10 Best Cheap Laptop For Video Editing 2025 in the United States

The Apple 2025 MacBook Air with the M4 chip is a lightweight and portable option that brings impressive power and efficiency for video editing in the budget category. Its 10-core CPU combined with an 8-core integrated GPU provides smooth performance for editing tasks, especially with Apple’s hardware-accelerated video processing for formats like ProRes and HEVC. The 16GB of unified memory is generous and helps run multiple apps smoothly, which is important when working on video projects. The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display delivers bright visuals with sharp details and supports a billion colors, making it great for color-accurate editing on the go.

Battery life is excellent, lasting up to 18 hours, so you can work unplugged for extended periods. Connectivity includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports and MagSafe charging, offering flexibility for external drives and displays, although the storage at 256GB SSD is somewhat limited for large video files, so external drives will likely be necessary. The MacBook Air also benefits from tight integration with macOS and Apple software, providing a smooth editing experience with apps like Adobe Creative Cloud.

While its integrated graphics may not match dedicated GPUs found in more expensive machines, which might slow down very demanding rendering tasks, this MacBook Air is a strong contender for those prioritizing portability, display quality, and battery life on a budget. However, if extensive storage or top-tier graphics power is needed, additional investment might be required.

The ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2025) is a powerful laptop that can handle video editing tasks well, especially given its strong CPU and GPU setup. It comes with an Intel Core i7 14650HX processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, providing good speed and smooth rendering performance for editing videos. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM is sufficient for multitasking and handling editing software without lag. Storage is generous with a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, offering fast file access and plenty of space for video projects. The 16-inch Full HD+ display with a 165Hz refresh rate delivers sharp and vibrant visuals, useful for detailed editing work, and its anti-glare feature helps reduce eye strain during long sessions.

On the downside, the battery life is quite short, lasting about 2 hours, which means you’ll likely need to stay near a power source during extended editing sessions. The laptop is fairly heavy at nearly 6 pounds, which could affect portability if you need to edit on the go. The cooling system is advanced, keeping the laptop quiet and cool, which is a plus when running demanding editing software. It also includes modern connectivity options like Wi-Fi 7 and multiple USB ports, supporting a range of external devices.

Although designed as a gaming laptop, it suits video editors who want strong performance without a very high price tag, though portability and battery life are trade-offs to consider.

The Dell Inspiron Touchscreen Laptop is a budget-friendly option for those needing a laptop for video editing. It is powered by an Intel Quad-Core i5-1155G7 processor, which should provide sufficient performance for basic video editing tasks. Its 32GB RAM is more than adequate, ensuring smooth multitasking and rendering processes. The 1TB SSD offers ample storage space for storing large video files and fast read/write speeds, which is crucial for video editing efficiency.

The 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display, with its anti-glare and touchscreen features, provides a decent visual experience, although the 220 nits brightness might be low for some users who work in brighter environments. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics is a downside for intensive video editing as it may struggle with more demanding tasks compared to a dedicated GPU.

The laptop includes a good range of ports (USB, HDMI, headphone/mic jack, SD card reader) and connectivity options (Wi-Fi 5 & Bluetooth), which is beneficial for connecting external devices and peripherals. The Windows 11 Pro operating system is robust, and the inclusion of a numeric keypad is a plus for those who need it for data entry or shortcuts. This Dell Inspiron model is a strong contender for budget video editing with its ample RAM and SSD, though the lack of a dedicated graphics card may be a limitation for more serious video editing needs.