Videographers and photographers on the move need a laptop that can keep up with quick deadlines and handle any task from color grading to 4K video editing. For professionals who need a laptop that doesn’t compromise on processing power, color accuracy, or battery life, the Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro) is our undisputed recommendation. But if you prefer Windows, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is the best option right now due to its processing power, portability, and AMOLED screen. And the more-budget-friendly 15-inch M2 MacBook Air has a superb display for a laptop of its price, as well as a processor that’s easily capable of editing 1080p footage.
Top pick
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is faster than any other laptop we’ve tested for photo or video editing, and it has truly impressive battery life, to boot.
Recommended configuration
| Processor: | Apple M3 Pro | Screen resolution: | 3456×2234 |
| Graphics: | 18-core (integrated) | Weight: | 4.7 pounds |
| Memory: | 18 GB | Tested battery life: | 15 hours |
| Storage: | 512 GB SSD |
The Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro) pairs a color-accurate screen with an incredibly fast laptop processor, and it delivered battery life of 15 hours in our testing. The large, 16.2-inch display offers bright images and has great contrast, so you’ll be able to see every detail in your photos or videos. And when it comes to editing, the MacBook Pro crunches through video with the power of a desktop computer. However, the laptop is a bit heavy, at 4.7 pounds, and it lacks a USB-A port, so you may still need to carry a dongle for now.
Also great
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra puts a sharp AMOLED display and powerful performance in a lighter package than the competition.
Recommended configuration
| Processor: | Intel Core 9 185H | Screen: | 2880 x 1800 |
| Graphics: | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 | Weight: | 4.2 pounds |
| Memory: | 32 GB | Tested battery life: | 11.5 hours |
| Storage: | 1 TB SSD |
We recommend the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra as a Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro. It’s a bit slower, like all the Windows laptops we’ve tested for this guide, but it offers the best combination of display quality, weight, ports, and color accuracy. The model we recommend was previously prohibitively expensive, but after its recent price cut, we think it’s a better buy.
Budget pick
The MacBook Air is a staple of many modern office desks and home offices, but it’s also a surprisingly capable video-editing laptop, especially for lighter loads and 1080p footage.
Recommended configuration
| Processor: | eight-core Apple M3 CPU | Storage: | 256 GB SSD |
| Graphics: | 10-core Apple M3 GPU | Screen: | 2880×1864 IPS |
| Memory: | 16 GB |
The Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024, 15-inch) is even faster than the previous, M2 model, making it not just a great budget option but also a possible first choice for many photographers and videographers who don’t have intensive processing needs. The M3-based Air is much lighter than our top pick, so if you’re a creative pro who uses minimal editing or computer-generated effects in your work, and you carry around your laptop a lot, the 1.4-pound difference might help save your back. The M3-based Air’s 15.3-inch display has a resolution of 2880×1864 and a brightness of 500 nits, so it’s bright enough for use outdoors. It nearly matches the MacBook Pro in color accuracy, and it charges on a much smaller power brick. Creative professionals tend to gravitate toward the MacBook Pro for obvious reasons, but Apple’s chips are now so good that you may not need to look any further than the MacBook Air.
