The Secretlab Magnus Pro is the only standing desk you will ever need, offering superb build quality and incredibly useful features, albeit with a premium price tag.
With so many people working from home, endless standing desks have flooded the market at various price points and feature sets. But, if you're looking to use your desk for professional work and gaming, and want specific gaming and cable management features, the Secretlab Magnus Pro is the desk, boasting undeniable build quality and a wealth of customisation options that can be tailored around your favoured setup.
The phrase 'you get what you pay for' is very much at play here, with the Secretlab Magnus Pro starting at £798 / $878 / AU$1,178 for the 150cm(L) x 70cm(W) version and £908 / $1038 / AU$1,368 for the 177cm(L) x 80cm(W) XL version, and that's before adding any of the additional extras on top too, such as the Secretlab Magnus dual monitor arm (£239 / $239 / AU$279), the basic cable management bundle (£45 /$45 / AU$69) and the MAGRGB lighting strip add-on (£79 / $79 / AU$99), although, you do get a fully magnetic desk mat included for that price. For context, the Secretlab Magnus Metal Desk, which is Secretlab's basic desk offering, comes in at £513 / $628 / AU$798 and is the same size as the non-XL Magnus Pro, but lacks many of the unique features included with the Pro, such as the integrated power supply.
1500mm(L) x 700mm(W)
Sit-to-Stand Metal Desk with Magnetic Ecosystem
770mm(L) x 800mm(W) XL
Sit-to-Stand Metal Desk with Magnetic Ecosystem
Secretlab Magnus Pro: design
The Secretlab Magnus Pro features a sleek black steel design, no matter which size you go for, with additional colour and flair coming from the fully magnetic desk mat, which runs along the entire desk and is available in various designs (depending on your region) such as the special edition Black Knight desk mat, or the Team Liquid esports edition. Or, you can just do what I did and grab the mostly-black signature stealth edition, and put your chosen third-party desk mat on top.
It strikes a great balance of looking serious and sophisticated enough to use as an office desk, and wouldn't look out of place in an office environment. But there are just enough little details here and there to make it cool for gamers, like the red stitching in the desk pad or the red accents in the monitor stands. As someone who does both, it's the best of both worlds.
The assembly process was pretty straightforward too, with clear instructions that guide you along the way, although it takes a while due to the size and weight of the individual components. In fact, the most difficult part of the setup is actually receiving delivery of the desk, and attempting to move it to where you'd like it to go, as it comes in two huge cardboard boxes weighing 30kg and 38kg, so I'd very much recommend having another person on hand to help. Then there's the sheer amount of cardboard that you're left with after assembly, which will likely require a trip – or two – to the tip.
Secretlab Magnus Pro: features
The Secretlab Magnus Pro's outstanding feature set is what truly sets it apart from other standing desks on the market, the most unique and useful of which is the world's first fully integrated power supply column. One cable powers the desk itself and a built-in electrical socket, allowing you to plug in an extension lead that can be used for the power cables for your devices, such as monitors, gaming consoles and PCs, and then shove them into the full-length cable management tray at the rear, so that they are all completely out of view. Cable management is one of the most labour-intensive things you can possibly do as a gamer, considering how many things you have to plug in and place on your desk, but this solution, along with the huge cable management tray at the rear, makes this problem go away. It's genius!
And because this desk has a magnetic ecosystem of accessories – such as clips and metal cable sheaths (included in the cable management bundle that can be purchased separately, or with third-party magnet accessories) – any additional cables you need to run either on top or under the desk can be managed very easily, with no zip ties required. Speaking of additional accessories, we were also sent the dual monitor arms, which can hold two 34" monitors, with the arms themselves featuring cable management tunnels, which is something I haven't seen before but were incredibly useful. We also got a magnetic ethernet cable extender (priced at £49 / $49 / AU$59)., which clips onto the desk leg and allows you to plug in an ethernet cable at the bottom, and another at the top, which is super handy for those looking to avoid any cables being on show, and let's be honest, if you're thinking of buying this desk then you are one of those people, and you'll love this feature.
Then there's the standing desk feature itself, which can be adjusted to a height of 65cm to 125cm, can support up to 120kg in weight and you can even program three custom height presets, so you can go from sitting to standing (and vice versa) with just a single button press. But if you want a more manual experience, the desk features a backlit LED control panel that shows the exact height of the desk as it's being adjusted, so you can tailor it to suit your needs.
Speaking of lights, we were also sent a MAGRGB lighting strip add-on, which contains 123 individual LEDs and has been designed specifically to fit just under the desk, just where the cable management tray fits. And, as it's powered by Nanolead, you can add the smart strip to Google Home or Apple Homekit and adjust them on the fly, as well as turn them off or on. For gamers, this means as soon as you've finished your 9-5, you can pop on the lights, put your headphones on and suddenly, you're office is now a gaming room.
One of the most impressive things about the Secretlab Magnus Pro's features – and even the optional extras like the magnetic headphone holder (priced at £29 / $29 / AU$59) – is that they have a negligible impact on the net available desk space, because most of what you have plugged in is away and out of sight; whereas, with most desks, the desk space is taken up by cables, monitor stands and other accessories. The desk is actually a desk!
The only downside I've come across during my time with it is the lack of space for microphone and camera arms with screw mounts, and because the cable management tray has a hinge that moves it up and down, it's not feasible to attach them in the usual place behind monitors. There is limited space on the sides of the desk, but you'll need fancy arms that can twist and move to get that clean streamer angle.
Secretlab Magnus Pro: Performance
Every component has a quality feel, from the huge desk faceplate, right down to the hinges of the cable management tray and the included nuts and bolts. And, after around three months of using the desk daily, it's clear that it's going to last for a very long time indeed, which is incredibly important considering the initial cost outlay.
Secretlab says that the hinge of the cable management tray has been tested through 10,000 open-and-close cycles, with the electric motors tested for 20,000 cycles, and this – along with the fact it has a five-year warranty – means it should continue to perform for years to come. And if it doesn't, you have a warranty to protect you.
The boring answer about the Secretlab Magnus Pro is that it works and needs no maintenance to do so, and that's the biggest compliment I can give to a product like this.
Overall thoughts on the Secretlab Magnus Pro
The Secretlab Magnus Pro is the best desk I've ever used, with its incredibly sturdy frame and unique cable management features truly setting it apart from other alternatives. Its host of optional accessories are very useful and tailored to the product, even if they are on the pricy side, but the magnetic nature of the desk means you can also figure out your own solutions if needs be.
Starting at £798 / $878 / AU$1,178, the Secretlab Magnus Pro is not cheap, and there are more affordable alternatives out there, but none offer this level of build quality or this unique feature set, that will save you countless hours of unnecessary cable management. The Secretlab Magnus Pro is the standing desk of all standing desks, for gamers and office workers alike, but especially so if you fall in both categories. Yes, it has a premium price tag, but this product justifies it.
Secretlab Magnus Pro score: 5/5