I'm almost done with the process of getting my personal work desk set up. After switching to a fully-remote job, I started with a blank canvas, got a new blue M1 iMac, a USB-C hub + stand for it, a minimal headphone stand, and the neatest USB-C desk lamp I could find. Add a Droid and a Donald plush (because why not) and I was nearly done. All that remained was to find a good stand for my iPad Air 4. I searched and I searched until I found this one from Baseus. It's sturdy, it's simple, and it does everything I need it to do.When going through the hundreds of tablet stand options on Amazon and various accessory sites, I had a clear idea in mind for what I wanted: a white or silver stand, with adjustable but significant height (around the 30cm / 1ft mark), where I could place my iPad both in landscape and portrait, and that kept it more or less upright (for Sidecar use with my iMac) but could also be tilted if needed (when used independently). I was also trying to avoid clamps, because I knew I'd be taking off the iPad quite frequently and I didn't want to bother with an extra step to do it. But that meant the stand had to be very sturdy so that my $600 dollar tablet doesn't fall or slide off at the slightest movement.

It looks good even when there's no iPad on it.

What struck me about this Baseus stand, besides the fact that it checked off all of my expectations, is how simple and clean it looks. In hand, it also feels solid and there's a certain heft to the base that makes sure it doesn't wobble or tilt. I feel confident enough putting my iPad Air 4 in it and leaving it toward the edge of my desk, without being afraid it'll get knocked down. Besides the base, the stand consists of a few moving pieces: a telescopic column, a rotating ball, and springy clips.

Height adjustment is awesome when using Sidecar.

The column allows me to adjust its height so that my iPad can be more anchored toward either the bottom or center of my iMac in landscape, which is great when using it as a Sidecar display. It also means I can switch to a portrait orientation without it being too high. There are no stops on the telescoping column, and no mechanism to lock it once extended, so I was afraid the weight of the iPad would bring it down, but that hasn't happened yet, despite a couple of months of use.

Left: Look at that perfect tilt alignment with my iMac. Right: It even looks good from the back.

The rotating ball is used to angle the pad and clips that hold the iPad. I can get it to a nearly perfect vertical orientation or tilt it about 45 degrees up. For my use case, I tend to go toward the more vertical angle, but if you plan on drawing or working on the tablet, you'll likely want more inclination.

That rotating ball head lets you angle the pad however you want.

The clips retract when not in use and spring down the moment I slide my iPad in the stand. And the back pad is large and tall enough — it is larger than the Air 4's width in portrait — which helps keep the tablet in place even when I reach out to tap or scroll on it. I'm also a little partial toward the grey fabric; it looks quite nice.

The clips retract when not in use and spring down when there's weight applied to them.

I've been using this stand for a couple of months and I've gotten so used to it that I nearly don't notice it anymore, which is honestly the best compliment I can give it. I put my iPad in every morning, take it off when I want to browse on the couch, I adjust the height whenever I need to, and that's it. I don't have to clamp and unclamp or worry about instability. It's made it easy to use the iPad as a little sidekick for my iMac while working, and I can't wait for universal control to roll around, because as interesting as Sidecar is, it's quite buggy.

Buy: Amazon ($30 black), Ali Express ($42 white or black)