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MagyarThe Best Notebooks for Photo and Video Editing
One of the most common usage scenarios for notebooks is the storing, viewing, sorting and editing of pictures as well as videos. A laptop for this purpose should have a very high-quality display to represent your collections as accurately as possible and obviously provide the necessary performance to ensure a productive workflow. For this reason, we only list those laptops with the highest score in our test criteria display and application performance (weighted score) here. You can also use the following top lists for further research:
The Best Laptops for Photo and Video Editing
Position | Weighted Rating | Total Rating | Date | Image | Model | Screen | Weight | Resolution | Surface | Contrast | DeltaE Color | AdobeRGB (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.2 % | 89.4 % | 03/2023 |  | Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604VY-NM042X Intel Core i9-13900H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU 64 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | 16.00" | 2.3 kg | 2560x1600 | matte | 21133:1 | 0.89 | |
| 2 | 96.1 % | 89.4 % | 02/2023 |  | Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16IRX8H Intel Core i9-13900HX NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 16.00" | 2.7 kg | 2560x1600 | matte | 1278:1 | 0.95 | |
| 3 | 95.8 % | 90 % | 04/2023 |  | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA402XY AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 14.00" | 1.7 kg | 2560x1600 | matte | 1 | ||
| 4 | 95.7 % | 93.9 % | 03/2023 |  | Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023 M2 Pro Apple M2 Pro Apple M2 Pro 19-Core GPU 32 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | 14.20" | 1.6 kg | 3024x1964 | glossy | 25000:1 | 1.2 | |
| 5 | 95.6 % | 93.7 % | 03/2023 |  | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max Apple M2 Max Apple M2 Max 38-Core GPU 64 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | 16.20" | 2.2 kg | 3456x2234 | glossy | 504000:1 | 1.5 | |
| 6 | 95.4 % | 89 % | 08/2023 New! |  | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16ARX8 (R5 7645HX, RTX 4050) AMD Ryzen 5 7645HX NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 16.00" | 2.5 kg | 2560x1600 | matte | 936:1 | 1.35 | |
| 7 | 95.3 % | 89.2 % | 04/2023 |  | MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13VH-014 Intel Core i9-13900H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU 64 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | 17.30" | 3 kg | 3840x2160 | matte | 19865:1 | 2.52 | |
| 8 | 95 % | 88 % | 04/2023 |  | Asus Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650PY-NM006W AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | 16.00" | 2.7 kg | 2560x1600 | matte | 10171:1 | 1.7 | |
| 9 | 95 % | 89.5 % | 08/2022 |  | Asus ROG Flow X16 GV601RW-M5082W AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 16.10" | 2.1 kg | 2560x1600 | glossy | 4527:1 | 1.87 | |
| 10 | 94.8 % | 90 % | 07/2023 |  | Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 Gen 8 Intel Core i9-13900H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 16.00" | 2.1 kg | 2560x1600 | matte | 1217:1 | 2.12 |
The table above contains an overview over the best notebooks reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editor's Comments
After our top list was shaken up by the increased use of very good displays (mostly mini-LED or OLED) and powerful, often desktop-class CPUs, there are at least two changes in the middle of the year, with the new generation of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 and the Asus ROG Flow X16 making it into the top 10. The list prices of all other devices have been updated.
The ranking is based on the average rating of the display and application performance sub-ratings. Move the mouse pointer over the respective score under "Weighted Rating" to see the ratings used for the calculation.
1st – Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023)
The new Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 uses a mini LED display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels in 16:10 format and a brightness of over 600 nits. However, the color deviations are only within tolerable limits for professional image editing when the multi-zone backlight is deactivated. Nevertheless, this is enough for 1st place in our top list. 1,024 dimming zones on 16 inches ensure a high contrast without strong blooming.
Actually a gaming laptop, the 16-inch display has a correspondingly high refresh rate, in this case a very fast 240 Hz. The built-in RTX 4090 with 150 W TGP (including Dynamic Boost) is also not from bad parents, while the Intel Core i9-13900H exceeds the multi-core performance of the predecessor by 20 percent, but does not unfold its full potential in the 23 mm thin gamer. In battery mode, the performance of the CPU and GPU also drops significantly.
High-end hardware comes at a high price: The thin and light design also means that the full performance of the GPU and CPU cannot be called upon. However, the Zephyrus M16 is convincing on the network, especially when it comes to the screen.
In the US, interested users can order the ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) via Amazon with prices starting at $3,300.
Pricecompare
2nd – Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16 (2023)
Thanks to its performance and above-average display, the 16-inch laptop from Lenovo with the name Legion Pro 7 16 is also in the top list of the best devices for photo and video editing.
In addition to the new Raptor Lake processor from the particularly powerful HX series, the updated version now also offers a speedy GeForce RTX 4080 from Nvidia with max TGP of 175 W. The two USB-C ports now also support Power Delivery with up to 140 W. The large 16:10 display has not changed much from the basic specifications with 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, 16:10, IPS and HDR 400, instead of 165 Hz there is now 240 Hz and Lenovo now uses the supplier CSOT instead of BOE.
The subjective picture impression is still excellent, as the colors are vivid, the contrast is good and there is no grainy picture impression despite the matte panel. However, the price has risen significantly compared to its predecessor due to the more powerful hardware.
Even in the factory settings, the color deviations are within the limits and we could not detect any color cast. After our calibration, the display quality could still be improved. The AdobeRGB color space is covered by 71 percent.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16 can currently be ordered on the manufacturer's website. Alternatively, Amazon US also lists a RTX 4080-powered SKU for around $2,400.
Pricecompare
3rd – Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023)
Mini-LED now finally available for the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: The compact 14-inch gaming laptop is now the third best multimedia notebook for photo and video editing, although the focus here is of course on mobility rather than plenty of screen space.
The performance of the Zen 4 AMD processor has increased by a whopping 25 percent compared to its predecessor, while the built-in GeForce RTX 4090 with 125 W TGP (including 25 W Dynamic Boost) calculates up to twice as fast as the Radeon RX 6800S of its predecessor.
Subjective image quality is superb with popping colors, great contrast ratio, and no visible pixel grain despite a matte panel.
The latest Zephyrus G14 from Asus offers compact, powerful performance and an almost perfect display. 93% AdobeRGB, accurate colors, high contrast, 165 Hz and 500 cd/m² - you get it all here.
In the US, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 with RTX 4060 is currently available on Amazon for around $1,600.
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4th – Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023 M2 Pro
Apple MacBook Pro 14 was recently refreshed and will be powered by the new M2 Pro SoC with up to 12 CPU cores and 19 GPU cores in 2023. On the outside, everything has remained the same, such as the sturdy unibody case with its perfectly aligned hinges. However, up to 96 GB of RAM with a very high 400 GB/s bandwidth is now possible if you choose the M2 Max. The multi-core CPU performance increases by 20 percent from the M1 Pro to the M2 Pro. The long battery runtimes remain the same.
The mini-LED display is high-resolution, particularly contrasty, has a 120 Hz refresh rate and is already color-accurate without calibration.
The slow response times and the constant PWM flickering have to be accepted, just like in the predecessor model, in the otherwise very good display.
The device can be purchased either directly from Apple or through authorized resellers such as Amazon.
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5th – Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max
Similar to the MacBook Pro 14 2023 M2 Pro, the MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max has also undergone a complete redesign. The M2 Max SoC with 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores performs its duties inside the aluminum unibody housing, which is more massive than its predecessor. The workmanship is excellent and the surfaces are not susceptible to dirt or fingerprints.
The mini LED screen achieves an extremely low black level and therefore very high contrast values, similar to OLED panels. The subjective picture quality is simply perfect.
One small point of criticism is the constant PWM flickering at 15 KHz. Anyone susceptible to this will not be happy with the Macbook Pro 16 2023. The screen on the 16-inch model should also be calibrated, as the color temperature is set a little too cool. This was not the case with the 14-inch model. However, the DeltaE-2000 deviations are very minimal, so we can recommend the panel for photo and video editing.
The MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Pro, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD is available in stores for around $2,200, for instance at Amazon. Our test configuration with 64 GB RAM and a 2 TB SSD is available either from Apple's online store.
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6th – Lenovo Legion Pro 4 16ARX8 (R5 7645HX, RTX 4050)
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16ARX8 doesn’t have any serious weaknesses and managed to wow us with its stable gaming performance, bright display and decent specs. Sure, it is not powerful enough to run the latest games at the highest settings, but it is almost always capable of churning out decent frame rates. What’s more, fan noise is consistently kept at an acceptable level, meaning you don’t necessarily need to use a pair of headphones when gaming. This seems to be an attractive combination for casual gamers.
Versatility is its strength: the laptop is quiet during gaming and yet, with just one click, can easily hold its own against the best laptops with the same hardware
The combination of a WQXGA resolution (2,560 x 1,600) and a 240Hz refresh rate is a bit of an overkill. The GPU doesn’t have the performance required to take full advantage of the display. Another underwhelming thing is the lacklustre battery life. Similarly, a USB4 port and a card reader would also have been nice to see on the laptop. However, these weaknesses are easy to overlook considering the Legion’s modest price (additional discount is available if you can present a valid ID from an educational institution).
Lenovo offers various configurations of the Legion Pro 5 16ARX8 on its online store. Alternatively, users can purchase the device via Amazon US.
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7th – MSI Stealth 17 Studio
If the mini-LED displays in the previous places are not an option for you due to their 2.5K resolutions, the MSI Stealth 17 offers the rare combination of 4K resolution and mini-LED backlighting. The 17-inch, calibrated 16:9 panel with 94% AdobeRGB also achieves 144 Hz.
Paired with an Intel Core i9-13900H and a GeForce RTX 4080, but only with a maximum of 105 watts due to the 21 mm thin design of the Stealth series, the gaming laptop from MSI offers ideal conditions for video and photo editing. You also get a low fan volume, very good input devices and speakers.
Flat, but not quite light at 3 kg. 17.3-inch with 4K mini LED display and powerful hardware, but this is not the end of the line and not quite 400 cd/m² is available for outdoor use.
Flat, but not quite light at 3 kg. 17.3-inch with 4K mini LED display and powerful hardware, but this is not the end of the line and not quite 400 cd/m² is available for outdoor use.
In the US, users can purchase the MSI Stealth 17 Studio via Amazon. For example, a variant with an RTX 4080 costs $2,400 and another RTX 4070-powered SKU is listed for $1,850.
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8th – Asus Zephyrus Duo 16 (2023)
The exciting Zephyrus Duo 16 (2023) from Asus offers two displays at the same time. The 16-inch calibrated main display offers a 2.5K resolution, 91% AdobeRGB, 240 Hz and a super-bright 700 cd/m² or even 1,400 cd/m² in HDR mode. The second display (screenpad) measures 14 inches diagonally, has a resolution of 3,840 x 1,100 pixels and covers 100% of the sRGB color space.
The multimedia laptop from Asus is powered by a powerful AMD Ryzen 7945HX, which delivers more than outstanding performance. The built-in RTX 4090 is more on par with or slightly above a fully extended RTX 4080 due to a slightly lowered 155 W TGP.
Instead of an IPS panel Apple now uses Mini LED panels with extremely low levels of brightness and thus a very high contrast ratio, not unlike OLED panels. Simply put, subjective image quality is absolutely perfect.
The Asus Zephyrus 16 Duo not only has plenty of power, but also offers two very good displays. However, the battery life is poor due to the desktop-oriented CPU and the price is not exactly low.
At the time of writing, Amazon US lists a RTX 4090-powered SKU of Asus Zephyrus Duo 16 (2023) for around $4,000.
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9th – Asus ROG Flow X16
With the Asus ROG Flow X16, we reviewed a special notebook that turns into a 16-inch tablet with a foldable display and can be operated with the pen. This can be very useful for picture and photo work.
Thanks to mini-LEDs, the display is one of the best we tested and also one of the brightest, with up to 1,100 nits at peak HDR content. Contrast is very high and colors accurate, except for blue, which remained quite off with a Delta E value of 6.5 after our calibration. However, the model we tested extensively was a pre-release version, so the launch model could improve quite a bit.
The AdobeRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces are covered 100% and thus enable professional image and video editing. There are no compromises in performance either, a fast AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX and an RTX 3070 Ti, with a high 125 W TGP, deliver plenty of power. The hardware is equally suitable for gaming and can be enjoyed with the 165 Hz fast panel including 2.5K resolution and HDR1000.
The Asus ROG Flow X16 not only offers a high-quality mini-LED display and high performance, but also remains pleasantly quiet, cool and does not forget the frequent typists, who will appreciate the keyboard with 1.7 mm travel.
The overall package is rounded out with very good speakers, adequate battery life, 100-W power delivery, upgradeable RAM, and SSD that works very fast, which becomes especially relevant for large rendering files. However, Thunderbolt and USB 4 are not available, even though Asus could still add them via a software update. There are no other real drawbacks, even though PWM with 7,400 MHz is used to dim the display. The card reader is unfortunately only microSD.
Currently, users can purchase the device through manufacturer's online store for $2,399.
Pricecompare
10th – Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 (2023)
The thin Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16 impresses with its bright, 240 Hz 16-inch display, a fast Intel Core i9-13900H and quiet and cool operation. Our test device has an RTX 4070 and is very well made, with no quality defects to be found in the aluminum casing.
The matte 16-inch 2.5K panel only covers ~70% of the extended DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB color spaces.
However, Lenovo also offers an alternative panel with 3.2K resolution and almost 100% DCI-P3. Unfortunately, there is no 4K display that would reproduce 99% of the AdobeRGB color space like the 2021 version. There is also no mini LED option.
The Legion Slim 7i 16 (2023) is available through Lenovo’s own webstore with prices starting at $1,400.
Pricecompare
Best Notebooks for Digital Content Editing in Comparison
Test Results
| Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604VY-NM042X | Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16IRX8H | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA402XY | Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023 M2 Pro | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16ARX8 (R5 7645HX, RTX 4050) | MSI Stealth 17 Studio A13VH-014 | Asus Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650PY-NM006W | Asus ROG Flow X16 GV601RW-M5082W | Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 Gen 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | ||||||||||
| Display P3 Coverage | 99.33 | 69.1 | 99.6 | 99.2 | 99 | 71.6 | 92 | 99.4 | 99.82 | 70.4 |
| sRGB Coverage | 99.9 | 99.7 | 100 | 100 | 99.8 | 99.1 | 100 | 99.99 | 99.4 | |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 90.01 | 71.2 | 93.4 | 88.5 | 72.9 | 94.07 | 90.8 | 90.21 | 72.5 | |
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 50.8 ? | 12.3 ? | 17.2 ? | 35.2 ? | 80.5 ? | 12 ? | 46.4 ? | 15.2 ? | 11 ? | 12 ? |
| Response Time Black / White * | 29.6 ? | 5.9 ? | 9.9 ? | 26.4 ? | 47.2 ? | 5.2 ? | 0.62 ? | 19 ? | 11 ? | 8.9 ? |
| PWM Frequency | 12000 | 5430 | 14880 ? | 14880 ? | 2400 | 12000 ? | 7400 ? | |||
| Screen | ||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 634 | 511 | 535 | 500 | 504 | 543 | 397.29 | 712 | 498 | 474.6 |
| Brightness | 627 | 469 | 563 | 489 | 487 | 516 | 392 | 703 | 502 | 445 |
| Brightness Distribution | 92 | 86 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 87 | 93 | 95 | 94 | 86 |
| Black Level * | 0.03 | 0.4 | 0.02 | 0.001 | 0.58 | 0.02 | 0.07 | 0.11 | 0.39 | |
| Contrast | 21133 | 1278 | 25000 | 504000 | 936 | 19865 | 10171 | 4527 | 1217 | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 0.89 | 0.95 | 1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.35 | 2.52 | 1.7 | 1.87 | 2.12 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 1.79 | 2.07 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.22 | 3.91 | 4 | 6.15 | 4.73 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.91 | 0.91 | 1.31 | 2.52 | 1.2 | 1.94 | 0.57 | |||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.13 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.03 | 2.78 | 2.8 | 3.15 | 2.8 |
| Gamma | 2.47 89% | 2.176 101% | 2.24 98% | 2.24 98% | 2.25 98% | 2.38 92% | 2.63 84% | 2.21 100% | 330.95 1% | 2.22 99% |
| CCT | 6497 100% | 6545 99% | 6337 103% | 6791 96% | 6882 94% | 6452 101% | 6412 101% | 6978 93% | 7294 89% | 6542 99% |
| Noise | ||||||||||
| off / environment * | 24 | 24 | 23.3 | 23.9 | 23.9 | 23 | 24 | 23.9 | 25.5 | 22.8 |
| Idle Minimum * | 24 | 26 | 23.6 | 23.9 | 23.9 | 23 | 24 | 23.9 | 25.5 | 23.6 |
| Idle Average * | 29.96 | 28 | 23.6 | 23.9 | 23.9 | 23 | 24 | 32.9 | 25.5 | 23.6 |
| Idle Maximum * | 34.27 | 34 | 33 | 23.9 | 23.9 | 24.42 | 24 | 36.5 | 27.4 | 25.7 |
| Load Average * | 35.89 | 47 | 49.5 | 26 | 36.6 | 34.94 | 34.49 | 42.9 | 49.9 | 27.6 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 57.5 | 55 | 52.2 | 35.1 | 43.79 | 48.29 | 51.2 | 54.4 | ||
| Load Maximum * | 57.54 | 56 | 52.2 | 43.2 | 43.2 | 50 | 49.66 | 56 | 55 | 54.4 |
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 50 | 48 | 47 | 46.9 | 44.2 | 45 | 47 | 44.2 | 55.1 | 49.8 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 58 | 49 | 46.5 | 41.7 | 42.9 | 54 | 54 | 46.8 | 50.3 | 48.8 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 26 | 40 | 25.9 | 21.4 | 22.4 | 36 | 30 | 29.2 | 35.5 | 29.4 |
| Idle Bottom * | 28 | 33 | 28 | 21.4 | 22.3 | 38 | 32 | 30.2 | 36.1 | 30 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
| H.264 | 285 | 431 | 917 | 1124 | 325 | 334 | 230 | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 259 | 303 | 448 | 807 | 887 | 333 | 336 | 238 | 339 | 261 |
| Load | 173 | 124 | 58 | 70 | 66 | 98 | 57 | 53 | 55 | |
| Reader / Idle | 385 | 305 | ||||||||
| Witcher 3 ultra | 47 | 155 | 51 |
* ... smaller is better
