Ranking: Best laptops for editing photos and videos

Compared to its predecessor (Late 2023 model) with the Apple M3 Max SoC, the new 2024 MacBook Pro 16" remains visually unchanged but brings several technical upgrades. The mini-LED display now delivers over 1,000 cd/m² of SDR brightness and offers an optional nano-texture matte finish. Thunderbolt 5 and an improved 12-MP camera also come included, whereas Wi-Fi 7 does not.
The M4 Pro chip, with 14 CPU and 20 GPU cores, surpasses the M3 Max, particularly in single-core performance. GPU performance has increased by 30 to 45%, depending on the workload.

The mini-LED display features an extremely low black level, achieving OLED-like contrast. Subjectively, image quality is nearly perfect here. However, PWM flickering at 15 kHz might be an issue for sensitive users. The panel covers nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 color space and offers high color accuracy, making it ideal for photo and video editing. A major downside is Apple's costly upgrade policy, with zero RAM or SSD upgrade options for users to perform on their own.

A configuration with 14 CPU and 20 GPU cores, 24 GB of RAM, and a 512-GB SSD costs around 2,700 euros in Germany. Upgrading to 2 TB of storage adds 500 euros to the bottom line, while an M4 Max version with a 32-core GPU, 36 GB of RAM, and a 1-TB SSD is priced at 3,665 euros as of this writing.

Apple's MacBook Pro 14 (2024) with the M4 Pro chip (14 CPU cores, 20 GPU cores) looks identical to its predecessor but introduces some key upgrades.

Its mini-LED display now reaches over 1,000 cd/m² in SDR mode (up from 600 cd/m²) and offers an optional matte finish with minimal visual quality loss, improving usability outdoors. The display's slow response times and constant PWM flickering, as well as the system's utterly lacking upgradeability, all remain unchanged.

Single-core CPU and GPU performance see a 28% gen-to-gen boost, while battery life remains over 15 hours long. Thunderbolt 5 and a higher-resolution webcam are welcome additions, and so would be Wi-Fi 7 which is absent. The display remains a standout feature with its high resolution, strong contrast, 120-Hz refresh rate, and accurate factory-calibrated colors.
With an M4 Pro chip, 24 GB of RAM, and a 1-TB SSD, the M4 Pro-powered MacBook Pro 14" costs just under 2,454 euros at Galaxus.de.

The Early 2025 Neo 16 from Schenker/XMG gets a massive boost in regards to processors, display options and GPUs. Both AMD and Intel models deliver outstanding performance, made possible by either a Ryzen 9 9955HX3D or a Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090.

At 300 Hz, the 16-inch mini-LED panel is super-fast, and its brightness is also outstanding at over 850 cd/m² in SDR mode. The DCI-P3 color space is completely covered, but the panel definitely requires post-purchase calibration. Local dimming can be deactivated for color-accurate work. The short power supply cable is an annoyance and there is no USB 4.0 on the AMD model. The keyboard is comfortable, PCIe 5.0 is supported as well as up to 128 GB of RAM. Its casing is sturdy and the SD card reader is quick with file transfers.

The mini-LED display of the XMG Neo 16 scores with very high contrast and brightness values, but is not well calibrated ex-works. At least the local dimming zones can be temporarily deactivated for when it's needed.

The base price for the Neo 16 is €2,639 (AMD) or €2,699 (Intel). The RTX 5080 and mini-LED SKU should cost around €3,400.

Like many other laptop makers, Medion offers mini-LEDs in its Erazer Beast 16 X1; the offer includes a 300-Hz refresh rate, QHD+ resolution and SDR brightness of over 800 cd/m². Color accuracy is pretty good, but there is no way to deactivate local dimming.

The keyboard is almost as good as a mechanical one, while Intel's Core i9-275HX offers plenty of performance, albeit with occasional dips under longer loads. Thankfully, the GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU with a whopping 24 GB of GDDR7 VRAM suffers from no such issues. There are also good speakers, a fairly long battery life of 8 hours, two M.2 2280 slots (one of them PCIe 5.0), as well as solid connectivity including Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 7. RAM is upgradable (2 slots), not soldered-in. However, the system can get loud under load.

There are few bad things about Medion's Erazer Beast 16 X1, but the inconsistent CPU performance and the lack of a way to make the display's dimming zones act as a single zone tarnish the overall picture somewhat.

For around 4,300 euros, you can get the aforementioned specs, including 32 GB of RAM and a 2-TB SSD, directly from Medion Deutschland.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 is a yet another system in this list relying on a mini-LED panel plus an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090. In SDR mode, the 240-Hz QHD+ display shines with a brightness of over 770 cd/m². Nicely calibrated P3 and sRGB profiles are available ex-works and local dimming can be deactivated.

Its other features include a very comfortable keyboard, Thunderbolt 5, two RAM and two M.2 2280 slots. PCIe 5.0, however, has not made it. In contrast to its bigger 18-inch brother, this system comes without an AniME matrix on the lid while fortunately retaining its overall visual appeal.

The current-generation ROG Strix Scar 16 offers plenty of power as well as a brilliant mini-LED display, good upgradability and plenty of ports.

On to the shortcomings. Its ports are all on the sides; its power consumption is high, and so is fan noise under load. The lack of PCIe 5.0 means less future-proofing.

The 2025 ROG Strix Scar 16 is currently available for around 5,000 euros in a very powerful configuration including a 2-TB SSD and 64 GB of RAM.

The 18-inch ROG Strix Scar G835, one of Asus' flagships, is noteworthy thanks to its enormously fast components, a Core Ultra 9 275HX and a GeForce RTX 5090. The 750-cd/m²-bright mini-LED display resolves at QHD+ and 240 Hz with accurate P3 and sRGB color profiles available ex-works. Local dimming can be deactivated for more accurate image editing, and sRGB content can be converted to the P3 color space in HDR mode.

You also get a comfortable keyboard, Thunderbolt 5, two SO-DIMMs and two M.2 2280 slots for future upgrades. However, no PCIe 5.0 SSD is available, instead, a RAID 0 array of PCIe 4 SSDs is used. Its visual design should be appealing to potential buyers, thanks in no small part to the AniME Vision display on the lid.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 currently offers the best performance and display combo among Windows laptops for creators. Upgradability and ports also look good, although they are all on the sides.

The disadvantages to consider are - in addition to the high power consumption - how loud it is with higher performance profiles on, as well as how mediocre its battery life is, and how the case is a dirt/dust/fingerprint magnet.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar is available for 5,300 euros in the aforementioned configuration including a 2-TB SSD of storage and 64 GB of RAM from Galaxus.de or Computeruniverse, among other options.

The XMG Pro 16 is a gaming laptop/workstation hybrid with an RTX 5070 Ti, a Core Ultra 9 275HX and a 300-Hz QHD+ display as bright as 500 cd/m². The panel only covers the sRGB color space in its entirety. Colors were very accurate in our testing, despite some blue cast present. This went away after our calibration, but color accuracy dropped as a result.

Its performance is high and stable. Input devices are good here, and battery life is more than impressive at over 9 hours of Wi-Fi Web browsing. Four RAM slots and two M.2 2280 slots (one PCIe 5.0) are available, meaning upgrades will be easy to do. There are also plenty of ports on offer including a fast SD card reader and Wi-Fi 7. What is missing is Thunderbolt 5 support; furthermore, the speakers leave a lot to be desired and the cooling solution makes plenty of noise when the components are stressed.

The XMG Pro 16 from Schenker offers truckloads of performance and a lot of features at a fair price, and is a great option as long as one does not need full DCI-P3 or AdobeRGB coverage.

The Pro 16 can be configured at Bestware starting from around 1,875 euros with a newsletter voucher. The Core Ultra 9 SKU costs a whopping 315 euros more than the 13900HX one.

Another 18-inch gaming laptop featured in this list is the Aorus Master 18 from Gigabyte, which, like the Scar 18, shines with its RTX 5090 and Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX. The four SO-DIMMs and three M.2 2280 slots are an advantage over other laptops. The casing and input devices raked in well to very well marks in our testing, and there are also plenty of ports on offer, including Thunderbolt 5.

A QHD+ mini-LED display with a 240 Hz refresh rate and an SDR brightness of 450 cd/m² (around 1,000 cd/m² in HDR mode) is installed. Its color accuracy is good ex-works, with only blue lagging behind out a little with a DeltaE of around 4.5. CPU performance is behind that of the Scar 18. When under 3D workloads, we measure high noise of 52 dB(A) in balanced mode; idle consumption is bigger than it should be and the SSD throttles under continuous load.

The Gigabyte Aorus Master 18 is a very solid choice for content creation. To bad the display's dimming zones cannot be made to act as a single zone.

Acer's new Predator Helios 18 AI comes with a powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU. With the balanced profile selected, this Acer system is quieter than the competition, while switching to the (much louder) Turbo mode gives you the full power of the expensive components. The 3.5-kg 18-incher features a QHD+ mini-LED display with brightness of over 700 cd/m² and 250 Hz. A different 4K DualMode display is available on RTX 5090 SKUs.

The 250-Hz display's Delta-E values for colors and grayscales look very good, although not entirely perfect. The mini-LEDs cannot be set as a single zone for accurate color work. The strong expandability, with four RAM slots and three SSD slots, deserves praise. However, the fast PCIe 5.0 SSD can throttle during longer workloads. We also found that the system performance was not smooth enough at times, although this should be easy for Acer to fix via a software update. On the other hand, the 6-speaker audio system is strong with plenty of bass, and there is also WiFi 7 and plenty of ports on offer, including Thunderbolt 5 and a full-size SD card reader (that could have been faster).

Acer's Predator Helios 18 AI offers a brilliant mini-LED display and makes little noise so as not to interrupt your workflow, but you will have to put up with minor compromises in terms of performance in return.

Acer's Predator Helios 18 AI with the aforementioned features and specs, including a 2-TB SSD and 32 GB of RAM, is available from Notebooksbilliger.de for 3,749 euros.

With its Raider A18, MSI offers an extremely powerful CPU and GPU combo, namely AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX3D and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5080. In addition, a fast 120-Hz 4K+ mini-LED display is included to please the user's eyes. Storage is fast thanks to PCIe 5.0. On the downside, there are no USB 4 ports, its cooling solution is loud, its speakers are poor and there is practically no battery life to speak of. In addition, the bright (470 cd/m²) display delivers less-than-stellar color accuracy even after calibration and it is not possible to temporarily make the separate lighting zones function as a single one. At least the keyboard is pretty good.

The Raider A18's performance is unbelievable, but its poor cooling system and the inaccurate colors of the mini-LED display drag it down by a lot.

The Raider A18 with 64 GB of RAM and 2-TB SSD is available for 4,350 euros from Amazon Germany, among other options.