Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk review: solid, dependable, surprisingly poor cable management | Tech Radar

Overview

Anda Seat's first standing desk just needs a touch more refinement in the cable management and desktop department

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Details

Anda Seat's first foray into the world of adjustable desks is a bit of a mixed bag. The Xtreme series (despite its weird and wonderful name) is well built, durable, and surprisingly easy to put together (although you may need an extra pair of hands during the process). It looks clean enough, and though that curve in the front may put some off, when you're using it, you tend to forget it exists. It's not without fault, however. The cable caddy tray in the rear is remarkably difficult to access, and there are some elements that feel like they could have been pre-assembled ahead of time. Additional accessories, too, are a little underwhelming.

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Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk review: performance

Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk: one-minute review

As a first attempt at a budget-oriented standing gaming desk, there are certainly positives for Anda Seat to draw on here. Still, it's clear it could use some refinement moving forward, and in some areas, it does feel rather rushed. Before we get to the bad, let's cover the feature set, shall we?

As standard, you get solid height adjustment ranging from 28.7in to 46.1in (73 - 117cm), multiple width options, with both 47.2in (120cm) and 55in (140cm) variants available, and a choice of colors too (black and white, albeit the white variant is only available at that larger size).

Anda Seat's also included a digital display and control panel (super easy to use), which comes with three separate profiles you configure and save multiple heights on.

Cable management on the whole is a bit of a mixed bag, although there is a cable caddy fixed to the back of the desk below where the monitor would sit, for UK and US plugs. The gaps between it and the desktop, when fully installed, are too tight to actually thread them through.

If you're plugging or unplugging devices into an extension lead back here, you're going to effectively need to unscrew it from the desk before you can do that. That's a shame because Anda Seat's included a metric ton of cable management adhesive tie-off points and cable ties, too, to help with your clean desk endeavors. Oh, and you get, well, a plastic cup holder and a headphone stand that you can screw to it, and that's about it.

Overall design is a mixed bag. It's not entirely square like most modern desks, but actually leans into an older, early 2010s office vibe, with this curved front, which, although perhaps more ergonomic, looks slightly dated in contrast to the cleaner, sharper aesthetic of more modern alternatives. There's also a cutout behind the monitor to allow you to run cables through, which is a nice touch, but that front arch may put many off, as it does make it stand out in a more modern office environment.

The biggest win, though? The price. At

Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk review: Price and Availability

Costs

Currently only available via Anda Seat's webstore in the US

Right now the Xtreme series is only available for purchase via Anda Seat's webstore directly, it comes in two sizes currently, either the 47.2in (1.20cm), or 55.1in (140cm), although if you look in Anda Seat's instruction manual for the Xtreme series, there's also mention of a 63in (160cm) version listed too, so I suspect that'll land with us sometime in the future.

This is actually one of the cheapest standing desks out there, specifically designed for gaming, beating out the likes of Corsair's Platform:4 series (which starts at

Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk review: specs

47.2 x 29.5in (120 x 75cm) or 55.1 x 29.5in (140 x 75cm)

47.2 x 29.5in (120 x 75cm) or 55.1 x 29.5in (140 x 75cm)

Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk review: design and features

Standing desks are inherently fraught products to launch. It's a difficult market to break into. Not only is it a niche within a niche, but competition is so tight these days that you really do need to bring something special to the table.

When Corsair first launched its Platform line, it was all about those added extras, monitor arms, Elgato support, and all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a company like that. Secretlab came in with all the RGB you could imagine, and Eureka had that funky, curved, angled, glass top thing that you either love or hate (or smash in one bad Valorant run).

Anda Seat's offering is markedly different. The added extras are relatively minimal; in fact, in many ways, it does feel like the company grabbed a Desktronics Home One standing desk frame, popped its branding on it, added a curved MDF top, a few optional extras, and called it a day. That's a real issue as it seriously struggles to stand out as a result.

The finish on the desk is just about serviceable as a result of that. It's a laminate MDF top, with a speckled matt coating in black or white. Our sample had a few chips on it and the odd grubby mark too (likely because it shipped all the way to the UK from China), but it's just not that exciting.

The curve in it is similarly highly divisive. It doesn't necessarily look that great by modern standards, and although it is ergonomic and gets you a little closer to your monitor compared to some offerings (these things always seem to be super deep by comparison to most 60cm / 24in desks), it would have been much better served against the current competition with just a flat edge.

And then there's the cable management, which, honestly, in many ways does feel like the biggest afterthought on this whole project. The gap between the metal cable caddy in the rear and the top of the desk is just ridiculously tight. I cannot thread a UK plug through there, and even if I could, struggling to then try and insert that into the extension lead itself, cramming my wrist through the gap, while haphazardly trying to see what I'm doing while I do it, just feels like a recipe for disaster. Even with that height adjustment.

What's interesting is that Anda Seat's animated GIFs and videos littering the product page actually show that as being almost hinged, like you can drop it down on one side to access the extension load, which honestly would be fantastic, but you can't. It's secured in place with four Allen key screws, and that's it. You could loosen two and bend it down, but you'd likely be damaging that MDF top in the process.

Then there's the cupholder and the headphone holders included as well. Both of which are plastic. A quick glance at the imagery here, and you'll spot I didn't install them. Why? Because they just don't look premium at all. Cheap white shiny plastic with a mottled finish? No, thank you. They certainly don't match the white top finish, that's for sure.

Also missing from the product page is the under-desk PC holder and an elevated monitor stand, too, which would have been nice additional extras to see at least somewhat available on launch. That does make me wonder if the launch itself was rushed to hit a particular quarter, rather than when the product was ready.

Otherwise, building it is, although quite the time consuming process, easy enough to do as long as you follow the instructions; there's not a whole lot that can go wrong here, and the desk frame itself is impressively durable once you've finished with it.

Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk review: performance

On to the good news, then, once the desk is built, certainly in white, it does look remarkably clean, particularly with the Mac setup I have running on top of it. Now, admittedly, I am testing this in a coffee roastery, but it does fit the whole aesthetic here beautifully, and it'll work just as well in a spacious office, as long as you don't mind that curve I mentioned earlier.

The profile settings and height adjustment, too, are super sleek. There's a child lock on here, and it's incredibly smooth when you're adjusting the height as well. Setting specific profile heights is a doddle (simply pick a height, then press S, and the profile number you want to set it to), so if you do want to swap it on the fly, you can do so super quickly and easily.

As mentioned, cable management, though, leaves a lot to be desired. Not only is the cable tidy tray a pain to deal with, but I feel like the power setup for the height adjustment monitor could have been hidden a bit better as well. If the legs came pre-assembled with the power cable running through them directly, you could have hidden the kettle lead it requires in the top of the desk, rather than at the base of one of the legs.

Total rated load capacity is also quite light, too, at just 154lbs / 70kg. It's certainly considerably less capable than the Platform:4 (330lbs / 150kg), and even the more budget-friendly Secretlab Magnus Evo (264lbs / 120kg). That said, I did sit my own 176lbs / 80kg of weight on it, and it didn't snap in two, so who knows. This is likely a precaution due to the motors and that 18mm thick MDF that sits on top, so don't overdo it if you do invest in it.

Should I buy the Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk?

You're in the US after a cheap entry-level standing desk With multiple sizes and a relatively low entry point its remarkably affordable. Best-case scenario, you fall in love with multiple height adjustments; worst-case scenario, you've got a nice, comfortable, deep desk to sit at

You don't want fancy RGB or additional features It's simple, remarkably so, and in some ways that's a positive, not a negative; there's no overtly gamer emphasis on display here, which is a win in some arenas.

You want curved ergonomics You'll either love or hate that front curve, but if you're willing to take a chance on it, it does provide a modicum more ergonomic freedom than a standard flat desk

You're looking for something a little more premium Although it's impressively affordable, Anda Seat's cut some serious corners to make that a reality, from the MDF top to the cheap accessories.

You value good cable management It's technically there, but you almost have to strip the desk down to get access to your extension leads again.

120 x 75cm (47.2 x 29.5in) or 140 x 75cm (55.1 x 29.5in)

120 x 75cm (47.2 x 29.5in) or 140 x 75cm (55.1 x 29.5in)

Corsair Platform:4 The ultimate high-end gaming desk, ideal for creators and those who crave high-quality materials and Elgato support. It's expensive, yes, but the functionality feels almost endless.

For more information, check out our full Corsair Platform:4 review

Secretlab Magnus Pro A rival for the Platform:4, but in a Secretlab package? Probably, with exceptional cable management, a great built-in controller, sleek, professional, and with a ton of magnetic accessories, it's seriously slick.

For more information, check out our full Secretlab Magnus Pro review

How I tested the Anda Seat Xtreme Series Standing Desk

Direct comparisons made to similarly priced competitors

I actually requested the Xtreme Series be shipped directly to a coffee roastery I work at, for two reasons primarily. Firstly, so it could be used in a working capacity (managing a coffee roastery is a hectic business), and secondly, to act as a coffee tasting table for clients and guests, to see if its versatility extended beyond just the technical capacity.

With direct feedback from multiple clients and colleagues, and used in a wide range of activities for multiple weeks, both gaming, working, and in an industrial capacity, it gave me a fantastic idea of just how this desk contends not only with modern standing desks, but also in more taxing environments.

Zak is one of Tech Radar's multi-faceted freelance tech journalists. He's written for an absolute plethora of tech publications over the years and has worked for Techradar on and off since 2015. Most famously, Zak led Maximum PC as its Editor-in-Chief from 2020 through to the end of 2021, having worked his way up from Staff Writer. Zak currently writes for Maximum PC, Tech Radar, PCGames N, and Trusted Reviews. He also had a stint working as Corsair's Public Relations Specialist in the UK, which has given him a particularly good insight into the inner workings of larger companies in the industry. He left in 2023, coming back to journalism once more. When he's not building PCs, reviewing hardware, or gaming, you can often find Zak working at his local coffee shop as First Barista, or out in the Wye Valley shooting American Flat Bows.

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Key Takeaways

• Anda Seat's first standing desk just needs a touch more refinement in the cable management and desktop department

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• Anda Seat's first foray into the world of adjustable desks is a bit of a mixed bag

• Best gaming desk: top surfaces that we've tested and all the best advice

• Best standing desk: Tested for the home and office