1. Electronics
  2. Laptops

The Best Lap Desk

By Sarah Witman
Updated
The LapGear Designer holding up a laptop
Photo: Michael Hession

Lap desks are like the athleisure of workspaces—not the most elegant option but generally comfortable and functional. After spending 15 hours researching and 32 hours testing lap desks, we’re confident that the LapGear Designer lap desk is the best for most people. It reigns supreme in terms of comfort and build quality, has one of the widest and sturdiest surfaces of any lap desk we tested, and offers extra storage options for your phone and other supplies.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

The LapGear Designer desk is the total package in terms of style, comfort, stability, and build quality, and it includes some extra storage options.

Also great

The Huanuo lap desk is small and compact in shape, and its top flips open so you can adjust the angle. Also, it has a roomy hidden compartment for pens, pencils, and other supplies.

Buying Options

Our pick

The LapGear Designer desk is the total package in terms of style, comfort, stability, and build quality, and it includes some extra storage options.

The LapGear Designer lap desk has a clean, simple design and comes in a variety of colors and patterns. It’s sturdy and well made, and it feels comfortable and cool in your lap. This lap desk measures 17¾ inches across—wide enough to fit a 13-inch laptop and mouse, or a larger laptop up to 17 inches on its own—and it weighs about 2 pounds. It has a handle for carrying it around or hanging it up, a slot to perch your phone, and an elastic strap for storing index cards or a pen. Plus, it has a short and unobtrusive plastic laptop rest toward the front edge, to keep your stuff from sliding off of the top, and it works equally well for left- and right-handed people.

Also great

The Huanuo lap desk is small and compact in shape, and its top flips open so you can adjust the angle. Also, it has a roomy hidden compartment for pens, pencils, and other supplies.

Buying Options

For working on the go, there’s no better option than the Huanuo HNLD15. It’s narrower than our other picks, so you can use it while you’re wedged between two strangers on a plane. And like the LapGear Designer desk, the Huanuo lap desk has a fabric handle on top, so you can carry it like a briefcase while rushing to catch a flight. Its underside has a 1-inch layer of foam to keep your lap padded, and the breathable mesh fabric surrounding it helps with ventilation. You can adjust the angle of the work surface to establish a more ergonomic posture. It also has a roomy hidden compartment underneath for your charging cables, candy, and whatever else you like to have nearby while getting some work done.

As the writer of this guide, I spent 15 hours researching and 32 hours testing lap desks. I’ve been a science journalist for more than seven years, covering a wide variety of topics, from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, I’ve reported on the best surge protectors, pencils, mousetraps, and more.

In addition to drawing upon my own experience working from home and in flex-seating offices for the past four years, I consulted with more than a dozen other Wirecutter staffers of varying heights and body types to better understand the wide-ranging needs and wants of people who use lap desks.

For a previous version of this guide, we spent an additional 12 hours testing lap desks. We also interviewed Alan Hedge, professor emeritus at Cornell University, who has studied workplace ergonomics, wellness, and productivity for nearly 40 years.

A person using a lap desk to work on their laptop while they are sitting in the middle of a staircase.
Photo: Sarah Kobos

You probably shouldn’t use a lap desk. Or not that often, anyway. Generally speaking, they’re ergonomically inferior to a regular desk and should only be used for up to an hour per day, said workplace health expert Alan Hedge. That said, life is short, and sometimes you need to work from a slouchier-than-usual sitting position. Enter: the lap desk.

Lap desks have been around for centuries. Thomas Jefferson even used a lap desk of his own design. Made of solid mahogany, it weighed 5 pounds and had a built-in drawer for storing quills and ink—to draft the Declaration of Independence. If you don’t like our picks and are in the mood to spend, you can buy a replica of this Founding Father’s lap desk—or just make your own (PDF).

Thomas Jefferson’s wooden lap desk with the surface lifted and the inner accessories drawer pulled partially out.
Thomas Jefferson’s lap desk at the National Museum of American History. Photo: National Museum of American History

Most modern-day lap desks have padding, ventilation, and something to keep your phone, tablet, or laptop from sliding off, but the basic function is about the same. If you like to work on a laptop or tablet—or do a crossword, write thank-you notes, color, consult your tarot cards, whatever—from your couch or in bed, lap desks can help. They provide a work surface that’s flatter and more stable than your bare lap and should effectively shield your skin from laptop burn (details on that and more in the health considerations section). They let you pick up your workstation and take it with you. And they’re used by people with a wide array of needs: remote workers, retirees, commuters, college students, people with injuries or disabilities that prevent them from working at a desk, and more.

We chose not to test gaming lap desks or lapboards for this guide, and we don’t recommend them. Gaming laptops get very hot, which affects their performance, and that’s why there are so many products designed to keep them cool.

We also didn’t test wheelchair add-ons, weighted lap pads, breakfast trays, standing laptop carts, or lap desks for kids, deciding they fall outside the scope of this guide. However, we plan to keep them in mind for future rounds of testing.

A close view of the corners of three of the lap desks we tested to find the best lap desk.
Photo: Sarah Kobos

First, we scanned Amazon, Staples, Target, Walmart, and other retailers for the most popular and widely available options. From there, we crafted a rough list of lap desks to check out, taking the following factors into consideration.

  • Heat distribution: We ruled out models lacking some kind of heat protection—such as a fan, ventilation, or padding to absorb and distribute heat—since keeping your legs cool and shielded against laptop burn is a main benefit of using a lap desk.
  • Surface area: We eliminated any lap desks smaller than 15 inches wide because we wanted them to be able to comfortably accommodate a 13-inch laptop with a little room to spare. (Because laptops are typically measured by diagonal screen size, the true width of a 13-inch MacBook Pro is 12.8 inches, and a 17-inch HP Envy is 16.4 inches wide.)
  • Lefty friendliness: To qualify as the best lap desk for most people, each model had to be usable by both left- and right-handed people. Regardless of which hand you normally use, having a little extra space on both sides of your laptop lets you keep your phone, pens, and other small supplies handy. So we disqualified any models with a built-in mousepad on the right side only, or those with an obstruction (like a laptop rest or clamp) that make it uncomfortable to write or draw with either hand.
  • Extra features: We required each model to have some sort of lip, clasp, or slot to hold a laptop, tablet, or book in place, even when the lap desk isn’t perfectly level—say, if you cross your legs underneath it. That way, you can focus on your work instead of trying to keep your stuff from slipping onto the floor every few seconds. Other than that, we noted (but did not require) any additional features, such as a storage pouch or drawer, a built-in fan, a handle, legs, or an angled work surface.
  • Brand reputation: We ruled out models with poor owner ratings and reviews—especially with regard to comfort, build quality, and stability. We checked the listings on Fakespot, eliminating those with a C grade or lower, which suggests some untrustworthiness in the reviews. We also decided not to test lap desks made by companies with a small or nonexistent online presence because we’ve been burned in the past by their inability to respond to customer-support queries or even keep products in stock for reliable shipping.

With this criteria in mind, we had three or more Wirecutter staffers test nearly two dozen lap desks in 2019 and again in 2021, using them to work on a laptop for at least 30 minutes per lap desk and filling out a survey after each one. Also, as the writer of this guide, I personally tested each lap desk for an hour or more, taking note of the following factors (listed in order of importance):

  • Comfort: We assessed how comfortable each lap desk was to use, considering how the texture of the underside felt against our legs, whether the weight was too much, or if it made us shift and squirm in our seats.
  • Build quality: We considered the materials used—if they seemed cheap and flimsy, or sturdy and robust—and how well they were constructed.
  • Stability: We took note of how prone each lap desk was to tipping over and sending our pens, notebooks, phones, and more toppling to the floor. For the ones with legs, we took stock of how wobbly they were.
  • Size: We measured the width of each lap desk at its widest point, making sure the surface had ample room for a laptop and more. We also measured the height from our laps to the topmost surface, because raising the laptop higher off your lap helps with heat management and ergonomics.
  • Weight: We weighed each lap desk using a digital scale; based on our testers’ responses, anything over 3 pounds resting on one’s lap causes undue discomfort.
  • Extra features: If the lap desk had any extra features, we considered how effectively they functioned and whether they truly improved our overall experience.
  • Looks: We considered the overall appearance of each lap desk, taking into account a variety of opinions. Just like any piece of furniture in your home or office—or an accessory you use often, like a backpack—a lap desk should look as good as it functions.
The LapGear Designer lap desk, our pick for best lap desk, shown in black with an open laptop computer sitting on it.
Photo: Michael Hession

Our pick

The LapGear Designer desk is the total package in terms of style, comfort, stability, and build quality, and it includes some extra storage options.

Of all the lap desks we considered, we’d get the LapGear Designer. It felt comfortable to use and has a sturdy build. At 17¾ inches across, it’s wide enough to fit a 13-inch laptop and mouse comfortably, or just a 15-inch or 17-inch laptop, and it works equally well for left- and right-handed people. It raises your work surface above your bare lap by more than 3 inches and weighs just over 2 pounds. A handful of small touches stand out—a plastic laptop rest to make your stuff stay put, a phone slot, a handle, an elastic strap for storing index cards or a pen—and overall it has a cute, clean-cut look. We also tested and liked the slightly wider version of this model—one that measures about 18½ inches—if you want a little extra surface space.

The top of the LapGear Designer lap desk is made of realistic-looking faux wood that’s easy to wipe clean. Photo: Michael Hession

The top surface of the lap desk (made of a warm-colored, faux-wood laminate) is equally comfortable to work on. Its smooth, matte finish won’t chafe your wrists as you type, draw, practice calligraphy, or handwrite the first draft of your novel. We prefer this texture to a dimpled plastic, like on the LapGear Smart-e, or the slick, shiny surface of the Honey-Can-Do. The padding on the underside of the Designer lap desk is filled with microbeads (little foam pellets) and encased in a soft, comfortable, canvas-like polyester material. It feels squishy yet stable because the pellets inside allow it to conform to the shape of your lap better than solid foam padding. You can even adjust the angle (roughly) to fit your position. Senior software engineer Nazanin Hesamzadeh said she loves the versatility of the desk’s design: “No matter where you sit, or how, there is no problem in adjusting it. When I was sick, it was good to have it in bed to put my plate on.”

The build quality of the LapGear Designer lap desk impressed us in our initial testing, and our long-term testers have had no issues with theirs after years of use. Hesamzadeh said her LapGear desk has shown no signs of wear-and-tear with regular use. Even though its topper is not made of real wood (which might look and feel more luxurious but will also be heavier), the Designer lap desk feels sturdy and well constructed. The materials seem durable—and because they’re petroleum-based, they’re easy to wipe down and spot clean. By comparison, we struck plenty of models from our testing list due to a pattern of owner reviews reporting shoddy workmanship and cheap-looking materials.

The Designer lap desk raises your laptop about 3 inches off the surface of your lap—which is about an inch higher than most of the other models we tested, and this helps with both heat management and ergonomics versus a bare lap. This lap desk weighs about 2 pounds, which feels similar to the weight of a thick wool blanket laid across your lap. It’s big enough to fit a 13-inch laptop and a wireless mouse, or a larger laptop up to 17 inches wide without a mouse.

The LapGear Designer lap desk, our pick for the best lap desk, holding a 15-inch HP Envy laptop and a smartphone in a case.
The LapGear Designer lap desk is wide enough to fit a 13-inch laptop and wireless mouse, or a larger laptop (like the 15-inch HP Envy pictured here) without a mouse. Photo: Andrew Cunningham

The small lip on the Designer laps desk’s near edge (a 6-inch strip of white plastic only a half-inch tall) is just wide enough to ensure that your laptop doesn’t slide onto your abdomen while you’re typing. But it also doesn’t prevent a left- or right-handed person from comfortably using a wireless mouse or writing on the lap desk. By comparison, some other models we tested, like the AboveTek, have laptop clasps or other extra features that our testers agreed were super annoying and impeded the basic functions of the lap desk.

As a bonus, the Designer lap desk has a little slot to prop up your phone while you’re working or to store a pen and pencil. An elastic strap in the corner—a feature we’ve not seen on any other model—provides additional storage for index cards or other small items that you wouldn’t want to go sliding off the edge.

The LapGear Designer Lap Desk resting across a person's lap, with a laptop computer, phone, pen, and post-it notes on top.
The LapGear Designer lap desk has a slot to prop up your phone or hold a writing utensil, as well as an elastic strap in the corner for additional storage. Photo: Sarah Kobos

In terms of looks, the Designer lap desk is one of the most attractive models we tested. It’s simple and stylish looking, and has a streamlined shape that’s easy to tuck under a couch or next to a bedside table. Its faux-wood top is a warm honey color that complements the white details. And the handle and bottom cushion come in a variety of vibrant colors and patterns, giving you lots of options to match your personal style.

LapGear backs all of its lap desks with a one-year warranty and has a robust web presence. When we called customer service anonymously, a representative picked up right away and offered to ship a replacement, no questions asked—except for requesting more details about how the company could improve the product.

Although we like the look of the LapGear Designer desk overall, we wish it were available in at least one neutral, solid color. Bold prints like paisley and argyle aren’t for everyone, and it would be a shame if your lap desk clashed with your home, office, or dorm-room decor. But since the Designer comes in a wide variety of colorful patterns (seven at the time of this writing), we think most people can find one they like, even if it wouldn’t be their first choice. Though a lap desk may improve ergonomics a little, and can keep a hot laptop off your bare legs, padded options like the Designer desk do only so much.

The Huanuo HNLD15 lap desk, our choice for the best lap desk for travel, shown in black holding an open laptop computer.
Photo: Michael Hession

Also great

The Huanuo lap desk is small and compact in shape, and its top flips open so you can adjust the angle. Also, it has a roomy hidden compartment for pens, pencils, and other supplies.

Buying Options

If you’re planning to work while traveling—whether it’s a transatlantic flight or a daily train, bus, or carpool commute—the Huanuo HNLD15 is your best bet. Small and compact, it has a padded bottom for comfort and a handle for carrying. Plus, it adds handy features like a fold-out laptop rest, an adjustable angled lid, and a hidden compartment for storing a charger and other supplies.

About the size of a box of cereal, the Huanuo measures 14¾ by 11 by 2½ inches, which is wide enough to comfortably fit a 13-inch laptop or the average sketchbook. The work surface is slightly angled when laid flat. And it has a small kickstand on the top that you can unlatch and use to further adjust the angle (kind of like the movable backrest of a poolside chaise lounge). The laptop rest has a flip-open design, so it doesn’t get in the way when not in use, and a convenient strip of textured rubber helps keep your laptop, tablet, or book from sliding off.

The Huanuo lap desk’s hidden compartment comes with two removable dividers to keep your stuff organized. Photo: Michael Hession

The Huanuo lap desk is almost entirely made of plastic, so it’s not exceptionally rugged, but in practice we found it to be sturdily built and robust. It’s also easy to blot clean or wipe dry if you have a spill. At 3 pounds, it’s on the heavier side, but we didn't find that it made our laps uncomfortable. The padding on the bottom—an inch-thick layer of foam covered in a nylon mesh—is cushiony and breathable. While it doesn’t conform to the shape of your lap like our top pick’s Beanie Baby–like padding does, it offers plenty of stability and comfort even after hours of use.

A handy feature of this lap desk, which we didn’t see in most other models, is its storage compartment. Taking up most of the interior, it’s roomy enough for a cache of index cards, markers, snacks, and more. It comes with two plastic dividers for organization, but they’re removable so you can store larger items. A sliding latch at the bottom allows you to lock the lid shut, so it doesn’t accidentally fall open when you’re carrying it by the handle (spilling your pens, pencils, and other supplies in the middle of a crowded plane is, for me at least, the stuff of nightmares). Also, we were delighted to find that there’s a small hole at the top, just big enough for a charging cable to pass through, so you can keep a power bank in the compartment and charge your phone or laptop while using the lap desk.

Like the Avantree, the Huanuo doesn’t have the colorful flair of our top pick. Every component, from top to bottom, is solid black. But since it’s designed for travel, rather than around-the-house use, we don’t think the funerary aesthetic will be a major detractor for most people.

Huanuo has an active Amazon store, and when we called the company’s support line (on a Friday afternoon, at that), an agent picked up immediately. Its lap desks are backed by a one-year warranty, which should give you plenty of time to test out yours and make sure it’s working properly.

Although they’re not as good for your posture as an ergonomic work setup with a real desk, lap desks are still better than no desk at all. Besides providing a more even, stable work surface than the average lap, there are some medical reasons to use lap desks, too:

  • Ergonomics: The ideal typing position is sitting or standing upright and looking straight into a screen, with your feet flat on the floor and your wrists in your lap slightly below your elbows. It’s pretty much impossible to achieve this posture without an external monitor. That said, lap desks have been shown to encourage a better working posture than setting a laptop on your bare lap. Plus, those that let you adjust the height and angle can bring you even closer to that ideal position. (We discuss workplace ergonomics further in our guides to the best ergonomic keyboard, under-desk footrest, laptop stand, standing desk, and office chair.)
  • Eyestrain: Most lap desks allow you to keep your laptop screen at arm’s length (to a greater extent than you could without one), which is easier on your eyes. Maximizing the distance between your eyes and the screen will help prevent computer vision syndrome, which involves eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, and neck/shoulder pain, and is a common result of prolonged screen time.
  • Laptop burn: When you use a laptop, especially for an extended period of time, it heats up. Over the past 15 years, scientists have studied more than a dozen reported cases of people with red, irritated, or damaged skin (including, in some cases, severe burns) from prolonged laptop use. These extreme consequences are rare, but a lap desk can help dissipate the heat emitted from your laptop and shield your bare skin from damage.
  • Infertility: Scientists have studied the possibility of a link between laptops (when used directly on the lap) and male reproductive health. For example, a 2005 study of 29 men found that scrotal temperatures were significantly warmer for subjects with a laptop on their laps for extended periods, compared with subjects with nothing on their laps (scrotal temperature is known to impact sperm production and function). But the research has been limited, and we don’t think there’s enough evidence to recommend lap desks as a precaution against male infertility.

If you want something bigger, sturdier, and more sophisticated-looking than our picks, and you don’t mind paying a hefty premium for it: Consider the Cooper Desk Pro XL. It has a removable laptop rest at the bottom of the work surface, as well as legs that let you adjust the height and angle for improved ergonomics. This lap desk has a handy little drawer underneath, for storing things like pens, and a lengthy slot at the top to hold a phone or tablet. Though most lap desks with legs we tested wouldn’t look out of place in a hospital, the Cooper Desk Pro XL embodies home-office-chic. Its legs are made of brushed aluminum, with black plastic crossbars that are curved up like skis, so it’s easier to glide it out from under you. The black plastic tabletop is even covered in a layer of black faux leather. However, this lap desk has a few key drawbacks. First, at 24 inches wide, it’s bigger than we think many people will want. (Though if you have generous hips or a larger body, it may be a tight squeeze to fit between this desk’s legs.) Also, it weighs more than twice as much as our other picks—nearly 8 pounds, or roughly the weight of a newborn baby. Finally, it’s the priciest lap desk we tested, costing twice as much as the LapGear as of this writing. But if you don’t mind those drawbacks (or if it goes on sale), don’t hesitate to get it.

If you like the design and don’t mind the extra weight: You might prefer the LapGear Bamboard Pro to our top pick. It has a cool, sleek look that’s masculine without being too macho. It feels sturdy and stable in your lap, and its honey-colored wood (bamboo, as the name suggests) is durable, plentiful, and relatively sustainable to harvest. It has a faux-leather laptop rest that doubles as a firm, comfy cushion for your wrists. It also has three sizable slots for your phone, tablet, and other supplies, whereas most models we tested had only one. The honeycomb-shaped cutouts in the center add ventilation for your laptop, and the mousepads on both sides make it more inclusive for lefties. However, the Bamboard Pro wasn’t an unqualified favorite in our testing. Testers either adored or abhorred the Bamboard Pro’s minimal aesthetic. And since there’s no padding on the bottom, it feels more or less like you have a plank of wood on your lap (albeit a nicely sanded and varnished one). It’s also much heavier (almost 5 pounds, whereas the Designer weighs just 2 pounds) and wider (22 inches) than anything else we tested, and we think that’s more lap desk than most people need.

If you favor a neutral solid color over vibrant prints and want more ventilation: The Wishacc Bamboo Wood Lap Desk is a great alternative to our top pick. It’s 15¼ inches wide—a couple of inches narrower than the LapGear Designer. But if you want more room, this lap desk also comes in 21-inch and 24-inch widths. The work surface and laptop rest are both made of polished bamboo wood, giving it an upscale look (and a smaller environmental footprint than our picks, which are primarily made of nonrenewable materials like metal and plastic). Like our top pick, it has a slot for a phone on top, as well as an elastic band on the corner for extra storage, and its handle and cushion are covered in a soft-yet-rugged fabric. Rather than a variety of colorful patterns, as you get with the LapGear Designer, this lap desk’s fabric comes in one color: a light, sandy brown. The combination of the earth-tone fabric and wood gives this lap desk a subtle, sophisticated look (though it’s not for everyone). A neat feature of this lap desk is that a section in the center of the foamy padding can be flipped open and buttoned in place to create an angled work surface. This also allows for more ventilation than most soft-bottom lap desks. Unfortunately, though, we’ve noticed some stock issues with this model.

The Amazon Basics Adjustable Laptop Tray Table has a laptop rest on the left side and a mouse rest on the right side of the work surface. This makes the tray impractical for lefties. And if you don’t use a mouse, it also forces you to have your laptop off to the side while you’re using it, rather than centered.

The Arlo Skye The Lap Desk’s large 19-inch size makes it cumbersome to use, and the microbeads in the cushioned base feel like hard plastic compared to the soft compression beads found in our main pick. Plus, the docking tray is too narrow for anything but a mobile phone or tablet, making it inaccessible for people who pair their devices with thicker cases.

The Honey-Can-Do Portable Laptop Lap Desk (our former budget pick) was nixed in a later round of testing because it doesn’t have a built-in laptop rest to keep your stuff from sliding off.

The Huanuo HNLD11 feels flimsy and cheap when compared with our picks. And at 16½ inches wide, it’s an awkward size—a bit too small for daily use and too big for travel. Plus, the fleece material on the bottom gets warm more quickly compared with the padding on most options we tested.

The LapGear Clipboard Lap Desk is well built and offers plenty of room for a 13-inch laptop and mouse (17¾ inches wide), and the clip on the side is handy for keeping homework, tax forms, or other papers in place. However, the materials seem chintzier and less durable than those of the Designer.

The LapGear Mydesk, measuring 17½ inches wide, has a generously sized workspace, but it’s not as sturdy or as stylish as the Designer lap desk. Also, while the fleece material on the bottom is velvety-soft, it gets too warm on your lap.

The LapGear Smart-e is almost identical to the discontinued eDesk, but we found its dimpled plastic surface unenjoyable to write on. Plus, the lip around its tablet slot creates an uneven surface for a laptop or notepad.

On paper, we liked the LapGear XL (discontinued) a lot. It’s one of the widest models we tested, its padding is ventilated, and it has dual mousepads, zip-up storage pouches, and a roomy laptop rest. But in practice, that laptop rest is made of hard plastic and makes the whole thing uncomfortable to use.

The Mind Reader LTADJUST is nearly identical to the Huanuo HNLD15 but lacks one of its best features: a storage compartment. Also, its fleecy padding is soft but too warm for comfort.

We like that the Nearpow Laptop Lap Desk has a removable, washable cover (no other model we tested has this feature, so you have to spot-clean the fabric padding). But it feels flimsier than most models we tested (its mouse pads were starting to peel off after just a few days of use, and the materials in general feel chintzy). Also, its padded wrist rest was too angular in shape to be used comfortably.

The Executive Office Solutions Portable Adjustable Aluminum Laptop Desk, Huanuo HNLA6 (discontinued), and PWR+ Laptop Table are nearly identical models with built-in, USB-powered fans to keep your laptop (and lap) cool. We thought they might be a good option for video editors and other people who run lots of programs on their laptop, generating more heat than typical use. However, these models were not easy to set up and use—each leg has three joints that must be manually adjusted to a precise angle to be usable. Nor did we think they were substantially better at keeping our laps cool compared with other legged lap desks we tried. Also, these lap desks’ legs extend straight down from their work surface—leaving just over 18 inches for your legs in between them. So, if you have hips like Kim Kardashian, it’s going to be a tight squeeze.

The SAIJI Adjustable Laptop Stand features collapsible legs and generous height and angle adjustments, making it ideal for someone who doesn’t like the weight of a lap desk against their body. But this desk weighs 9 pounds, more than four times the weight of our LapGear Designer main pick, making it cumbersome to use. And while this model offers a wide, 23-inch work surface, it may still be difficult for people with larger bodies or wide hips to sit comfortably between its legs—one tester, who’s 5-foot-3 and has 40-inch-wide hips, occasionally struggled to rearrange themselves beneath it.

Meet your guide

Sarah Witman

Sarah Witman is a senior staff writer who reports on powering and charging technology for Wirecutter. She previously worked as a writer, editor, and fact checker for several science magazines. Though she researches and tests chargers for a living, her phone battery is usually low.

Further reading

  • Three of our picks for best laptop stands, shown next to each other.

    The Best Laptop Stands

    by Melanie Pinola

    The Rain Design iLevel 2 is our favorite laptop stand because it makes it easy to raise your screen to proper ergonomic height.

  • A person using a computer at a desk that has been outfitted with our pick for best standing desk converter, the Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior.

    The Best Standing Desk Converters

    by Kevin Purdy and Melanie Pinola

    We built and worked on 17 standing desk converters, and we found that the Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior remains the best way to stand at a stationary desk.

  • Some of our picks for best laptop, placed around each other in a grid. Some of them are open and active while others are shut.

    The Best Laptops

    by Kimber Streams and Dave Gershgorn

    From budget-friendly options to thin-and-light ultrabooks to powerful gaming laptops, we’ve spent hundreds of hours finding the best laptops for most people.

  • Two blond wood 4NM desks, one folded against a wall and one set up with pencils, pads, books, and a chair.

    6 Small Desks We Love

    by Melanie Pinola

    No room for a full-size desk? No problem. Here are a few of our favorite small desks for cozy apartments and shared spaces.

Edit
Dismiss