Key Points
- The Apple MacBook Air M1 is the best laptop for video editing under $1,000.
- The Lenovo Legion comes with a dedicated GPU to speed up rendering.
- The Acer ConceptD has a massive 4K screen resolution.
- The HP Pavilion is the only laptop featured with fast charging capabilities.
- The Acer Swift X has great color reproduction on the built-in display.
What are the best laptops for video editing under 1000 dollars? Video editing can be a fairly demanding task for any modern computer. You need copious amounts of RAM, fast storage, and preferably a dedicated graphical processor to shoulder some of the load.
There are numerous laptops on the market that are well-suited to video editing. However, very few under the $1,000 price range are going to pass the test with flying colors. All said these are some solid and dependable options that punch well above their weight.
Are they top-of-the-line? No, but you get quite a bit of power for your dollar with these choices.
Just take a look at our roundup of the 6 best laptops for video editing under $1,000:
- #1 Best Overall: Apple MacBook Air M1
- Best for Resolution: Acer ConceptD Creator
- Best Specs: Acer Swift X SFX14-41G
- Best for Connectivity: HP ProBook 450 G9
- Best for Fast Charging: HP Pavilion
- Best for Display Size: Lenovo Legion
#1 Best Overall: Apple MacBook Air M1
- Up to 18 hours of battery life
- 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU
- 13.3-inch retina display
- Integrated graphics card
- Up to 512GB SSD storage
The Apple MacBook Air M1 combines stellar battery life with performance and is our best overall choice for video editing. Sure, the M1 MacBook Air isn’t the newest laptop on the market. It has since been succeeded by the M2 MacBook Air line. However, there is still plenty of life in this laptop.
You get access to 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. This might seem like very little compared to the Windows laptops featured in this guide, but the M1 handles things very differently. You will get blazing speeds when using the likes of Final Cut Pro X or other native software.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It has superb battery life. | The storage cannot be upgraded. |
| Comes in a trio of finishes so you aren’t stuck with plain silver. | The display is on the smaller side. |
Check out the Apple MacBook Air M1 on Amazon.
Best for Resolution: Acer ConceptD Creator
The Acer ConceptD Creator has the highest resolution for video editing. Instead of a custom resolution or the standard 1080p, you get access to a stunning 4K display. This high resolution makes for one of the best laptops for video editing under $1,000.
The display is a bit on the smaller end, measuring 15.6 inches diagonally. You get access to 512GB of SSD storage, a dependable Intel i7-8705G, and a dedicated GPU in the form of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL. This laptop isn’t going to be suitable for most modern games, but video editing should be a breeze.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The display works at a native 4K resolution. | The display is on the smaller end despite the resolution. |
| It has great specs for a low price. | The onboard Wi-Fi only supports 802.11ac. |
Check out the Acer ConceptD Creator on Amazon.
Best Specs: Acer Swift X SFX14-41G
- 14-inch Full HD, IPS Widescreen
- Uncompromised performance, long battery life
- 16GB memory and 512GB NVMe SSD capacity
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor with Zen 3 Core
- Streaming multiprocessors support DirectX 12 Ultimate
If you’re after killer specs for an affordable price, the Acer Swift X SFX14-41G is hard to beat. The Swift X is comparable to the aforementioned ConceptD Creator.
However, it has a more efficient processor in the form of an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U. These specs make for one of the best laptops for video editing under $1,000.
You can game with it, as well, as you’ve got access to an NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti. The included dedicated GPU should be great for rendering videos, in addition to a whole slew of other workloads. The screen is 14 inches diagonally, which is on the smaller side but still perfectly usable.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It has great specs for the cost. | It only has DDR4 RAM. |
| The dedicated GPU can pull extra weight when actually rendering and processing video. | The display is a bit small. |
Check out the Acer Swift X SFX14-41G on Amazon.
Best for Connectivity: HP ProBook 450 G9
- 512GB SSD
- Solid Intel i7 processor
- Great number of ports so you don't need a USB hub
If you’ve got a slew of accessories to connect, the HP ProBook 450 G9 is the laptop to get. It has a ton of ports on the side of the laptop, which makes it one of the best laptops for video editing under $1,000.
The ProBook line from HP has been the enterprise-grade laptop of choice for many businesses for a number of years. Despite its no-frills appearance, this laptop is packing some serious power.
You get access to a great 15.6-inch display. Also included is a 512GB SSD, which is perfect for handling larger files. This is capped off with a ten-core Intel i7 mobile processor. It is a bit on the slower side, but the sheer number of cores should prove adequate for some heavy lifting.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It has tons of ports available without needing a USB hub. | It only has an Intel Iris GPU. |
| The Intel i7 processor is dependable and a great choice for serious work. | The processor clock speed is on the slower side of things. |
Check out the HP ProBook 450 G9 on Amazon.
Best for Fast Charging: HP Pavilion
- Charges to 50% battery capacity in 45 minutes
- Stunning 15.6" display
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM, 512GB of SSD storage
If you need to charge quickly, the HP Pavilion is the best laptop for you. It charges exceptionally quickly, which is just one reason it is among the best laptops for video editing under $1,000.
The HP Pavilion serves as the more consumer-friendly version of the ProBook. It features the same no-frills design you might expect of a mid-range HP laptop.
Despite this, it has some seriously solid specs suited for video editing. You get access to a powerful 12th-generation Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. If you’re after an affordable but dependable laptop that can charge to a usable state in 45 minutes flat, the HP Pavilion is a great choice.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It is a very affordable, powerful laptop. | The design is quite plain. |
| The display is vibrant with a special glare-reducing finish. | The core clock speed could be higher. |
Check out the HP Pavilion on Amazon.
Best for Display Size: Lenovo Legion
- 17.3" display
- 16GB DDR4 RAM with 512GB PCIe SSD storage
- Ryzen 5 processor handles videos with ease
If you’re after a laptop with a stunning display, the Lenovo Legion has you covered. In fact, the Legion has the largest display of any laptop covered in this guide. You get access to a massive 17.3-inch display with a stunning 1080p resolution.
Also featured is a backlit keyboard and Ryzen 5 5600H processor. The Lenovo Legion appears to be built for gaming but will handle video editing with ease. The included NVIDIA GTX 1650 isn’t the newest GPU on the market, but can more than handle rendering video.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It has a massive screen. | The GPU is a fairly old model, despite the price. |
| It comes with a backlit keyboard for late-night sessions. | It is fairly expensive for the included specs. |
Check out the Lenovo Legion on Amazon.
Choosing the Best Laptop for Video Editing
When you’re choosing a laptop for video editing, it helps to know what sort of media you’re working on. 1080p video is going to need less overall power than 4K or 8K video. As you might expect, when the resolution is higher, the demands on your laptop get higher, too.
So, when choosing a laptop for video editing, there are a few crucial factors to keep in mind:
- Storage size
- Memory size
- Processor speed
- Overall core count
- Dedicated GPU included
Not every laptop is going to have these features, especially in the sub-$1,000 range. You can certainly get more power if you’re willing to stretch your budget.
However, you can do plenty of great work with the featured laptops. Just expect render times to climb if you’re doing a lot of 4K content.
Using a Laptop for Video Editing: What It’s Like
©BoxBoy/Shutterstock.com
What is it like using a laptop for video editing? Well, if you currently use a desktop for the same sort of workflow, it is identical to that. You get some great perks, like the portability of the setup. However, battery life does suffer with any of these laptops when pushing harder workloads.
Laptops make for great video editing platforms because they allow you to move your setup as you need. However, if you’re after dependable and constant power, a dedicated desktop might be more suitable.
Closing Thoughts
So, is a laptop viable for video editing? You could probably safely conclude on your own that it is a fully workable solution. With the six laptops listed here, you should have more than enough options to get started on your own projects.
Do keep in mind that suitable laptops for video editing below $1,000 do have their own drawbacks. As such, that is why the M1 MacBook Air is the best overall choice. Whether you’re plugged up or out and about, it never compromises overall performance.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com.
