Seven laptops for AI video editing and local AI video models, ranked: MacBook Pro 16, Razer Blade 16, ASUS ProArt P16, MacBook Pro 14, HP ZBook Ultra, Lenovo LOQ 15, and MacBook Air, with memory, GPUs, and prices.
The MacBook Pro 16 with M5 Max is the best laptop for AI video editing: up to 128GB of unified memory, two ProRes engines, a 1,000-nit mini-LED screen, and long battery life, from $4,399.
For running AI video models locally, the Razer Blade 16 with an RTX 5090 has the most dedicated graphics memory you can get in a laptop, 24GB, and NVIDIA's CUDA, which most open video models are built around.
The ASUS ProArt P16 pairs an RTX 5090 with a 4K OLED that covers almost all of the P3 color space, the best screen for color work on Windows.
If you want 128GB of memory without paying Apple's top prices, the HP ZBook Ultra G1a shares up to 128GB between its CPU and graphics.
On a budget, an RTX laptop like the Lenovo LOQ 15 gets you CUDA for local AI tools, and the MacBook Air M5 handles editing for $1,299.
AI video work splits into two jobs with different needs. Editing with built-in AI tools, like DaVinci Resolve's Magic Mask and Voice Isolation, Premiere Pro's speech-to-text, or CapCut's auto captions, mostly needs a strong GPU, fast storage, and hardware video encoders. Running AI video models on your own machine, through ComfyUI with open models like Wan or LTX, needs as much graphics memory as you can get: Wan 2.2's official instructions for its smallest model list a GPU with at least 24GB. NVIDIA laptops cap out at 24GB on the RTX 5090, while Apple and AMD chips share one pool of memory between the CPU and graphics, up to 128GB, though most open video tools run best on NVIDIA's CUDA. Some AI features don't depend on your laptop at all: Premiere Pro's Generative Extend runs on Adobe's servers.
We looked at GPU power and graphics memory, unified or system memory, hardware video engines, screen accuracy and brightness, ports for cameras and fast drives, battery life and heat under load, weight, and price.
Laptop | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
MacBook Pro 16 (M5 Max) | Best overall | $4,399 |
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | Running AI video models locally | About $4,900 with RTX 5090 |
ASUS ProArt P16 | Color-accurate editing on Windows | $3,999 (RTX 5090) |
MacBook Pro 14 (M5 Pro) | Editing on the go | $2,499 |
HP ZBook Ultra G1a | 128GB of shared memory on Windows | From about $3,000 (128GB) |
Lenovo LOQ 15 (2026) | Budget CUDA | About $1,300 (RTX 5060) |
MacBook Air (M5) | Budget editing | $1,299 |
Apple's MacBook Pro 16 with the M5 Max chip, released in March 2026, is the most powerful Mac laptop.
What works: The M5 Max takes up to 128GB of unified memory, so long timelines, 8K footage, and large local AI models all fit in memory, and its two ProRes engines speed up exports. The 16-inch mini-LED screen reaches 1,000 nits for everyday content and 1,600 for HDR, with an optional nano-texture finish. It has three Thunderbolt 5 ports, an SD card slot, and HDMI, and Apple rates the battery at up to 22 hours of video playback. Notebookcheck found it stays quiet in everyday use and runs much longer on battery than Windows rivals. It starts at $4,399 with 2TB of storage.
What doesn't: There's no CUDA, so open AI video models that are built for NVIDIA run slower or need workarounds. Notebookcheck found the 140W charger can't keep up under sustained full load, and the screen uses PWM dimming.
Best for: Editors who want the best all-round machine for Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
The 2026 Razer Blade 16 pairs Intel's new Core Ultra 9 386H with up to an RTX 5090 laptop GPU in a 17.4mm-thin body.
What works: The RTX 5090 has 24GB of graphics memory, the most of any laptop graphics card, and CUDA, so ComfyUI, Wan, LTX, and Topaz Video run the way their developers intend. It runs the GPU at up to 160W. The 240Hz OLED covers 99.7% of the P3 color space with 1,000-nit HDR, and you get Thunderbolt 5, an SD card slot, and much better battery life than the 2025 model. Notebookcheck's RTX 5090 review unit cost $4,900.
What doesn't: It's very expensive, there's no 4K screen option, and its memory is soldered, so choose the 64GB option up front if you run big edits alongside AI models.
Best for: Creators who run open AI video models on their own machine.
The ProArt P16 is ASUS's creator laptop, and Notebookcheck called its RTX 5090 version the best Windows laptop for creators.
What works: Its 4K, 120Hz tandem OLED covered 98.9% of the P3 color space in Notebookcheck's tests and reaches 1,600 nits in HDR, which suits color grading. The RTX 5090 version has 24GB of graphics memory, 64GB of system memory, two SSD slots, USB4, and a full SD card reader, and it lists at $3,999. A 2026 version built on NVIDIA's new RTX Spark chip, with up to 128GB of shared memory, launched in October.
What doesn't: The RTX 5090 model is from 2025, its fans get loud under load, and memory is soldered. The RTX Spark version has only a handful of early reviews so far.
Best for: Windows editors and colorists who want an accurate 4K screen and an NVIDIA GPU.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip keeps most of the 16-inch model's strengths in a 3.5-pound body.
What works: It has the same 1,000-nit mini-LED screen, three Thunderbolt 5 ports, an SD slot, and HDMI, and up to 64GB of unified memory. Apple rates the battery at up to 22 hours of video playback, so you can edit on location without a charger. It starts at $2,499 with 1TB. The base M5 version costs $1,999 and keeps the screen and SD slot, but drops to Thunderbolt 4 and 32GB of memory at most.
What doesn't: Notebookcheck found the 14-inch body handles the M5 Max chip less well than the 16-inch, so the M5 Pro is the better match here, and it lacks CUDA too.
Best for: Editors who travel and need a powerful laptop that fits in a small bag.
The ZBook Ultra G1a is a 14-inch HP workstation built on AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395, which shares memory between its CPU and graphics.
What works: It takes up to 128GB of memory, and the graphics can use most of it, so large AI models that won't fit on a 24GB RTX 5090 can load. It has a 2.8K, 120Hz OLED screen, workstation-certified drivers, and a 1.59kg body. HP lists the 128GB model at about $4,000, and it has sold for around $3,000.
What doesn't: It uses AMD graphics, not NVIDIA, so CUDA-only AI tools won't run, and a discrete RTX GPU is faster for most video work. It's a 2025 model, and reviewers flagged its battery life.
Best for: Windows users who need huge memory for AI models in a light laptop.
The LOQ 15 is Lenovo's entry-level gaming laptop, and one of the cheapest ways to get an NVIDIA GPU with CUDA.
What works: Its RTX 5060 handles Resolve's AI tools and NVIDIA's hardware encoding, and it runs smaller local AI image and video models through ComfyUI. The 2026 model with an RTX 5060 sells for about $1,300.
What doesn't: Its RTX 5060 has 8GB of graphics memory, which limits larger AI video models, and its screen isn't built for color-critical work.
Best for: Beginners who want to try local AI video tools without spending much.
The MacBook Air with the M5 chip, released in March 2026, is Apple's thin, fanless laptop.
What works: It has hardware support for ProRes, handles Final Cut Pro, CapCut, Descript, and lighter Resolve projects well, and takes up to 32GB of memory. Apple rates the battery at up to 18 hours of video playback. It starts at $1,299, and it's frequently discounted.
What doesn't: It has no fan, so long exports slow down, there's no SD slot or HDMI port, and its two Thunderbolt 4 ports limit fast external drives.
Best for: Students and creators who edit short videos and want a light, quiet laptop.
NVIDIA's RTX Spark chip, which combines an Arm CPU and a Blackwell GPU sharing up to 128GB of memory, reached laptops on October 16, 2026, in models from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Microsoft. It's the first Windows laptop chip to combine CUDA with Mac-style shared memory, which could suit large local AI models. DaVinci Resolve runs natively on it and Premiere Pro has a native beta, while apps without Arm versions run through emulation. In Creative Bloq's early test of the ProArt P14, it scored close to entry-level RTX laptops in Topaz Video AI, so it's worth waiting for more reviews before buying one for video.
Choose a Mac if you mostly edit, especially in Final Cut Pro or with ProRes footage, and want long battery life and quiet fans. Choose Windows with an NVIDIA GPU if you want to run open AI video models locally, since ComfyUI's video workflows, Wan, and most new open models are built and tested on CUDA first. ComfyUI does run on Apple Silicon, but expect slower generation and some models that won't work.
The MacBook Pro 16 with M5 Max, for most editors: up to 128GB of memory, two ProRes engines, a 1,000-nit screen, and long battery life, from $4,399. For local AI video models, the Razer Blade 16 with an RTX 5090 is the pick.
32GB is a sensible minimum for 4K editing with AI tools, and 64GB or more helps with 8K, long timelines, and local AI models. On a Mac, unified memory is shared with the graphics, so more of it helps AI work directly.
Wan 2.2's official instructions for its smallest model list at least 24GB of graphics memory, which among laptop graphics cards only the RTX 5090 has. Smaller models and image tools can run with 8GB to 16GB.
Yes, for editing. Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve run natively on Apple Silicon, and the M5 Pro and M5 Max have hardware ProRes engines. For running open AI video models, an NVIDIA laptop is usually faster and better supported.
For short videos and 4K editing in Final Cut Pro or CapCut, yes. It has no fan, so long exports and heavy AI effects run slower than on a MacBook Pro.
