10 Best Video Editing Laptops 2025 in the United States

The 2025 Apple MacBook Air 15-inch with the M4 chip is a strong contender for video editing thanks to its powerful 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, which provide smooth performance when handling multiple apps and demanding tasks like video rendering. With 24GB of unified memory, it offers ample space to work on large projects without slowing down. The 512GB SSD storage is reasonably fast and reliable but might feel limited if you work with many large video files, so consider external drives for more space.

The 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display stands out with sharp detail, wide color support, and 500 nits brightness, making it excellent for accurate color work and viewing video edits clearly. Battery life is impressive, allowing up to 18 hours of video streaming, which means you can edit on the go with less worry about charging. However, the MacBook Air only includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack, which might require adapters if you frequently connect multiple external devices or displays beyond two 6K monitors.

The integrated GPU is powerful for integrated graphics but may not match the performance of dedicated GPUs found in higher-end laptops tailored for intensive video editing. macOS and Apple Intelligence features add user-friendly tools and privacy features, and the lightweight design makes this laptop very portable. This MacBook Air is suited for users who want a blend of portability, strong display quality, and solid editing power without needing the most hardcore specs or expandability. For professional editors working on extremely large or complex projects, a laptop with more storage and a dedicated GPU might be more suitable.

The Apple 2024 MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip is a powerful laptop designed to meet the intense demands of video editing. Its 16-core CPU combined with a 40-core GPU offers outstanding speed and graphics performance, ideal for rendering high-resolution videos and complex effects. With 48GB of unified memory, it handles large files and multitasking smoothly, while the 1TB SSD provides fast storage, though some editors might want more capacity depending on their project sizes. The 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display is one of its standout features, delivering ultra-bright colors and excellent contrast, which is crucial for color-accurate video work.

Battery life is impressive for such a high-performance machine, offering up to 21 hours of video streaming, so you can work longer without hunting for a charger. Connectivity options are robust, including three Thunderbolt 5 ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and MagSafe charging, covering most needs for external drives, displays, and peripherals. However, this MacBook Pro comes at a premium price, and its integrated graphics, while very powerful for an integrated solution, may not match the raw power of some dedicated GPUs in other laptops.

Being a Mac, it is best suited for those already comfortable with or invested in the Apple ecosystem. This laptop represents a top choice for professional or serious video editors looking for a high-quality display, excellent performance, and long battery life in a portable package.

The ASUS ROG Strix G16 is designed with strong performance in mind, featuring a powerful Intel Core i7 14650HX processor and a capable NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 laptop GPU. These components are well-suited for video editing tasks, providing the speed and graphics power needed to handle demanding software smoothly. With 16GB of DDR5 RAM, multitasking and working with multiple video layers or effects should be efficient, although some very heavy projects might benefit from even more memory.

Storage is generous with a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, allowing plenty of space for large video files and fast file transfers. The 16-inch Full HD+ display offers a slightly taller 16:10 aspect ratio and a 165Hz refresh rate, ensuring clear and smooth visuals. Its resolution of 1920 x 1200 is good but not as sharp as 4K displays some editors prefer for detailed color work. The laptop’s advanced cooling system helps maintain performance without overheating during long editing sessions, which is a plus.

The battery life is quite short at around 2 hours, so staying near a power source during intensive editing is recommended. Connectivity options include three USB 3.0 ports and Wi-Fi 7, supporting fast wireless connections. This laptop is a strong choice for video editors seeking a balance of gaming-level power and fast storage, but those requiring top-tier display resolution or longer battery life might want to explore other options.