Folding Laptop Stand

I bought this folding laptop stand on a Tuesday. Late March, I think? No wait, it was early April — I remember because my back had just gone out from slouching over my MacBook Air on the couch for two straight weeks while finishing a freelance project.

The listing was $24.99 on Amazon. Not $25, $24.99. I have a weird thing about prices that don’t end in .99, makes me think they’re trying to look premium. Anyway, the brand was Lamicall — or wait, was it Nulaxy? Hold on. Lamicall. Yeah, the silver one. Lamicall Folding Laptop Stand, the one with the 7+1 angle adjustment thing. I think it was a Prime deal because I remember thinking “okay fine, $24.99 is fine for something I’m going to destroy in six months.”

Been using it daily for 4 months now. Every single work day. Sometimes on weekends too when I’m doing dumb stuff like watching YouTube while pretending to also “research” something for a client.

Why I even bought one in the first place

My setup before this was a stack of three cookbooks under my laptop. I’m not joking. Three cookbooks — one was a Smitten Kitchen, one was a Salt Fat Acid Heat, and one was a random “Mediterranean diet” thing my mom mailed me. They were thick enough to get the screen about eye level, which my physical therapist said was “the bare minimum of not destroying your neck.”

But every time I wanted to actually cook something, I had to un-stack the books. Which meant my laptop would drop about four inches. Which meant my cat — her name is Brie, she’s an orange tabby with a fat face — would immediately decide that exact spot on the couch was the warmest, most sacred place on earth and would just claim it. So I’d have to move the laptop back up. And then un-stack the books again. It’s a whole thing.

I needed something that folded. Not like a permanent riser, not something bolted to my desk. Something I could throw in a backpack.

First impressions when it showed up

The box was tiny. Smaller than my hand. I remember thinking “this is going to be junk” because the packaging was so minimal — just a brown cardboard sleeve, no plastic, no fancy insert. The actual stand was wrapped in like one piece of tissue paper. Felt almost rude.

Then I opened it.

Okay. So it’s aluminum, silver, has this weird scissor-hinge thing that unfolds in like three seconds. I sat on my couch and unfolded it for the first time — I want to say it took me 8 seconds? Maybe less. I kept unfolding and folding it like an idiot for a solid two minutes. It makes this satisfying little click when it’s locked in. I’m not gonna lie, I sent a voice memo to my friend at like 11pm that night that was just me clicking it open and closed and saying “you hear that? That’s a good click.”

The weight is like 0.8 lbs. Maybe under. It comes with a little felt pouch that I lost within the first week, but the stand itself fits in the back pocket of my backpack with room to spare. I carry it between my home office, my partner’s apartment, and a co-working space in Bushwick that I go to twice a week.

The thing I actually use it for

So here’s the real talk. I bought it because my back hurt. But what I actually use it for 80% of the time is working from weird places.

Last Tuesday I was at a coffee shop on Wythe Ave — not gonna name it, but the one with the long shared table and no outlets near the seats by the window. I had the stand propped up, my laptop on it, and I was just typing away. Someone next to me literally said “wait, where did you get that?” and I showed them. She went home and ordered one. That’s not a paid promotion, I just remembered it because she had a really nice tote bag and I was jealous.

I bring it to my sister’s place when I watch her kid on weekends. I fold it down, throw it in a tote, work for two hours while he naps. I used it on a flight to Austin in May — the tray table is too small for a13-inch MacBook on a regular stand, but this thing is so flat I could just slide it under the seat in front of me. Took it out at cruising altitude, set it on the tray, laptop went on top. Worked for about 3 hours straight. The flight attendant didn’t yell at me once.

What I actually like about it

The angles. There are like 7 different heights. I keep mine at the second-from-top one when I’m at my desk, and the middle one when I’m on the couch. The hinges feel sturdy — and I’ve been not-gentle with it. I’ve dropped it twice. Once on hardwood (no dent), once in a parking lot (slight scuff on the corner that I can’t even see unless I’m looking for it).

Ventilation is real. My MacBook Air used to run hot when I had it flat on the desk for a long Zoom call. Now there’s airflow underneath. The fans don’t kick on as much. Honestly I didn’t even realize how much heat was being trapped until I started using the stand.

It’s compatible with everything. I tried my partner’s chunky 16-inch gaming laptop on it (a Razer Blade or something, idk), and it held it fine. The silicone pads on the holder parts keep the laptop from sliding — this is a big deal when you’re working on a slightly slanted surface like a notebook on your lap.

What I don’t like

Okay. The counterpoint time.

First thing — the opening angle when you unfold it. If you don’t fully extend it, the laptop will be at like a 5-degree tilt that feels weird. I had to teach myself to always push it past that click. My partner does it wrong every single time and then complains the laptop is “wobbly.” It’s not wobbly, you’re just being lazy.

Second — it’s NOT great if you’re using an external keyboard. Wait, that’s actually fine. Sorry. The thing that’s NOT great is if you have a laptop with a thick bottom case. My friend’s old Dell Inspiron was too chunky and the silicone grips couldn’t hold it. She went and bought a different stand.

Third — the price dropped to like $19.99 like two months after I bought it. I got mad for about five minutes and then realized $24.99 is still pretty cheap, so I got over it. But yeah, buy it on sale if you can.

Fourth — no, wait, I lied about the external keyboard thing. It IS fine with an external keyboard. I use a Logitech K380 with it every day. Whatever, I was rambling.

Who is this actually for

If you work from home and have neck pain — yes, get it. If you travel for work and need something portable — yes. If you’re a student who works from the library, the dorm, the coffee shop, the floor of your friend’s apartment — yes.

If you need a permanent stand bolted to a desk where you’ll never move it — this is overkill. Get something heavier and prettier, like a wooden one. If you have a 17-inch gaming laptop that’s like8 pounds — probably skip this, get a steel stand. If you only use your laptop to watch Netflix once a week on the couch — you don’t need a stand, you need a pillow.

I’m not gonna do a big “go buy it right now” ending. That’s not how I write. If you’re on the fence, check the price — if it’s under $25, just do it. If it’s like $40+, wait for a sale. That’s it. That’s the whole review.

The cookbook stack is still in my kitchen, by the way. I never moved them. Brie still sleeps on the couch. But I don’t need them anymore. The stand lives in my backpack now. It clicks open and I click open and I click it closed when I’m done. That’s the routine. It’s not life-changing, it’s just better than the cookbooks.