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If you edit on Windows, the best laptop for video editing is the ASUS ProArt P16: a 16-inch OLED screen, an RTX 5070 and a touchpad dial built for editing apps. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i has one of the best screens for colour work at a lower price, and the ASUS ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition packs 128GB of memory into a 13-inch convertible. If you’re open to a Mac, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro is the strongest all-rounder, with hardware ProRes engines and long battery life. On a budget, an RTX 5060 gaming laptop like the Lenovo LOQ 15 handles 4K timelines for far less.

Check the ASUS ProArt P16 (2025) on Amazon →

How we put this together: this guide is based on manufacturers’ official specifications plus published reviews and benchmarks from independent outlets (linked in each pick). It is not based on hands-on testing by iTech Level. Prices are list prices at the time of writing and change often. See how we choose products.

Best laptops for video editing compared

The best laptops for video editing in 2026

1. ASUS ProArt P16 (2025): best Windows laptop for video editing

The ProArt P16 is built for creators first. It pairs an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics (the RTX 5070 in the reviewed configuration), a 16-inch OLED screen, and ASUS’s DialPad, a touch-sensitive dial on the touchpad for scrubbing timelines and adjusting brush size or exposure in creative apps. It’s 14.9 mm thin, weighs under 2 kg and is MIL-STD 810H rated. Stuff calls it “an impressive Windows laptop for creatives with lots of power, sublime looks and a gorgeous OLED screen”.

Good to know: it’s expensive, and the same reviews question whether the faster renders justify the premium over older models. ASUS has also announced a new 2026 ProArt P16 for this fall, with up to 128GB of memory and a 4K tandem OLED option, but no price yet (Android Headlines), so the 2025 model may get cheaper.

Check ProArt P16 prices on Amazon →

2. Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition: best screen for the money

The Yoga Pro 9i is the one to get if colour and brightness matter most. Last year’s Gen 10 impressed Notebookcheck with a 1,100-nit OLED that it calls one of the best screens on the market, and in the US it came with a Core Ultra 9 285H and RTX 5060. The new Gen 11 moves to Intel’s Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) chips with RTX 5050 or 5060 graphics and an optional 3.2K 120Hz tandem OLED (Ubergizmo).

Good to know: the RTX 5060 is a mid-range GPU, fine for 4K editing but slower than the ProArt P16 for heavy effects and exports. GPU wattage affects export times too; our laptop GPU power database lists it for over 200 laptop configurations. With the Gen 11 now out, a discounted Gen 10 is often the better value.

Check Yoga Pro 9i prices on Amazon →

3. ASUS ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition: most power in a small laptop

Tom’s Guide names the PX13 GoPro Edition the best Windows laptop for video editing. Inside a 3.1 lb, 13.3-inch convertible, it has AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with Radeon 8060S graphics and 128GB of unified memory, up to 96GB of which can go to the GPU, plus a 3K OLED touchscreen covering 100% of DCI-P3. It comes with a pen, a carry case, a year of GoPro Premium+ and three months of Adobe Creative Cloud (The Gadgeteer).

Good to know: Tom’s Guide flags the 60Hz screen and the microSD (not full-size SD) slot, and reviewers note battery life doesn’t match a MacBook’s. It makes most sense for creators who travel and edit large projects on the road.

Check the ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition on Amazon →

4. MacBook Pro 14 (M5 Pro): best for Mac users

If you’re not tied to Windows, a MacBook Pro is still the easiest recommendation for editing: Tom’s Guide ranks the MacBook Pro first overall for video editing. The 14-inch M5 Pro model has a bright XDR display, a hardware ProRes engine, HDMI and a full-size SD card slot, 1TB of storage as standard, and much longer battery life than the Windows picks. It also runs Final Cut Pro, which is Mac-only. Our best MacBook for video editing guide compares the M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max models in detail.

Good to know: you can’t upgrade the memory or storage later, so buy the configuration you’ll need. Some Windows-only plugins and tools won’t run on a Mac.

Check the MacBook Pro 14 (M5 Pro) on Amazon →

5. Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10 (RTX 5060): best on a budget

Gaming laptops make capable budget editing machines, because an Nvidia RTX GPU speeds up effects and exports in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. The LOQ 15 Gen 10 with an RTX 5060, a Ryzen 7 250 and 16GB of DDR5 is our top pick in the gaming laptops under $1,200 guide, and it handles 1080p and 4K timelines for much less than a creator laptop.

Good to know: a budget gaming screen isn’t made for colour accuracy, so for client colour work pair it with a calibrated external monitor. 16GB of RAM is the minimum for 4K editing; 32GB is more comfortable, so check whether the memory can be upgraded.

Check the Lenovo LOQ 15 on Amazon →

Which MacBook for video editing: M5, M5 Pro or M5 Max?

If you edit on a Mac, the chip matters more than the size. The MacBook Pro 14 with M5 Pro above suits most editors; here’s how the rest of the range compares:

Specs from Apple’s tech specs pages for the 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro/M5 Max), 16-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro/M5 Max), 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5) and 15-inch MacBook Air (M5). Starting prices from Apple’s March 2026 announcement.

MacBook Pro 14 with M5: best value

The base 14-inch MacBook Pro is the cheapest way to get the XDR display, HDMI and an SD card slot. It comes with 1TB of storage. The M5 has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU and hardware acceleration for H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW. Unlike the MacBook Air, it has a fan, so long exports hold their speed. It’s a good fit for YouTube, wedding and social video work in 4K.

Good to know: memory tops out at 32GB, bandwidth is 153GB/s, and the ports are Thunderbolt 4 rather than 5. Heavy multicam, 8K or complex Fusion and After Effects work will push you toward the M5 Pro.

Check the MacBook Pro 14 (M5) on Amazon →

MacBook Pro with M5 Max: best for 8K, multicam and colour grading

The M5 Max doubles the ProRes engines to two, which speeds up exports of multiple ProRes streams. It supports up to 128GB of unified memory with 460–614GB/s of bandwidth depending on the GPU, and starts with 2TB of storage. Apple says it’s up to 3x faster than the M4 Max in DaVinci Resolve Studio in its own testing. It comes in both sizes: the 14-inch at 3.6 lb, or the 16-inch at 4.7 lb for the larger screen.

Good to know: it’s the most expensive option, and it only pays off if your projects actually hit the limits of the M5 Pro. The 14-inch M5 Max is rated for slightly less battery life than the M5 Pro (20 vs 22 hours of video streaming).

Check MacBook Pro M5 Max models on Amazon →

MacBook Pro 16 with M5 Pro: best for a bigger screen

If you edit mostly at a desk but still travel, the 16-inch gives you a 16.2-inch XDR panel (3456 × 2234) with room for a full timeline and viewer, and it’s rated for up to 24 hours of video streaming. It has the same ports and M5 Pro chip options as the 14-inch.

Good to know: at 4.7 lb it’s over a pound heavier than the 14-inch, and it costs more.

Check the MacBook Pro 16 (M5 Pro) on Amazon →

MacBook Air 15 with M5: best for light editing on a budget

The MacBook Air uses the same M5 chip family, with hardware ProRes support, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage as standard. The 15-inch model has the 10-core GPU and weighs 3.3 lb; the 13-inch has an 8-core GPU. For short-form social video, vlogs and simple 4K edits, it’s plenty.

Good to know: it has no fan, so long exports and effects-heavy timelines slow down as it heats up. The 500-nit display isn’t an XDR panel, so it’s not suited to HDR grading. There’s no HDMI or SD slot, just two Thunderbolt 4 ports. If you find last year’s MacBook Air 15 (M4) heavily discounted, it’s a reasonable alternative for the same kind of work.

Check the MacBook Air 15 (M5) on Amazon →

What matters in a video editing laptop

• Graphics and media engines. Editing apps lean on the GPU for effects, colour grading and exports. On Windows, an Nvidia RTX GPU is the safest choice for Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. On a Mac, the M5 Pro and M5 Max add dedicated ProRes and video engines.
• Memory. 16GB is the minimum for 1080p and light 4K work. 32GB is the sweet spot for 4K, and 64GB or more helps with 8K, heavy effects or long multicam projects.
• The screen. Look for an OLED or mini-LED panel with wide DCI-P3 colour coverage if you grade colour. A 16-inch screen gives the timeline more room.
• Storage and ports. Video eats storage, so 1TB is a sensible minimum. A full-size SD card slot, Thunderbolt or USB4 for fast external drives, and HDMI for a second display all save time.
• Windows or Mac. Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve run on both. Final Cut Pro is Mac-only. Windows laptops give you more choice and upgradeable parts on some models; MacBooks win on battery life and quietness.

Also worth a look

• Dell XPS 16 (2026): a beautifully made 16-inch laptop, but this generation has no discrete GPU option, only Intel integrated graphics (Tom’s Hardware). Fine for light editing; not for heavy 4K work.
• MacBook Air 15 (M5): good for light editing and short 4K projects, but it has no fan, so long exports slow down. See our MacBook video editing guide.
• A gaming laptop with an RTX 5070 or above: if you also game, a higher-end gaming laptop gives you more GPU for the money than most creator laptops. See our smallest gaming laptops for compact options.

Our verdict

For Windows editors, the ASUS ProArt P16 is the best all-round video editing laptop, and the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i gives you a superb OLED for less. The ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition is the pick if you need workstation-level memory in a small laptop. If you can switch platforms, the MacBook Pro 14 with M5 Pro is the strongest all-rounder, and on a budget an RTX 5060 gaming laptop such as the Lenovo LOQ 15 does the job for under $1,200. Choosing a Mac chip? The M5 Pro suits most projects; the M5 Max only pays off for 8K, multicam and heavy grading.

Frequently asked questions

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The best Lenovo laptop under $500 in 2026 is the IdeaPad Slim 3x when it’s on sale: a Snapdragon X chip, 16GB of memory, a 15.3-inch touchscreen and 16 hours 29 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s battery test. It has sold for $449, but it usually costs more, so wait for Black Friday. The best Lenovo you can buy under $500 today is the Chromebook Plus i 15, if you mostly use Google Docs and Chrome. For Windows at this price, the IdeaPad Slim 3i with an Intel N150 (about $390) handles browsing and schoolwork, but its 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage fill up fast. For a tablet you can type on, get the Chromebook Duet 11 with 8GB of memory.

Need it for work? Our best business laptops starts with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 and covers budget ThinkPads like the E14 Gen 7.

How we put this together: this guide is based on Lenovo’s published specs and independent reviews (linked below). It is not based on hands-on testing by iTech Level. Prices are list or launch prices, or the prices reviewers reported. Prices change often; check the current listing. See how we choose products.

Best Lenovo laptops under $500 compared

1. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x: best Lenovo laptop under $500

The IdeaPad Slim 3x is the one to buy for most people, and Tom’s Guide ranks it as the best laptop under $500 overall, from any brand. It runs Windows 11 on a Qualcomm Snapdragon X (X1-26-100) with 16GB of memory, and it has a 15.3-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen in a 3.4 lb body. The standout is battery life: 16 hours 29 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s review, far longer than Intel and AMD laptops at this price. Expert Reviews calls it the “king of the cheap laptops”.

• Good for: students, remote work, browsing, Office and streaming, and anyone who wants to leave the charger at home.
• Skip it if: you play games, or you rely on older Windows software or drivers that don’t support Arm chips. Check your key apps first. Reviewers also call the screen and speakers underwhelming.
• Buying tip: it’s sometimes discounted, but it’s usually well above $500. Black Friday (November 27) is the likeliest time to see it under $500 again. Look for the 16GB / 512GB version; the 256GB model fills up quickly.

Check the IdeaPad Slim 3x on Amazon →

2. Lenovo Chromebook Plus i 15: best for school and web work

Announced at CES 2026 for a spring 2026 launch, the Chromebook Plus i 15 starts under $500 (Notebookcheck). It pairs an Intel Core i3-N355 with 8GB of memory, 128GB or 256GB of storage and a 15.3-inch 1920×1200 display rated at 400 nits, with an optional 120Hz touchscreen. Lenovo rates the 65Wh battery at up to 11 hours. You also get a full keyboard with a number pad, a fingerprint reader, a 5MP webcam with a privacy shutter, HDMI, a microSD slot and MIL-STD-810H durability testing.

• Good for: Google Docs, Classroom, web apps and Android apps, with Google’s built-in AI features.
• Skip it if: you need Windows software such as full desktop Office apps, specialist school software or PC games.

Check the Chromebook Plus i 15 on Amazon →

3. Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 (2024): best tablet you can type on

The Duet 11 is a 10.95-inch 2K tablet with a detachable keyboard in the box, powered by a MediaTek Kompanio 838. It launched with 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage, or 8GB and 128GB. Get the 8GB model: 9to5Google’s review is titled “Ruined by RAM” because 4GB isn’t enough for a modern Chromebook. Notebookcheck calls it a “mobile energy-saving champion”.

• Good for: reading, streaming, notes and light schoolwork on the couch or on the go.
• Skip it if: you type for hours; a small detachable keyboard is no substitute for a laptop keyboard.

Check the Chromebook Duet 11 on Amazon →

4. Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1: best convertible, if it’s on sale

At list price this 2-in-1 is over budget, but Chrome Unboxed reports it has dropped well under $500 several times since launch. On sale it’s a well-made convertible: a rigid chassis, what the review calls a fantastic keyboard and trackpad, a responsive touch and pen screen, lots of ports and a fingerprint reader. The trade-offs are an Intel Core 3 N355 that is “only fine”, 8GB of memory with 128GB of storage, a fan, and about 7 hours of real-world battery life.

Check the Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 on Amazon →

5. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (Intel or AMD): only if you need full Windows compatibility

The regular IdeaPad Slim 3 is the Lenovo most people find when they search for a cheap laptop, and it’s the one to be careful with. Prices vary widely by processor, memory and storage, and reviews are weak. Thurrott’s review of an Intel Core 5 210H model found slow performance, constant fan noise and “4 hours or less” of real-world battery life, and PCWorld called it “a rare miss from Lenovo”. On the plus side, you can open it up to upgrade the memory and SSD.

Choose it only if you need Windows software or hardware that doesn’t support Snapdragon, and then buy a 16GB model; avoid 8GB versions. If you don’t need a Lenovo specifically, the Acer Aspire Go 15 (Ryzen 7 7730U, 16GB, 512GB) is a budget Windows alternative worth comparing.

Check IdeaPad Slim 3 configurations on Amazon →

The IdeaPad Slim 3i (Intel N150): fine for basics, nothing more

This is the Lenovo you’ll see most often under $500: Google’s own shopping results lead with it. It often comes bundled with a year of Microsoft 365. It has a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 screen and Windows 11, but the parts are entry level. The Intel N150 has 4 cores and 4 threads at 6 W, and Intel lists one memory channel with a 16GB maximum. The usual configuration has 8GB of memory and 128GB of UFS storage.

• Good for: web browsing, streaming, email, Google Docs and Word, and a child’s first laptop.
• Skip it if: you keep many tabs and apps open, edit photos, or store files locally. After Windows updates, 128GB leaves little free space, and the chip itself tops out at 16GB of memory.
• Buying tip: at these specs, the Chromebook Plus i 15 is the better buy if you can live without Windows. ChromeOS runs well on 8GB, and it has the faster Core i3-N355 chip.

Check the IdeaPad Slim 3i (N150) on Amazon →

Is there a Lenovo gaming laptop under $500?

Not a new one. None of the laptops above has a dedicated graphics card, so they only handle light or cloud gaming. Lenovo’s cheapest current gaming laptop, the LOQ 15, costs more; the RTX 5050 versions are the closest to $1,000. See the cheapest gaming laptops worth buying for those options. Older IdeaPad Gaming 3 models sometimes turn up used or refurbished; check the GPU, battery health and warranty before buying.

Still seeing the IdeaPad 3 with a Ryzen 5 5500U?

That’s a 2021 model. It was a good budget laptop in its day, and it still turns up under $500, often refurbished. In 2026 it’s only worth buying at a clear discount compared with the IdeaPad Slim 3x, which has far longer battery life and more memory as standard. Check whether the listing is new or refurbished, and how much memory and storage it has.

If you mainly need a dependable Windows laptop for school or office work, a refurbished business laptop is another way to stay under $500. Models such as the HP EliteBook 840 G8 (Core i5-1145G7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) come with a one-year warranty from refurbishers like Discount Electronics.

See refurbished laptops at Discount Electronics →

What to check before buying a laptop under $500

• Memory: 16GB for Windows, 8GB for ChromeOS. 4GB and 8GB Windows laptops slow down quickly.
• Storage: 512GB for Windows if you keep files locally; Chromebooks work with less because most files live in the cloud.
• Chip: Snapdragon laptops last much longer on battery, but a few older Windows apps and games don’t run on them. Intel and AMD run everything but drain the battery faster.
• Screen: look for 1920×1080 or 1920×1200. Avoid 1366×768 panels.
• The exact model: the same name can cover very different configurations, so compare the model number and specs, not just “IdeaPad”.

Frequently asked questions

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The 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 (March 2026) is still the best ultraportable laptop for most people, according to published reviews. It weighs 2.7 lb, is rated for up to 18 hours of video streaming, and now starts with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage (Apple raised its price by $200 in June 2026). The trade-offs are the same as before: it has no fan, so it slows down under long heavy loads; the display isn’t as bright as newer rivals; and there’s no HDMI or SD slot.

Playing The Sims 4? It runs natively on Apple silicon, which makes the Air our top pick in the best laptops for The Sims 4.

How we put this together: this page summarises Apple’s official specs and published reviews (linked below). It is not based on hands-on testing by iTech Level. See how we choose products.

MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) specs

Source: Apple’s MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) tech specs. Pricing from Apple’s March 2026 launch.

What reviews say

Reviews are consistently positive. TechRadar calls it “still the best ultraportable I’ve ever used”, and Tom’s Hardware sums it up as “steady as it goes”. RTINGS highlights the build quality, touchpad, webcam and battery life, and Expert Reviews calls it a great laptop, while noting you have choices.

• Praised: fast M5 performance for everyday and creative work, battery life that lasts a full workday and more, the thin fanless design, and the move to 512GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 as standard.
• Criticised: it throttles under sustained heavy loads because there’s no fan, the 500-nit display is starting to trail brighter OLED and mini-LED rivals, there are no new colours, and the starting price went up.

Check the MacBook Air 13 (M5) on Amazon →

MacBook Air 13 (M5) vs M4: should you upgrade?

The M5 model keeps the same design as the 2025 M4 Air. The upgrades are the faster M5 chip, a faster SSD, 512GB of base storage instead of 256GB, and Wi-Fi 7 with Bluetooth 6. If you already have an M4 (or even an M2 or M3) Air, there’s little reason to upgrade. If you’re buying new, a discounted M4 Air is still a very good laptop, but check the storage: the base M4 model has only 256GB.

MacBook Air or MacBook Neo?

The MacBook Neo is Apple’s cheapest laptop, even after Apple raised prices on June 25, 2026 (MacRumors). It uses the A18 Pro, an iPhone chip, with 8GB of memory that can’t be upgraded, 256GB of storage and a 13-inch, 500-nit display, and it weighs the same 2.7 lb as the Air (MacRumors). Apple rates it for 16 hours of battery, and it lasted 13.5 hours in TechRadar‘s test.

The Air costs $600 more and gets you twice the memory and storage, the faster M5 chip, two Thunderbolt 4 ports (one of the Neo’s two USB-C ports runs at slow USB 2 speed) and support for two external displays. Choose the Neo for browsing, schoolwork, office apps and video calls. Choose the Air if you edit photos or video, keep lots of apps open, or want a laptop that will last for years.

Using those external display outputs on the go? UPERFECT’s MX16BU is a 16-inch 2880×1800 OLED monitor made for MacBooks, with its own stand. We found no independent lab tests of it, so this is based on the maker’s specs.

Check the UPERFECT MX16BU (16-inch OLED) at UPERFECT →

Check the MacBook Neo on Amazon →

For a side-by-side with lab test results, see our MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air comparison.

13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air?

The 15-inch model has a bigger 15.3-inch screen, a 10-core GPU in every configuration and six speakers, and weighs 3.3 lb. It costs $200 more. Choose the 13-inch if you carry it every day. Choose the 15-inch if it mostly sits on a desk and you want more screen without paying for a MacBook Pro.

MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 costs $700 more and comes with 1TB of storage. It adds a fan (so it sustains performance), a brighter XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion, HDMI and an SD card slot. For students, office work, browsing and light photo or video editing, the Air is enough. For regular video editing, see our best MacBook for video editing guide.

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