A laptop holder elevates your computer’s screen to eye-level, which helps prevent neck and shoulder pain from poor posture and slouching while also making typing more ergonomic. It’s a small investment that can improve your comfort and productivity, giving you a clearer view of your work while helping keep your desk free of clutter and jumbled wires.
A portable stand is easy to carry, takes just seconds to set up and break down, and provides a safe and comfortable working position for your laptop. It’s a good choice for students or anyone who spends long periods of time on their laptop away from home, but isn’t quite ready to commit to an office chair.
Some laptop holders can also be used as a desktop organizer, offering a place to store stationery and a spot for a keyboard and mouse. Many models can also hold a cup of water or coffee, although the ones I tried couldn’t hold mugs or larger plastic and aluminum water bottles, so you might need to get a separate laptop cup holder for this stand.
Designed to be a laptop companion on the go, this stand has a simple design and folds flat into an envelope-sized package that fits neatly in a backpack or other bag. It opens with a sliding mechanism, which pulls apart the two main parts of the stand to reveal an X-shaped support that holds them together. Six thin rubber circles underneath the base help it stay stable on a desk, and four slightly thicker rubber grips paired with the metal lips of the tray plate hold your laptop in place.
The perforations on the tray plate of this VIVO laptop stand encourage airflow and are a nice touch, but they don’t create enough friction to keep your laptop in place when you swivel it around. There are no rubber grips on the plate itself, so you’ll need to use your laptop’s built-in grips to keep it in place while rotating the stand.
The telescoping neck on this stand allows you to adjust the height of the platform that holds your laptop to anywhere from 11 to 16 inches. This lets you choose a height that works best for your setup and posture. The gap between the tray and its base also provides ample space for a mouse and any other accessories you might want to have handy while working on your laptop. The head of the holder rotates 360 degrees horizontally, too, so you can position it at the center of your setup or off to the side. The holder is made of sturdy, cool-to-the-touch aluminum alloy, so it feels solid and looks high quality. Adjusting the angle and height of this stand is fairly easy, though lowering it can be a bit bouncy if you’re not careful. Fortunately, the hinges have a stopping point at the max height of the stand to prevent it from accidentally falling over when your laptop is on top.