This Autonomous Standing Desk is a Great WFH Option on a Budget

Autonomous SmartDesk Core white standing desk in office space
(Image: © Autonomous)

Over the past year or so, quite a few of us have been learning to adjust to working from home, and by most indications, that will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. Most companies that I have been hearing about will either continue to allow employees to work from home indefinitely, or will allow for some hybrid version of it.

If you are one of the folks that will be doing most of their job from home for a while, having a good desk can be vital to building a productive workspace in your home. Standing desks have long been recommended as a great option to get work done while keeping your mind active and focused while you're working.

The SmartDesk from Autonomous is a great addition to your home office without having to stretch your budget too far. It offers all the necessary features of a standing desk in a well-designed, sleek-looking package that can seamlessly fit into your home office.

Autonomous SmartDesk white desk in home office

Source: Jared DiPane/Thrifter (Image credit: Source: Jared DiPane/Thrifter)

The high-quality design means it's solidly built with little to no wobble in the desk while you're working. It supports up to 300 pounds so it should have no trouble handling all the stuff you need. The top is very smooth with contoured edges that makes it comfortable to use for long periods of time.

One member from our community had this to say about the design:

"The design of the SmartDesk was one of the first things that stood out to me. You can immediately tell it's solidly built from the weight and sturdiness of the top and it's very smooth which is great for working for long periods. I never realized how much I appreciated contoured edges on a desk until I had them. My previous desk had sharp corners and I didn't realize how unpleasant it was to work on until I had this desk. I had no problem resting my arms on it comfortably for long periods of work."

It comes in two sizes to fit whatever space you have. The "Core" is 53" x 29" and the "Pro" is 70.5" x 30". I got the smaller size and it fits my keyboard, mouse, 2 monitors, a docking station, 2 phone stands, and a few other desk-type items comfortably. I never feel cramped or wishing for more space to put things.

As for color options, you've got matte white, glossy white, white oak, glossy black, matte black, matte green, walnut, dark walnut and even bamboo and dark bamboo so there's plenty of top choices to pick from to match your aesthetic. The frame is also incredibly solidly built. It's made from stainless steel and comes in white, grey or black.

It functions how you would expect such a desk to work in this day and age. There are two buttons for adjusting the deck up or down and four buttons you can set as presets for whichever height is most comfortable to you. If you have a partner or roommate, you could each set your sitting and standing heights, or you could keep all four for yourself.

Smart Desk 2 Controller

Source: Jared DiPane/Thrifer (Image credit: Source: Jared DiPane/Thrifer)

The motors for raising and lowering the desk are also extremely smooth and very quiet. Another one of our community members said this about the frame:

"I was curious how loud the desk would be when it was in motion and was pleasantly surprised to find that it's actually VERY quiet. It does make a low whirring type sound as you'd expect, but it's very quiet and not annoying to me. I was also very impressed with the smoothness of the motion when raising and lowering the desk. There is no jerk when it starts or stops moving, which I was worried would be the case. This is fantastic because I always have 'stuff' on my desk and I don't need it sliding around every time I raise or lower the desk."

If you've been considering a standing desk for your home office, the SmartDesk is a great choice. It's well-built with an aesthetically pleasing design that's comfortable to use and won't break the bank. The Core size starts at $379 and the Pro size rises to $539.

Jason Cockerham