battery life of 6 hours and weighs 5.51lbs. The system runs on Windows 10 pro and has a warranty of 3 years.
The laptop has stereo speakers with immersive sound and 720P HD Webcam with IR and Thinkshutter. There is 4G WAN Mobile Broadband connectivity for fast network speed. The Fingerprint reader allows fast unlock with the help of the TPM 2.0 chip. The laptop has a backlit spill-resistant keyboard with a full number pad.
However, there’s still no doubt that the Lenovo ThinkPad P53 deserves its lofty spot on the best laptops for film editing list.
- 9th Gen Intel six Core i7-9750h (12M Cache, up to 4.5 GHz) - 512GB PCIe SSD - 1x 16GB DIMM DDR4-2666 RAM.
- 15.6 Uhd 4K (3840x2160) 500nits, anti-glare, Non-Touch Display - NVIDIA Quadro T2000 discrete graphics with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM - Stereo speakers.
- 4G WAN mobile Broadband connectivity (fibocom l850-gl), built in HD 720P Webcam with IR and ThinkShutter - Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC (2x2) AX200 11Ax, Bluetooth Version 5.0 - fingerprint reader, discrete TPM 2.0 chip.
- Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 (1 Always on) | 2 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C/ Thunderbolt 3 | 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C | 4-in-1 media card Reader (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC) HDMI, 2.0 RJ45 Ethernet, Audio Combo Jack.
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit - Backlit keyboard with full Number pad, spill resistant/ 170-watt ac-adapter/ integrated 90Wh battery. 3 Year Lenovo manufacturer Warranty
Final Words:
We have collected the list of best laptops for film editing 2021 on the basis of extensive research. And we recommend you read user’s and expert’s reviews before jumping to a conclusion. We have a range of laptops has varied prices and features. First, decide the kind of film editing tasks you need to perform, then choose the right laptop which is capable of satisfying your needs. Your investment matters a lot and makes sure you don’t have to invest again for some additional tasks.
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