Best of Home Office: every desk lamp and laptop stand we recommend, by situation

+Strengths

• Takes no desk space at all
• 500 lx calibrated across the work area, by BenQ's own figure
• Presence sensor — no switch to find

−Limitations

• Needs a USB-C supply of 1.7 A; a laptop port may not be enough
• Only lights the desk, not your face for video calls
• Costs as much as two good desk lamps

→Good for

• a monitor on a desk under 40 in wide
• night work with the room lights off
• anyone whose lamp currently reflects in the screen

↺Look elsewhere if

• a laptop-only desk with no monitor
• lighting your face on calls

+Strengths

• Clamp mount — zero desk footprint
• CRI 95+ and 7500 K at the top end, good for video
• 31 in of reach, the longest arm here

−Limitations

• 6.5 lb and a clamp that needs a desk edge up to 3.3 in thick
• 30 W — the hungriest lamp in the group
• Overkill if you never do calls

→Good for

• video calls from a home desk
• a desk against a wall with a free edge
• anyone who wants one lamp for face and paperwork

↺Look elsewhere if

• a glass desk or a desk with a lip
• a small side table

+Strengths

• 750 lm from under 10 W
• Five color temperatures from warm to daylight
• Folds flat for a drawer

−Limitations

• Plastic base, and it slides if the cord is tugged
• Lepro does not state the CRI
• 12 V adapter — one more brick under the desk

→Good for

• a first proper desk lamp
• reading and paperwork
• a bedroom desk shared with sleep

↺Look elsewhere if

• color-critical work
• lighting a face for calls

+Strengths

• Runs from a USB port on the monitor or a power strip
• Clamp mount, no footprint
• Ten brightness steps

−Limitations

• 460 lm — enough for a laptop, not a drafting board
• Gooseneck droops if you extend it fully
• No adapter in the box

→Good for

• a shelf desk or a bedside table
• a dorm
• a second light over a keyboard

↺Look elsewhere if

• a main light for a big desk
• a desk edge thicker than 2 in

+Strengths

• USB port in the base for a phone
• Folds flat
• Cheap

−Limitations

• No manufacturer specifications anywhere — lumens unknown
• Plastic throughout
• Touch panel is easy to brush by accident

→Good for

• a student desk
• a lamp that will be replaced in a few years
• charging a phone where you read

↺Look elsewhere if

• anyone who wants to know the brightness before buying
• color-critical work

+Strengths

• Rock-steady — it is one piece of metal
• Cable hole keeps the charger lead tidy
• Raises a 16-in laptop to about eye level with an external keyboard

−Limitations

• Not adjustable and not portable
• 3 lb
• Too low for a tall person without a riser underneath

→Good for

• a permanent desk with an external keyboard
• a 13–16 in laptop used as a second screen
• anyone tired of folding stands flexing

↺Look elsewhere if

• travel
• a very tall user
• a desk where the laptop comes and goes

+Strengths

• Splits into two flat pieces for a bag
• 7 in of lift — enough for most people with a monitor beside it
• Open back for airflow and cables

−Limitations

• Wobbles when typing on the laptop — Nulaxy says so
• Fixed height
• Dimensions and weight come from the listing

→Good for

• an external-keyboard desk on a budget
• a stand that moves between home and office
• a 13–14 in laptop beside a monitor

↺Look elsewhere if

• typing directly on the raised laptop
• a 17 in laptop

+Strengths

• Lifts up to 22 in, the highest here
• Folds to 1.2 in and comes with a sleeve
• Hinge tension is adjustable with the supplied tool

−Limitations

• At full height it flexes if you type on the laptop
• Costs three or four times the Nulaxy
• Needs a laptop at least 8.66 in wide

→Good for

• eye-level video calls
• a laptop used beside a monitor at matching height
• someone who travels between two desks

↺Look elsewhere if

• typing on the laptop keyboard at height
• a tight budget

+Strengths

• 6 oz — you forget it is in the bag
• 12.5 in of lift puts the screen at eye level
• Seven height settings

−Limitations

• Expensive for a few ounces of plastic
• Needs an external keyboard and mouse — always
• Grips the laptop by its front edge; fat bezels or rubber feet can interfere

→Good for

• working from cafés, trains and hotel desks
• a laptop that travels every day
• a backpack with no room for an aluminum stand

↺Look elsewhere if

• a fixed desk — buy the mStand
• anyone who types on the laptop keyboard

+Strengths

• Lift from 2 to 10 in and tilt, both adjustable
• Takes a 17 in laptop
• Big silicone-padded platform

−Limitations

• 2.4 lb and bulky — not a travel stand
• Hinges loosen over years of adjusting
• Looks industrial next to the mStand

→Good for

• a desk shared by people of different heights
• a 16–17 in laptop
• someone who changes between sitting and standing

↺Look elsewhere if

• travel
• a minimalist desk