I received the Autonomous AI SmartDesk 2 complementary to write this review. All opinions below are my own.

I’m a big advocate of adjustable standing desks. In fact, I’ve been using one in my home office for almost four years and I love the option to sit when I feel like it, or even move it to a higher position and stand for a while. Sometimes I find myself sitting at my desk most of the workday, and it can become tedious to be in the same position for hours at a time. And an adjustable sit/stand desk (especially one that is electronic) makes it so easy to decide on a whim to change your position, which is beneficial to posture, overall health, and it means I don’t tire as easily while working.

When Autonomous AI reached out and offered a desk in exchange for this review, I was intrigued. I already have a standing desk that I use for my computer setup, but because of the work I do, I thought it might be helpful to have a second adjustable desk. I really like the ability to quickly change the height, which is important for computer work but also very helpful for many other tasks with a working table.

The height of the desk can easily be adjusted with the up/down buttons, and you can even program settings to make it easy to switch back and for to pre-set heights.

How I use this desk:

Because I already have a standing desk for my main computer setup, I decided to put this desk for different kinds of uses.

• Tabletop photography: I do a lot of tabletop photography, whether it is for a product I’m showcasing here on my blog, food photography or a variety of any other type of photography. Sometimes I am photographing at eye level, and sometimes I set things up to do a top-down photograph. The huge benefit of using an adjustable standing desk for photography is that I can easily adjust the desk to a position that works best for the camera angle I want to use. This means it can work in tandem with my tripod (when I am using one) to help get a good position. I also am using window light (I have a North-facing window just behind the desk that is a great light source for photography) and repositioning the desk makes it easy to move the desk to where the light hits my subject best.
• Camera-bag preparation: When packing up my camera gear, it’s nice to have a place to set everything so I can stay organized. The Autonomous AI adjustable standing desk has worked really well for those situations. It’s nice to position the desk really low so I can stand over all of my equipment and get everything packed up neatly.
• General work desk: One of the things I do with my business is creating textures and overlays, all hand-made. In the past, I would sit at my kitchen table or counter and get my art supplies out to work on my projects. Now that I have a second desk in my office, I am able to use it to set up and do my craft projects all in the comfort of my office.

Pros & Cons:

I really do love this desk. I love the color (pure white, it’s so nice and clean!) and the minimalistic design of it all. Here are the pros and cons that I have discovered with this desk after having used it for a few weeks:

Pros:

• Tabletop surface: The desktop surface is very sturdy. In fact, it reminds me of a kitchen countertop. It’s smooth and has a nice feel to it.
• Movement: The up/down movement works flawlessly and is set in inches so you know exactly how high off the ground the surface sits. It also has programmable buttons so you can set up to four
• Style: I really like the minimalistic design of the desk. The edges are rounded and it gives it a very professional look and feel in my office.
• Assembly: Assembling the desk was relatively simple (with only one exception, as listed below in the “cons” section). I put the desk together by myself, which was not too difficult, although the surface was quite heavy.
• Size: As I mentioned previously, this is the second standing desk I have in my office. And, my office is not very big! It makes a great standing desk for a small workspace,
• Affordable: While I did receive this desk in exchange to write this review, the desk I received costs only $399 (at the time of writing this review), making it a very affordable adjustable standing desk. And, if you’re interested, you can even use the discount code 26NICOLESY to save 10% on your purchase!

Con: 

• Assembly: While the assembly is quite straightforward (you can read the assembly instructions here) I did run into a few places where the holes in the tabletop did not match up with the frame. It didn’t’ seem to be a problem, and because of the way the desk sits on the frame, I wasn’t worried about it structurally and so far everything is working smoothly!

Accessories for using an adjustable standing desk:

• Use a cushioned mat. If you are in a room with hard flooring, I suggest getting something cushy to stand on. I’m not always wearing cushioned shoes at my desk and when I was in homes with hardwood flooring, it was helpful to have something soft to stand on. An anti-fatigue mat is a good option, or you can even try the Autonomous Flow Board if you like to have a little bit of movement while standing at your desk. There are a lot of other options online if you go searching.
• Arrange all of your plug-in items to be on the desk. If you have a desktop setup with a lot of electronics, you’ll want those items to go up-and-down with you as the desk moves. A hidden cable-tray is a good way to collect all of your cords, and an additional power-outlet for the desk is a good idea as well.

Overall I’m extremely happy with this product and do find that it is not only a fantastic small computer desk but also a great tabletop surface to do almost any type of work from. If you are interested, don’t forget to use the code 26NICOLESY to save 10% on your purchase.