However, it can be uncomfortable - not to mention horrendous for your posture - to balance your screen on the ground. The Wishacc Bamboo has an adjustable padding feature that helps enhance airflow underneath the desk. We paid close attention to differences in materials, hardware quality, seam reinforcements, and execution of design details throughout our testing period. You can push it down or stand it up to 22 inches high, so you can adjust it depending on your setup.

The LapGear Clipboard Lap Desk is well built and offers plenty of room for a 13-inch laptop and mouse (17¾ inches wide), and the clip on the side is handy for keeping homework, tax forms, or other papers in place. To qualify for a refund or replacement, products need to be complete with all components and original packaging.

From there, we crafted a rough list of lap desks to check out, taking the following factors into consideration. Stevie Remsberg, New York Magazine’s senior art director and visuals manager, says her laptop gets so hot when she’s working that she can’t put it on her lap directly. This dock includes ports for HDMI, VGA, and DisplayPort; SD and Micro SD card readers; one USB-C port, two USB 3. Models with a channel for airflow tended to fare better than models with continuous padding under the tabletop. The shining stars in comfort are the table-style designs with adjustable legs and adjustable tilt angles.

It’s one of the widest models we tested, its padding is ventilated, and it has dual mousepads, zip-up storage pouches, and a roomy laptop rest.It still costs the same as many full-size desks, but you get portability and a relatively small footprint. It's a convenient work companion—at just shy of 20 inches long and magnetic, it can balance your laptop with room to snap on your phone to the wireless charger and keep a to-do list in view with its memo holders. We discuss workplace ergonomics further in our guides to the best ergonomic keyboard, under-desk footrest, laptop stand, standing desk, and office chair.