It is not the most used tech accessory but the humble laptop and tablet stand can play a rather important role in our tech lives. A well-designed stand not only allows one to prop up an electronic device on it for better viewing, but in many cases also makes it easier to work on. Many experts also claim that it is healthier to work on a notebook when you can look straight at it rather than down (as most of us do), and well, having a stand is always handy for those times when you want to watch a show or follow a match on your phone without holding it in your hands or laying it flat on a table. Finding a well-designed stand, however, can be quite a challenge. The ones that are sturdy and big enough to support a notebook or tablet tend to be bulky and hence difficult to carry around. The ones that are compact on the other hand, are often too light and a little on the flimsy side. Which is why a number of accessory brands in recent times have started coming out with metallic stands that fold into easy-to-carry form factors. While there are a number of these options around, we are going to recommend the Amkette Ergo Fold alloy laptop stand. It comes from a well-known brand and is flexible enough to be used with a notebook, tablet and even a phone, while being very portable. Very solidly built and surprisingly easy to carry The first thing that struck us about the Amkette Ergo Fold was just how portable it was. Folded up, it looks like a pair of metal skis with slightly curved tips on one side. It is less than a foot long and at 250 grams, is only slightly heavier than some smartphones (the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Ultra are both around 235 grams). In a very neat touch, Amkette has also included a handy flannel carry bag in the package, allowing you to carry the stand easily when folded up. It will easily slip into most bags easily, and will not burden them too much. The Ergo Fold seemed a little rickety when we first took it out, but it is actually very solidly built. It is made of space-grade aluminium alloy with silicon tips to keep the device you place on it steady. The stand can fold out width-wise and become big enough to support a large notebook. The parts that feel slightly rickety but actually are not, are the 'legs' of the stand which can fit into slots of the base, allowing you to prop up devices at different angles. Each of these legs also has tiny flat tips that can slide into the slots and even move within them. The Ergo Fold is held together well and will not open by accident, but opens easily without too much effort. The seven grooves on the two sticks at the bases, allow you to balance a device at seven angles, between 13 to 40 degrees. Unlike a number of stands, this one is smoothly finished and comes with no rough or sharp edges. So no chances of nicks or cuts. Amkette has used rivets and joints rather than screws and claims that this will prevent the stand from ever becoming loose and will keep it robust. Some might find the stand a little too shiny for comfort, but this is unlikely to be noticed as it is always likely to be bearing something. Works brilliantly with notebooks, handy for tablets and even phones Amkette says that the Ergo Fold can hold up to 15.6-inch notebooks, and it handles a 16-inch MacBook Pro and a 15.6 Mi NoteBook Ultra without any difficulty. The width of the stand is perfect for both notebooks but can be adjusted if need be, which is always a good option to have. We also used it to hold an iPad Air and while the angle was not perfect (we do wish it could have been at around 60 per cent)m, the stand did a decent job. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised to see that we could even use it to prop up a phone, provided we did not open the stand width-wise. Once again, we would have preferred a higher viewing angle, but the one provided is good enough for most chores. The stand is very solid once set up and did not move when we typed on the notebook and the tablet or phone. The legs slide a little back and forth in the slots in the base but at no time did it feel as if the device and the stand were unstable. The silicon pads on the stand to keep the device steady seem well embedded too, unlike those on some stands, which tend to fall off after a while. The Amkette Ergo Fold stand is best used with notebooks as it allows the keyboard to rest on the stand and bring the display to eye level and also lets you explore a number of viewing and typing angles. but it works quite well with tablets and phones too (although our suggestion to Amkette would be to perhaps add a 60-degree viewing angle for these devices). What we like most about it is its clean finish and portability. It can save one the need to buy a phone or tablet cover with a prop-up stand on the back, is easy enough to carry and seems built to last quite a while. For around Rs 750, this is quite a handy accessory, especially for those who use notebooks and are worried about ergonomics and healthy postures!
