Twelve South’s HiRise Pro is a slick height-adjustable laptop stand

I’ve been experimenting with my work-from-home setup for a few months now, and I still haven’t quite got it to where I want it. I’ve dabbled in standing desks, mid-century bureaus (not even kidding) and, gasp, chairs that actually support my back, but sometimes it’s the small things that make the whole setup work, like Twelve South’s first height-adjustable MacBook stand, the HiRise Pro.

Twelve South has long made premium, stylish peripherals, cases and more for almost anything Apple. This follow-up stand is compatible with all MacBooks (and other laptops), adding a degree of adjustability to the screen height while remaining sturdy, It even includes a MagSafe charging platform – although you have to provide your own MagSafe puck.

Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget

It’s a solid, premium stand and wouldn’t look out of place in an office or work-from-home setups. The company has always made accessories that neatly dovetail with Apple’s aesthetic, with subtle detailing, brushed metal finishes and minimal design fuss. I don’t think anyone wants an ornate laptop stand anyway? The V-shaped stand part has a rubberized finish to grip the base of your laptop, while the MagSafe charging area has a glossy vegan leather surface.

The HiRise Pro can raise your screen six inches from your desk, inching your laptop screen to your eye-line. This can be adjusted with a metal screw to lower levels if needed. Twelve South believes that the HiRise Pro’s maximum height ensures any laptop webcam would then be at an ideal height. What I like – and what I’ve been looking for – is a simple way of improving the ergonomics of working on a laptop. I don’t want a bigger monitor, always mounted at eye height – even if I should. And if you do already have second screens and monitors, this stand means you could line up your laptop screen with any external monitor, if you’re especially aesthetically demanding.

Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget

It feels like the final thing needed to make a standing desk work for me. I’m still using this tripod desk at the moment, and the eye-line is almost there. Honestly, I’d benefit from the HiRise Pro adding an additional inch or two to the height, but Twelve South may have reached a stability limit.

With this kind of laptop stand, you’re not really able to use the built-in trackpad or keyboard, which is something to bear in mind. You’ll need to invest in either wireless or wired replacements. On top of that, while it’s not ridiculously priced, $100 is a lot for a stand that already has $40 alternatives. One of which is Twelve South’s own, recently announced, Curve SE laptop stand.

Before this, I swapped between a basic, but unwieldy IKEA shelf – you can see it in some of my reviews — and a foldable, portable laptop stand that didn’t quite lift the device off a surface, but at least angled it upwards. It also packed in a load of ports and even an SD card reader. I’d be interested in Twelve South cramming more into future laptop stands – it does a little more with its Mac peripherals, so why not here? Maybe the company is waiting to launch the HiRise Max? I hope so.

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