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 is a powerful gaming laptop that shows promise for video editing, thanks to its robust specifications. It features a high-performance Intel Core i7-13650HX processor, which will handle video rendering tasks efficiently. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU further enhances its capability for graphics-related tasks, making it suitable for users who work with video effects or high-resolution footage. With 16GB of DDR5 RAM, multitasking becomes seamless, allowing you to run editing software alongside other applications without slowdowns. The 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD provides ample storage space for your projects and ensures quick load times, which is crucial when working with large video files.

On the display side, the 16-inch FHD panel with a 165Hz refresh rate offers vibrant colors and smooth visuals, although it does not have 4K resolution, which may be a limitation for some video professionals looking for finer detail. The laptop is equipped with advanced cooling features to maintain performance during long editing sessions, which is a significant plus.

However, one downside to consider is its weight of 5.51 pounds, which makes it less portable compared to lighter alternatives. Battery life is also a critical factor for video editing, and while the specs don’t explicitly mention this, gaming laptops typically have shorter battery life when under load. Lastly, the gaming-centric design and features may not appeal to all video editors who prefer a more understated look.

The HP 14 Inch New Student Business Laptop offers a solid amount of RAM (16GB), which is great for smoothly running multiple applications and basic video editing tasks. Its Intel N150 processor, while better than its predecessor (N4120), is still an entry-level CPU designed mainly for everyday tasks, so it may struggle with more demanding video editing software or large files. The integrated Intel graphics support basic visuals but are not powerful enough for advanced video rendering or effects. Storage is split between 128GB fast flash storage and an additional 256GB microSD card, providing some flexibility but might fill up quickly with large video projects.

The 14-inch HD display has a modest resolution (1366x768), which is less sharp than Full HD screens, making precise video editing less comfortable. Battery life is described as long, suitable for all-day use, and the laptop includes useful ports like USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and an SD card reader, which help when connecting external devices or transferring files. Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast internet for uploading or downloading content. Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office lifetime license add value for productivity.

This laptop is well suited for beginners or students working with light video editing tasks on a budget, but those needing more power, higher resolution display, and dedicated graphics for professional-level editing might find it limiting.