Working from home, both as a practicality and as an idea, has truly come into its own, exploding in growth over the last two years, largely thanks to the pandemic.
Laptops play a huge role in that and if there is one strike against laptops, it’s that they aren’t always the most comfortable in terms of ergonomics.
That’s where laptop stands come in. Laptop stands are small, compact, elevation platforms that hold your laptop up from the desk or your lap in a variety of ways. Many are even adjustable so you can maneuver your laptop into a position that feels comfortable and avoids screen glare.
The point of a laptop stand is to provide you with a stable viewing experience with a more ergonomically favorable positioning.
A lot of people own laptops and not everyone can just run out and drop the necessary dough on a desktop.
Others prefer their laptops for portability and a laptop stand is an ingenious way to make work life a little easier. That’s not all, however, as there are many more great reasons to own and use a laptop stand.
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They Help To Improve Posture By Elevating The Screen Closer To Eye Level
When we mentioned ergonomics, we weren’t just referring to hand positioning. The problem with laptops alone is the same problem that plagues mobile users, which is looking down all the time. A constant, downward look, with the curvature of the spine, isn’t natural and can cause problems down the road.
An elevated laptop forces your head and eyes up, straightening your upper spine, keeping your elbow at 90° and your feet flat on the floor.
Bad posture has become synonymous with laptop use and can often result in back and neck pain.
A laptop stand will improve your posture by putting the screen at the correct height, angle, and distance from you and this can do a lot to reduce your risk of back and neck pain using your laptop.
It also reduces screen glare, which is a growing problem amongst people who use their laptops for long periods of time, whether for work or from play.
They Make Typing More Comfortable (With The Use Of A Secondary Keyboard)
One of the major points for purchasing a laptop stand is the use of a second keyboard. Now, it may seem counterintuitive to purchase a second keyboard with a laptop stand, but the ergonomic advantages of having an additional keyboard with your laptop are a major point.
Typing on a laptop keyboard, even in a perfect scenario, where the laptop is on an elevated deck and your laptop is relatively well-positioned in terms of where your eyeballs are looking, is often a frustrating and uncomfortable experience.
Because laptop manufacturers are always trying to create space for new and innovative features, keyboards often have odd layouts with not enough space between the keys for an enjoyable typing experience.
Laptop keyboards are also very flat, forcing your palms to flatten out, which means that your fingers have to curl in harder to make good contact with the keys.
The keys themselves are often membrane, register very low on their up and down movement, and are easily brushed with other keys, creating typos.
A personal keyboard, designed to favor your typing preferences, is a much better option in conjunction with an elevated laptop.
Laptop Stands Help To Organise Cables And Reduce Clutter
When you are working from home especially, cable clutter can become a nightmarish scenario of tangled cords, plugs, and enough tangled and interwoven cables to make a spider jealous.
You typically have your laptop plug, cables running from various ports to peripherals, printer plugs, and peripherals, smartphone chargers, and multi-plug outlets. If you also like to game, you probably have even more going on.
When it comes time to switch locations, unplugging and untangling your laptop cords and any associated cables can be inconvenient and a major stress factor.
Many good laptop stands, like the Nulaxy Laptop Stand, come with cable management built-in, helping to minimize the chaotic desk clutter of cords, plugs, and cables.
While it’s not the ultimate solution to streamlining and organizing your workspace, it gives you that elevated space right beneath to organize all of your cable clutter in one spot.
They Improve Laptop Performance And Help Prevent Overheating
Laptops are often a heat-gathering nucleus that you would think, at some point, might go supernova if the thing gets any hotter.
While laptops are designed with cooling mechanisms in mind, it’s not always easy for a laptop to adequately dispose of all that heat when it’s sitting flat on a desk or even worse, on a pillow on your lap.
Airflow is a major boost for any computer, in terms of assisting its cooling ability, which is why you see so many fan add-on devices out there to help cool your laptop.
Just make sure the stand you choose is suitable for your laptop and fits its architecture.
It needs to be good and sturdy enough for your laptop size and weight.
Take a good look at your laptop’s intake and exhaust vents, and be sure that whichever stand you go for doesn’t negatively impact airflow.
Many laptops have vents on the bottom and metal stands with solid bottom areas will inhibit airflow and cause heat to build up.
It might also be an idea to check that the stand doesn’t cover your laptop’s speakers.
Some laptop stands even come with built-in fans to help keep your laptop running cool. Take the Trust GXT 1125 Quno for example which incorporates 5 USB fans into its design to keep your laptop from overheating.
A Laptop Stand Keeps Your Laptop Out Of The Way Of Spills And Knocks
One of the most common repairs for laptops involves spills. It’s sitting on your desk, after all, where you probably have your morning coffee, juice, or energy drinks. You have to realize that it’s only a matter of time before you share your morning coffee with your laptop keyboard.
Laptops are brought into repair shops for all sorts of reasons, but you would be surprised at how many of them are spill-related, and how often those spills involve melted candle wax and root beer.
An elevated laptop is like pulling up your pants legs or your dress before wading through water or mud.
Is it the end all be all of protection from spills and thrills? Not likely, but it will keep your laptop free from most spills.
If you have kids, however, there’s no laptop stand protection from that.
Related Article: Is A Laptop Backpack Worth It? (And What To Look For In A Good One)
They Increase Productivity
Increased productivity are two words that anyone who spends the majority of their day working behind a computer screen loves to hear, at least if it is “increased productivity” in a positive and personal way, not because the boss says you have to work on weekends now.
Part of the problem, when it comes to productivity, is strain, both with your eyes and your spine.
Those ergonomic functions that we mentioned earlier come into play here. When you are uncomfortable, it’s a natural response to take breaks. Lots of breaks.
The positive ergonomic features that a laptop stand offers you will keep your butt in your seat for longer because you’re more comfortable.
That leads to an increase in productivity, which your boss or your clients will highly appreciate.
A Laptop Stand Helps To Reduce Screen Glare
We mentioned this briefly above and it’s entirely true. You might wonder how the location of a screen, whether you have to face it at a downward angle or look straight at it, has anything to do with screen glare.
Glare is all about positioning and, fortunately, most laptop stands are adjustable so you can reduce any glare that you get in your normal working area by simply adjusting the laptop stand to your preference.
They Increase Battery Life
Another important function of a laptop stand is that it helps your laptop last longer, in terms of battery life. It comes back to airflow. When your laptop sits on a flat desk, with little to no airflow, heat builds up gradually.
Heat has a detrimental impact on your battery over time.
Not only does it affect its longevity in the short term, with more frequent recharges, but it also decreases the battery’s long-term longevity as well.
It essentially speeds up the battery’s life cycle, hastening it towards shorter life from charges and eventual failure before it would normally reach that point.
You Can Store Things Under Your Laptop
While you can purchase a simple, unimaginative laptop stand—which is still an excellent expenditure choice by the way—laptop stands have more to offer than that. Many of them come with organizational features that allow you to take full advantage of the space beneath them.
You can store your power brick under there, along with hard drives and other necessary peripherals.
You can also store your keyboard and mouse underneath for when you are not actively using your laptop, which helps to reduce all of that workspace clutter.
A Laptop Stand Can Easily Be Incorporated Into A Standing Desk
Standing up is a necessity when you work from a desk. Sitting all day isn’t good. More and more people are becoming aware of these risks and are switching to standing desks, which can usually convert back and forth from a sitting to a standing position when necessary.
Laptop stands can be perfectly incorporated into a standing desk converter, so you lose nothing if you have a standing desk and want to purchase a laptop stand as well.
While laptop stands elevate your laptop, they don’t elevate them so high that it would be detrimental to use with a standing desk.
Some Laptop Stands Come With Built-In Phone Stands
As we mentioned above, laptop stands are often not just your basic elevation tool for laptops. They come with all kinds of neat features and many of them, like the LifeLong Laptop Stand, come with an extra smartphone holder.
Not only is it all part of the clutter reduction but it’s also good for streamlining your entire work life into a single spot that keeps everything within easy reach and access.
Although it’s usually not advisable to have your phone in view when you’re trying to get work done, you can use your phone as a second screen for productivity, like quickly researching a topic you are writing about or corresponding with colleagues on a project.
They Are Cheap And Last A Long Time
One of the best features of laptop stands is that you aren’t going to have to take out a second mortgage or sell one of your kidneys on the black market to afford one. That includes laptop stands that are loaded with features.
They’re very affordable and due to their simplicity, pretty long-lasting as well. If you decide that you want a laptop stand that does absolutely everything, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding one that’s under $50, often well under $50.
In fact, the Amazon Basics Laptop Stand is adjustable, has cord management built-in, provides loads of ventilation, and is one of the best-rated among users.
They Collapse Down Flat For Easy Storage And Transportation
Manufacturers of laptop stands understand the value of portability. They’re designed for laptops, after all, and what is a laptop without its portability?
That’s why most laptop stands, if not all, are foldable and easy to store away for when you need them for home or travel.
Many will collapse down to a size that will easily fit into your bag so that you can take your stand with you and make use of it everywhere.
Some Laptop Stands Include A Document Holder For Increased Productivity
Increased productivity when working from home is the name of the game. If you are looking for something that can provide you with all of the above, along with paperwork organization, there are plenty of laptop stands on the market that will do just that.
Document holders on laptop stands can come in a variety of shapes and forms, whether the drawer is designed horizontally, beneath the stand itself, or side slots that fold out or are designed to hook onto the side of the laptop stand.
Some Come With RGB Lighting
For those who enjoy a little gaming to go along with their workload, some laptop stands come with RGB lighting for some aesthetic appeal.
Of course, gamers don’t need RGB lighting and it does nothing to improve gameplay, however, it’s a nice aesthetic to have, especially if you’re running a Twitch stream and want some extra, background eye candy in there.
For instance, PryRose makes a unique laptop gaming stand that comes with two smartphone holders designed for either side of the laptop stand, sort of like wings.
When you add the perimeter RGB lights into the mix, it makes for a pretty cool aesthetic all the way around.
The Best Laptop Stands Come With Additional USB Ports
If laptop stands offered nothing but a raised platform for your laptop, they would probably still pull in some dough, although they would probably lack the popularity that they have right now. Fortunately, most laptop stand designers and manufacturers are pretty forward-looking and know what customers want.
That’s why you will find a plethora of different laptop stands out there, each one playing favorites with specific groups of potential customers.
The all-around laptop stands are going to have ports for charging and connecting with your laptop because it’s an essential feature in today’s modern world.
Not only does the laptop stand help to organize your cords, by actually giving them a purpose, but it also allows you to multitask with your various devices, charging some while working on others and vice versa.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, 16 reasons why you should be using a laptop stand.
If you own a laptop and spend a lot of time in front of the screen, you owe it to yourself to get yourself a good laptop stand.
You’ll be impressed by what it can do in terms of your health, and the overall benefits that come with it.
