If you’re like me and you have chosen to have a laptop as your main machine, then it’s highly likely that you have this laptop plugged into a desktop monitor. Having the portability and power of my Apple MacBook Pro and the ability to plug it into a monitor and have a full desktop experience was the perfect combination that let me ditch my iMac in favour of a MacBook Pro.
One issue I’ve experienced with this setup though is that you have to place the laptop somewhere nearby to the desktop monitor. If you haven’t got the desktop space for your laptop you’re either finding a temporary spot, slide it behind your monitor or if you do have the space you might use your laptop screen as a spare side monitor. But if desk space is restricted, then the Satechi Aluminum Verticle Laptop Stand may be for you.
Built from a strong aluminium construction, the sleek and curvy Satechi Laptop Stand carries a decent weight to it, at 1.5lbs (0.68kg). It comes in colours: Space Grey, Silver and Black – colours that will likely match your laptop casing, surrounding accessories or desktop environment. The stand comes pre-built in the box, which is super handy as it allows you to get set up and your laptop inserted as quick as it takes to get it out of the box.
On one side of the stand is a single thumbscrew and a discreet Satechi logo branding that’s etched into it. With your laptop first inserted into the gap of the stand, you simply turn the thumbscrew clockwise to reduce the gap and tighten the grip of the stand around your inserted laptop. Supported laptop thickness is a minimum gap of 11.18mm and a maximum laptop thickness of 28.70mm.
The gap of the stand is more than enough for even the thickest of ancient laptops, whilst at its narrowest setting, the gap is only wide enough to hold the backside of an Apple MacBook Air securely. As laptops get thinner and lighter, I guess once they get so thin and light, they can be stowed away much more easily, but the Satechi Laptop Stand does help to give it a more permanent home on your desktop.
With your laptop inserted, the stand has a wide enough base width to prevent the laptop and stand from tipping over, should you jog the desktop by accident. You are able to place your laptop in a portrait position, but anything over 13” might be more unstable at this angle. There are also protective non-slip rubberised pads on the bottom of the stand help to protect your desktop surface as well as rubber pads between the walls of the stand to help protect your laptop case.
Although the box states there is ‘cable management’, this is a very vague suggestion. I couldn’t see any way to attach my MacBook’s USB-C cable to the stand. There are various holes and gaps in the stand that may help pass cables through, but this doesn’t mean this stand has any level of cable management to me. This clear omission is the stand’s downfall though. A few simple fixed or adhesive clips underneath or alongside the stand would have been a perfect way to hold onto the power cable and its a shame this wasn’t considered with this laptop stand.
The Satechi Aluminium Verticle Laptop Stand retails for $44.99 from Amazon US, £47.99 from Amazon UK. This price may seem a little high for a piece of adjustable anodized aluminium, but this is the surprising price realm of most verticle laptop stands selling today. Cheaper options are either not metal, or they don’t provide the level of ‘cable management’, protection and adjustment that the Satechi Laptop Stand will give you. So on that basis, if you are on the hunt to declutter your desktop space with a verticle laptop stand, be sure to check out the Satechi Aluminium Verticle Laptop Stand.
