When we tested it, we found the only real downside to this 16-inch Macbook (other than its price) is that it is pretty heavy, at 2.1kg for the Pro version and 2.2kg for the Max version. Of course, a lot of what we've said is also true of the smaller MacBook Pro 14 (see below) – however, if your budget can accommodate it, the larger screen of the 16-inch version will mean you have a much easier time working in your editing interface, and you won't catch yourself dreaming of an external monitor. If you're working with a lot of video then you'll likely want to have as much storage as possible, and this MacBook Pro can be configured with up to 8TB of storage. The ProRes accelerator in the chips' media engineers also means that video processing is more efficient, and so won't be as punishing on battery life. What this means in real terms is that the MacBook Pro 16-inch can support editing multiple streams of 8K video in real-time without rendering. It uses the powerful new M1 Chip iterations, either the M1 Pro or the M1 Max if you need the utmost in speed – to the point of being twice or even four times as fast as the 2020 MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro 16-inch, released in October 2021, is one of the best laptops you can buy, and certainly one of the best for video editing.

We've considered all those specs in this guide, which mostly includes models we've had hands-on experience with (see our how we test laptops, PCs and workstations guide for more info on our process). If you're working with high-resolution footage, like 4K or greater, then you'll also need something with a screen that can actually display this footage in its full glory. Another option here is to output your MacBook's display to one of the best 4K monitors, which is something the best docks for MacBook Pro can help with by providing some more ports. Video editing is an intensive process, so you need a computer with a decent amount of power – otherwise you can expect your editing software to stutter and crash at frequent intervals. And if you need the utmost in raw power, there's also the Mac Pro to consider.

Other Mac computers like iMacs and Mac Minis can be a great option for video editors looking for a desktop solution. MacBooks aren't the only Apple computers that offer the kind of power and quality that video editors need.

Apple macbook video editing software