This is the SmartDesk 2 from a company called Autonomous. It’s a motorized standing desk that’s backed by a 30-day free trial and up to a 5-year warranty. The desk you see here was supplied by Autonomous but they did not pay us for this review. This is an unbiased review based off my experience using this product for the past couple of months now. So I’m going to start by saying that this desk you see here is the maxed out configuration. It comes at $600 so keep in mind that if you like what you see, you can opt in for a smaller desk with one motor for less money.
The SmartDesk 2 comes in several surface materials: black, white, walnut, light oak, and bamboo. While I cannot comment on all the materials, I will say that the walnut tabletop right here is beautiful. It has a nice glossy finish to it that shimmers in the light. I especially love shooting products on this desk because it makes the product appear as if they are glowing and I hope that you like viewing our reviews that are shot on this desk. There are cut outs to help keep your cables well-managed and for adding features like wireless charging pads. This is also the largest surface they sell. It measures in at 7 x 30 inches so if you select this model, you want to make sure it fits the space that you plan to use it in. The large surface area is very useful. I’ve literally filled up every square inch of this desk with papers and various video production equipment over the past couple of months of testing. So I’m grateful to have all the extra space.
The tabletop itself is fairly thin but there’s very little flex to it, thanks largely in part to the metal beams that stretch underneath the material. Even when the table is in a standing position, the integrity of the desk is good.
The model I have here is the Business edition which has two motors in the legs that help it stand taller and sit lower and carry more weight up to an impressive 300 lbs. The Business model also comes with a 5-year warranty as opposed to the 1-year warranty available with the Home edition. So if you’re not sure about the two, you may want to opt in for the Business model just to get that extra big warranty. The legs themselves can be customized. I went with the gray legs but you can select black or white legs, depending on the look you are going for.
At the end of the day, there are three things that make a motorized standing desk worth looking into: easy installation, beautiful looks, and functionality. I set up this desk by myself for about an hour without any problems. The included instructions manual does a pretty good job explaining each step and I would definitely recommend you follow the instruction manual and set this desk up with a partner because a desk of this magnitude is big and it’s heavy. The looks will come down to personal preference but Autonomous offers a big enough selection of tabletops to, I think, appeal to the vast majority of people interested in a standing desk.
The desk itself works. It rises and lowers faster than my ApexDesk and it doesn’t wobble around too much when I type and lean against it on occasion. The only real complaint I have is that when it stops rising or lowering, it stops abruptly and is not smooth. It can rattle whatever is on your desk. The control panel supports up to four different height positions so that you can share it with others that you might be living with. The reason why I requested this standing desk from Autonomous was to improve my health. I work full time in front of a screen and even if there’s not a ton of positive side effects from standing at a desk as opposed to sitting, I just feel mentally healthier and I do believe in at least some physical benefits of standing at a desk when compared to sitting. In fact, if you want even more health benefits, you can pick up something like the FluidStance Board that will require you to stand and balance at your standing desk, which will help strengthen your core. We actually reviewed the FluidStance in a Best Tech video.
So if you’re able to afford it and you’re looking for a sturdy, reliable motorized standing desk, then by all means check out the SmartDesk 2 from Autonomous. However, if you’re on a budget and just want a motorized standing desk for the sole purpose of the health benefits, you should probably look elsewhere because there’s probably going to be better deals out there.
