Best Budget Laptops for Photo and Video Editing 2023

Nowadays Photo and Video editing are becoming very common. Carrying a desktop makes it impossible to do your work from one place to another, so laptops are becoming more viable options for media creator users. This article will help you find the perfect budget laptop for editing video and photos.

Budget-Friendly Laptops For Editing Photos And Videos

The following are some laptops that we recommend for video and photo editing:

1. Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 15
2. Dell Inspiron 15 3511
3. ASUS TUF F15
4. Lenovo IdeaPad 3
5. ASUS VivoBook 16X
6. MSI Bravo 15

Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 15

CPU: Intel Core i5-1235U | GPU: Iris Xe | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ IPS 60 Hz | Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 15 is a great budget laptop for video and photo editing. It is powered by the Intel i5-1235U CPU which is designed with power efficiency in mind. It also has 8GB of DDR memory and 512GB of NVMe storage. The laptop’s specifications are decent, and it has satisfactory battery life. The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the I/O is good. You get a pair of USB-A ports, a single USB-C port, HDMI and a headphone microphone combo jack.

This is a budget laptop, so some corners have been cut. 8GB of RAM might not be enough for some users. Furthermore, the screen is a bit dim, and the webcam quality is bad. The audio of the laptop speakers isn’t great either.

Pros:

• Competitive price
• 15.60-inch IPS display
• Decent battery life
• Comfortable keyboard

Cons:

• 8GB RAM
• Screen is a bit dim
• Poor webcam and audio quality

Dell Inspiron 15 3511

CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 | GPU: Iris Xe | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ IPS 60 Hz | Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD

Dell is known for making durable, robust, and reliable laptops and the Dell Inspiron 15 3511 is no exception. It is powered by the Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU which has 4 cores, 8 threads and a max clock speed of 3.6 GHz. The CPU has 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. So, this is a powerful machine, capable of rendering video and editing pictures.  

The laptop has a 15.6-inch display which is a touchscreen. You also get an SD Card reader to copy your files from your camera. The base of the laptop lifts when you have the screen open for a better typing experience and increased airflow. The I/O is not the best since you get three USB-A ports, HDMI, and an SD Card reader. There is no USB-C port. 

All things considered; the Dell Inspiron 15 3511 offers a lot of performance for the price. There is no USB-C port, which is a bummer.  

Pros:

• Great specs for the price
• 15.60-inch display
• Decent battery life
• Comfortable keyboard
• Ergonomic lift design

Cons:

• No USB-C
• Fingerprint magnet

ASUS TUF F15 

CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H | GPU: Nvidia GTX 1650 | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ IPS 144 Hz | Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD

Asus TUF F15 features a 15.6″ 1080p IPS display with a refresh rate of 144Hz, so you can game on it too. It is Powered by the Intel i5 10300H CPU and a dedicated GTX 1650 graphics card. Which is a great combination for content creation and gaming.

Something worth considering is that it has a pair of RAM slots, a pair of M.2 slots and a 2.5-inch SATA slot. So, upgrading RAM or storage is not going to be a problem. The port selection is also great, and it comes with a dual fan cooler to keep the temperature in check when the device is under load.

This is a TUF laptop, so it is built well and has impressive audio too. The downsides are that the battery life is average and there is no SD Card reader or fingerprint scanner.

Pros:

• Great specs for the price
• 15.60-inch display
• Comfortable keyboard
• Dedicated GTX 1650 graphics card
• Loud audio
• 2x M.2 slots and RAM slots
• Extra 2.5-inch SATA slot

Cons:

• 8GB RAM is limiting
• No SD card reader
• No fingerprint scanner

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5625U | GPU: Radeon Integrated Graphics | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Screen: 17.3-inch IPS 60 Hz | Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is equipped with a 17.3-inch 1080p screen, and Powered by AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU. It has 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The RAM is not ideal but there is an additional slot, so you can upgrade it to run in dual channel. The I/O is decent and you get a USB-C port, a pair of USB-A ports , HDMI, SD card reader and a headphone microphone combo jack.

While this is a larger laptop, it is still easy to carry. The battery life is great and can last over 9 hours. The laptop is built well and even the webcam video quality is decent. The downside is that the CPU cannot handle intensive workloads. While the keyboard is fine for quick typing, it is not ideal for long periods of use. The trackpad is also fairly small.

ASUS VivoBook 16X

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600H | GPU: Radeon Vega 7 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Screen: 16-inch IPS | Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD

ASUS VivoBook 16X is a cool laptop powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H with an AMD Radeon Vega 7 graphics chip. It has a 16-inch  WUXGA 1080p display with an aspect ratio of 16:10. It also features 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. It comes with a fingerprint sensor, for easy unlocking of the device.

This is a nice thin and light device with enough RAM for word processing and light work such as photo editing. The keyboard is very comfortable, and typing on the device is great. I/O is also decent, with three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, a headphone microphone combo jack, and HDMI. The laptop is ideal for work and consuming content.

Pros:

• Comfortable keyboard
• Thin and light
• Nice large screen
• Great mid-range option

Cons:

• Touchpad feels spongy
• Webcam quality isn’t the best

MSI Bravo 15

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600H | GPU: Radeon RX 5500M | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6-inch IPS | Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD

The MSI Bravo 15 laptop is meant for gamers and content creators. It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H and AMD RX 5500M dedicated graphics card. Video and Photo Editing will be fast thanks to its powerful processing and graphics card. The laptop also features 16 GB of RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD. It has a 1080p 144Hz IPS dusplay with FreeSync. The fooling solution is robust and can keep the device cool under load.

While the price of the laptop is competitive keeping in mind the performance that it offers, the graphics card is a bit dated at this point. The laptop itself is heavy and might not be ideal if you tend to work on the move. Furthermore, there is no DisplayPort over USB-C support.

Pros:

• Comfortable keyboard
• Great mid-range option
• Dedicated graphics cards
• Good cooling

Cons:

• No DisplayPort over USB-C support
• Dated graphics card

These are some of the best budget laptops that we can recommend for video and photo editing. If you want to look at some other options, then check out our recommended AMD Ryzen 5 laptops.