I’m almost done setting up my personal work desk. After going fully remote, I started with a blank slate, got a new blue M1 iMac, a USB-C hub + stand for it, a simple headphone stand, and the coolest USB-C desk lamp I could find. Add Droid and Donald Plush (why not) and you’re almost done. All that was left to do was find a good stand for my iPad Air 4. I searched and searched until I found this from Baseus. It’s powerful, simple, and does everything I need it to do. When browsing hundreds of tablet stand options on Amazon and various accessory sites, I had a clear idea of what I wanted: a white or silver stand, with an adjustable but large height (about 30cm/1ft), where I could place my iPad in the Horizontal and vertical, which kept it fairly upright (for using Sidecar with my iMac) but could also be tilted if necessary (when used independently). I was also trying to avoid clips, because I knew I would be taking the iPad off frequently and didn’t want to take the extra step of doing so. But that means the stand has to be very sturdy so the $600 tablet doesn’t fall or slide at the slightest movement.
It looks good even when there’s no iPad on it.
What struck me about this Baseus platform, in addition to it meeting all my expectations, is how simple and clean it is. In the hand, it also feels solid and there’s a certain heft to the base that ensures it doesn’t wobble or tilt. I feel confident enough to place my iPad Air 4 in it and leave it toward the edge of my desk, without fear of it falling. Besides the base, the stand consists of several moving parts: a telescopic pole, a swivel ball, and spring clips.
The height adjustment is great when using the Sidecar.
The column allows me to adjust its height so that my iPad can be mounted more toward the bottom or center of my iMac in landscape mode, which is great when using it as a Sidecar display. It also means I can switch to portrait orientation without it being too loud. There are no stops on the telescoping column, and no mechanism to lock it once it’s extended, so I was afraid the weight of the iPad would topple it, but that hasn’t happened yet, despite a couple of months of use.
Leave: See the perfect tilt alignment with my iMac. right: It even looks good from the back.
The swivel ball is used to adjust the angle of the pad and clips that hold the iPad. I can get it almost perfectly vertical or tilt it about 45 degrees upwards. For my use case, I tend to go for the more upright angle, but if you plan to draw or work on the tablet, you’ll likely need more of a tilt.
The swivel ball head lets you angle the pillow however you want.
The clips retract when not in use and come down the moment I slide my iPad into the stand. And the back panel is large and tall enough — it’s larger than the width of the Air 4 in the photo — which helps keep the tablet in place even when I reach out to tap or swipe on it. I’m also a little biased towards the gray fabric. It looks very beautiful.
The clips retract when not in use and slide down when weight is placed on them.
I’ve been using this stand for a few months and have gotten so used to it that I don’t even notice it anymore, which is honestly the best compliment I can give it. I put my iPad on every morning, take it off when I want to surf on the couch, adjust the height whenever I want, and that’s it. You don’t have to install, uninstall or worry about instability. It’s made it easy to use my iPad as a little sidekick for my iMac while I’m working, and I can’t wait for comprehensive control, because while Sidecar is interesting, it’s buggy.
He buys: Amazon ($30 black), AliExpress ($42 white or black)
