Secretlab Magnus Evo review

The Secretlab Magnus Evo certainly lives up to its name, taking its iconic sit-stand desk and improving some of its biggest friction points to provide a more refined and evolved experience compared to its predecessor.

If you’re already equipped with the original Magnus Pro, there’s not much different here that might convince you to jump ship. But if, like me, the Evo is your first foray into the world of Secretlab desks, it’s a worthy investment – if you can stomach its high price.

When the Secretlab Magnus Evo first appeared, the main thing that caught my eye was how to do it massive the thing was. For my compact apartment, I opted for a 1.5m long desk (although it is also available in a slightly larger 1.7m long version) and thanks to the metal frame containing the motor in the legs, parcel tracking told me the box weighed a whopping 63kg.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to call a friend for support with assembly, and I would definitely recommend two people to assemble the Magnus Evo. The parts are massive, so the desk must be folded upside down before lifting to a vertical position. The process of assembling the desk itself was elementary – I would consider myself a bit illiterate in the instruction manual department, but the Magnus Evo was ready to go after about an hour.

Assembly is the moment when the differences from Magnus Pro start to become evident. First, the Magnus Evo allows you to run the power cable through either leg of the desk, while the Pro is configured to only run it on the left side. The Magnus Evo still defaults to the left – and the leg I chose to exploit because it was closer to the desired slots – required a little extra work to get it to the right leg. But having this option at all is a nice change, making it much more convenient to configure it according to the layout.

Cable management has also changed. It is now located under the desk on a drop-down tray that snaps into place using a robust magnet. They are robust, but it doesn’t take much force on my part to unhook them and push the cables inside. I’m currently using a six-slot expansion in a tray with a bit of extra space, although I wouldn’t complain if the tray was a little wider. This keeps the whole setup looking wonderfully spotless, even with my cable management skills, which are a bit indigent.

It’s not just about the cable tray, where Secretlab used magnets. The entire back panel of the desk is a magnetic zone, as are the two front corners. It’s sleek, functional and fashionable – the glossy magnetic finish stands out from the rest of the desk’s matte black look, and there’s plenty of room to attach all kinds of magnetized accessories to the desk. This is where Secretlab really wants you to make the most of its range of accessories – magnetic headphone hangers ($35) and magnetic cable management anchors and covers ($55 per pack).

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Truth be told, I couldn’t support but feel that the Magnus Evo wasn’t truly complete without delving into Secretlab’s pricey extras. Perhaps this is a consequence of replacing my feature-packed IKEA Fredde desk, but I’m afraid I would like the Magnus Evo much less without the addition of a computer mount ($99) or dual monitor mount ($249) to keep the setup looking neat and meeting my daily needs.

It can quickly enhance the price of an already quite pricey desk. The Magnus Evo starts at $749, and add-ons easily bring the total cost to over $1,000 if you want the full version. However, everything has a lovely premium feel to it that makes up for it. It is elegant, stylish, minimalist and functional all in one.

Nothing ever feels too flimsy – I did experience a slight wobble when working standing, with the desk set to a height of about 101cm, but it wasn’t enough to bother me.

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Even when raised to a maximum height of 117 cm, I experienced minimal vibration both vertically and horizontally. I was able to type without the monitor wobbling too much, and I also took full advantage of the standing function to play some rhythm arcade games that require hitting difficult on the huge controller, which really put the stability of the desk to the test.

The whole thing is also peaceful. When I first played around with the height adjustment, I didn’t even notice any noise coming from the motors. Of course, it is louder when entering than when descending, but the difference is so negligible that it will not be possible to disturb nearby household members. There’s also an obstacle detection feature, which I discovered accidentally when I left the chair stowed while lowering the height.

Although the whole thing feels premium, I have a slight problem with the metal desk top. Despite careful exploit, I discovered a few scratches after just a few days of using the Magnus Evo. Considering how often I exploit the desk for both work and gaming, I would expect its surface to be a bit more sturdy. I wasn’t even working for a long time looking over the desk, which made me even more surprised at how quickly the scratches appeared.

However, this means that a gentler hand is required compared to other desks, which doesn’t gel well with my daily exploit. I will probably buy a larger mouse pad in the future to cover it and provide extra protection, but I wish I didn’t have to deal with this problem at all.

Despite my minor issues, I can’t support but admire how well the Magnus Evo combines functionality and fashion. Not only does it look great, but the cable management is a dream. I like the fact that the desk also comes with an integrated power supply, which greatly minimizes the number of cables floating around and cluttering up my space.

I wasn’t sure if I’d goggle-eyed and choose a desk, but the sleek operation in a seated position and much less cable clutter greatly improved my work and gaming experience. If you can look beyond the high price and want to up your desk game, the Secretlab Magnus Evo is a top candidate.

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