Secretlab MAGNUS Pro XL Review: Next-Gen Sit-to-Stand Metal Desk

TweakTown's Rating: 100%

The Bottom Line

Secretlab bowls yet another strike, with the new MAGNUS Pro XL metal desk everything you've ever wanted in a desk. You deserve to have the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro desk in your life.

Pros

• + Secretlab does it AGAIN: MAGNUS Pro is a game-changer.
• + Integrated power: keep all of your cables, power boards hidden.
• + The best upgrade for your gaming + workstation desk.
• + RGB lighting with Secretlab x Nanoleaf.
• + Regular + XL sizes.

Cons

• - You don't own it yet.

Should you buy it?

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Introduction

Secretlab changed the game with its MAGNUS Metal Desk and now the company is back to do it all over again with the next-gen MAGNUS Pro, which combines simplicity, metal design, and so much more to create the ultimate height-adjustable metal desk.

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The new Secretlab MAGNUS Pro has unmatched levels of control, adds even more space for your gaming or workstation system needs: with a regular and XL variant of the MAGNUS Pro available, the expanding collection of cable management accessories that Secretlab has, and of course the height adjustment side of the MAGNUS Pro.

But for me, it's the fully-integrated power supply that Secretlab has built into the actual leg of the MAGNUS Pro, allowing you to put in a power board into the cable management tray and have your entire desk powered from the single cable running to the leg. Secretlab changes the desk game up with that alone, where I was powering my gaming PC + re-charging my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone and Logitech wireless gaming keyboard, gaming mouse, and gaming headset.

• Read more: Secretlab MAGNUS Metal Desk Review

Oh, as well as a USB hub to charge up my Apple AirPods Max and to power my Apple TV 4K that plugs into one of two ASUS ROG Strix 43-inch 4K 120Hz displays. Secretlab provides enough room for me to have that all plugged into the power board in the cable management tray on the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro desk, as well as have 2 x 43-inch 4K 120Hz monitors behind it. Absolutely perfect.

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In my review of the Secretlab MAGNUS metal desk, I said that I found the height of the desk a little low for my liking and that I would "probably prefer something that was electronically adjustable" and now Secretlab has its new MAGNUS Pro sit-to-stand desk that is exactly what I had imagined... actually no, it's better than I had imagined.

Hell, my only criticism of the MAGNUS desk is that I said the "MAGNUS 2.0" desk "has to be electric", where I added: "Secretlab has delivered the true next level of workstation and gaming desk with the MAGNUS, but it would be oh-so-nice to have it be height adjustable. It would be nice to see the next iteration have a "Secretlab recommended," setting at a specific height (that the MAGNUS is at now) and then have it adjustable with a slick LCD touchpad".

Out of the Box Experience

If you've ever owned a Secretlab gaming chair or their MAGNUS metal desk, you'll know that they have a top-notch out-of-the-box experience. Things are no different here with the new Secretlab MAGNUS Pro desk.

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Secretlab has a self-confessed "obsessive detail, right down to the assembly process" and they're not wrong. Assembling any desk can be a daunting experience, but Secretlab tasked their engineers with designing every single part of the desk with very intentional details to ensure that their users would not confuse one part, with another.

Build time: It's a small touch that might not seem like much in the months after you've built your new MAGNUS Pro desk, but as part of the setup process, it is yet another Secretlab touch that is more than welcomed. It took just over an hour to build the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro, where I will warn you: have some room in your house or garage for the cardboard packaging and the rest of the bits and pieces from the MAGNUS Pro desk.

Design + Materials

The Design

Vincent Sin, the Head of Industrial Design and Product Management, Secretlab, explains the new MAGNUS Pro desk: "When we first created the MAGNUS Metal Desk, our goal was to make the perfect pairing with a Secretlab chair, elevate your workspace with incredible organizational solutions, and provide seamless access to everything you need. Designed by the same team that built our award-winning chairs, our innovative cable management ecosystem quickly won over critics and users worldwide".

"Yet, people wanted a desk that could do, or be even more - so we set out to create the ultimate height-adjustable metal desk for professional users who demand full control over their work and play space. We took everything people loved about the incredible cable management in the original MAGNUS, put it into a sit-to-stand metal desk with improved features and even more new innovations".

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"The Secretlab MAGNUS Pro combines incredible simplicity with unmatched levels of control, and more space than meets the eye, especially when fully equipped with our expanding collection of cable management accessories and add-ons. Our precision height adjustment system isn't simply about providing our users with healthy movement throughout their active days-it was also our opportunity to take cable management to new frontiers".

"The MAGNUS Pro incorporates our patent-pending fully-integrated power supply column built into the desk leg. This means your workspace can now finally, truly work for you - it really is all desk, no more cable mess".

"Whether you're a gamer, a working professional, or a creator, it's time you take charge of your days and raise your game. I can't wait for you to discover the all-new MAGNUS Pro and its plethora of cable management accessories for yourself".

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"When it comes to adjustability, the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro and Pro XL deliver a moving experience. Our bodies aren't designed to stay in one position, so we made a desk that moves as you move".

"Ascend to new heights with precise controls that go down to the millimeter. With a height adjustment range of between 650mm to 1250mm, dual electric motors enable smooth adjustments that quietly lift up to 120kg of gear with absolute ease. That's a lot of gear".

Optional Accessories

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Secretlab MAGNUS Optional Accessories:

• Secretlab MAGPAD desk mat
• Secretlab MAGNUS Single Monitor Arm
• Secretlab MAGNUS Dual Monitor Arm
• Secretlab MAGRGB powered by Nanoleaf (magnetic RGB lighting strip)
• Secretlab Premium PC mount
• Secretlab magnetic cable anchors
• Secretlab magnetic cable sheath
• Secretlab headphone hanger

Detailed Look

I'm a power user. I'm not a regular gamer, or just work from home... but I have multiple large displays and a bunch of high-end gaming PCs around me that I need to access sometimes at the same time. So the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro XL metal desk was a no-brainer: I've got enough space that right now as I type this review, I'm sitting in front of the Secretlab MAGNUS XL metal desk with 2 x ASUS ROG Strix 43-inch 4K 120Hz gaming monitors on TV stands with wheels, about two arms lengths away from me.

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Secretlab's larger MAGNUS Pro XL is almost perfectly long to have dual 43-inch monitors without leaving one of them hanging over the edge, so if you've got OCD and don't want to break it, there's something here with the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro XL + dual 43-inch 4K 120Hz displays.

Not only that, but I've also got a monitor arm attached to the left of me with an Apple TV 4K+ plugged into a 32-inch display, as I watch TV shows and movies (currently just started the fourth season of "What We Do In The Shadows" -BAT!) through the incredible Apple AirPods Max headphones.

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Sitting here for hours and hours per day, and a larger chunk of hours collectively by the end of the weeks and months as they fly past, saw me falling in love with the MAGNUS over and over. Secretlab nailed the design with its first-gen MAGNUS, but the improvements are countless in the MAGNUS Pro.

First off, Secretlab offers two sizes of its MAGNUS Pro metal desks:

• Secretlab MAGNUS Pro XL: 1.77m (70 inches) long
• Secretlab MAGNUS Pro: 1.5m (59 inches) long

Secretlab has its first sit-to-stand electronic metal desk that has a beautiful and slim built-in control panel, which is illuminated by bright backlit LEDs. I definitely love the fact that Secretlab made the built-in control panel slimmer, as it truly does provide a seamless look with the MAGNUS Pro desk.

The new MAGNUS Pro desk has the same cable management tray as the original MAGNUS, but like with everything in the new Pro desk, is done to another level. Secretlab has built-in cable routing channels on both sides of the MAGNUS Pro, so you can route your headphone cables or USB chargers through the front of the desk (instead of above) so that they're always at your fingertips, but hidden from view.

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I personally used a 4-way power board and 8-way power board without a problem with the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro XL metal desk, without it taking up so much space that I couldn't plug cables into it. There was one issue trying to use the 4-way power board with a US to AU power converter, but not everyone is doing that... and not at their desk.

Running the power board in the desk is the game-changer, given that Secretlab has a fully-integrated power supply column, using their innovative patent-pending power solution that hides away the cable delivering power to the entire desk, into the desk leg itself.

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Secretlab has a power socket on the bottom of the leg, running up a cable that you can plug your power board, PC, or anything else into the MAGNUS Pro metal desk itself. It's truly a game-changer, as I didn't need to run a cable up and onto my desk, but rather into the desk (leg) itself.

All up, I was running an Apple TV 4K, a 32-inch 1440p 165Hz display, the ultra-fast charger for my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 foldable smartphone, a USB hub for charging up my cameras, lights, and more. It really is great having so much accessibility at your fingertips, on and inside of the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro desk itself.

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Secretlab has its awesome magnetic cable anchors, which I would like more of.

The upgraded MAGNUS Pro supports something interesting for Secretlab to jump into: the new MAGNUS Single and Dual Monitor Arms. I've got a follow-up article coming that will take a closer look at the Secretlab MAGNUS Single Monitor Arm.

Secretlab also offers some incredible accessories for your new MAGNUS Pro desk, with the Secretlab MAGPAD desk mats and MAGRGB Diffused LED Strip from the original MAGNUS being fully compatible with the MAGNUS Pro and MAGNUS Pro XL desks.

The Secretlab MAGNUS Desk Mats are available in a range of Signature or Special Edition designs, where there's the option for Dark Knight, Assassin's Creed, Team Liquid, and more.

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Secretlab has teamed with Nanoleaf with the Secretlab MAGRGB Diffused LED Strip (Smart Lighting Edition) that connects magnetically to the MAGNUS Pro or MAGNUS Pro XL metal desks. It provides RGB lighting to the desk that you can control with a control panel that you can hide away in the cable management area.

What's Hot, What's Not

What's Hot

• The built-in power socket, man... it's a game-changer: This is one of the biggest selling points for me, the integrated power supply that lets you run a power board into the desk and hide it away with the cable management tray on the MAGNUS Pro desk. It keeps all of the cables away from vision, providing a truly sleek next-gen desk experience.

• RGB lighting: Secretlab already had fantastic RGB lighting with the original MAGNUS metal desk, but the new MAGNUS Pro features a Secretlab x Nanoleaf RGB lighting strip that has a control panel that sits in the cable management tray. You can switch between lighting modes with the press of a button, and hide away the controls afterward.
• All-magnetic design: It's something I loved on the first MAGNUS, but the new MAGNUS Pro XL is gigantic in comparison... so there's much more surface area to enjoy the magnetic goodness from the future that Secretlab is becoming famous for. My love for Secretlab is magnetic, just like their desks and chairs.

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• Secretlab MAGPAD desk mat, another slick touch: The whole-desk mouse pad is great... firstly, it rolls out easily and covers your entire desk edge-to-edge, while secondly, it protects the desk underneath from scratches, etc.
• Integrated backlit control panel: On most electronic desks, the control panel can be a bit cumbersome, but not Secretlab and its MAGNUS Pro metal sit-to-stand desk. The control panel is thin, built into the desk itself perfectly.
• Optional extras: Secretlab has a slew of optional extras from RGB lighting strips, metal holders for your actual PC, as well as their all-new monitor arm. I will be following this review up with a review on the Secretlab monitor arm, an awesome addition to the MAGNUS Pro metal desk.

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• All-new monitor arm from Secretlab: The new monitor arm from Secretlab is a nice surprise, something I can't wait to use on my regular daily use. I'm going to take a look at the Secretlab MAGNUS single monitor arm in a review in the coming days but so far, I'm loving it.
• Cable management: Secretlab knows how to do cable management, and it ups its game on the MAGNUS Pro even in the XL variant. But now you can have your gaming PC, and even one or two gaming monitors on monitor arms, without seeing a single cable.

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What's Not

Just like with the original MAGNUS, there's nothing specifically here to not like about the new MAGNUS Pro XL metal desk. It's got everything you'd expect in a MAGNUS 2.0 desk... and it's even available in a regular size, and the bigger XL variant.

Final Thoughts

Secretlab changed the game with the introduction of its MAGNUS metal desk, but in the words of Faora from Man of Steel when she's fighting Superman: evolution always wins.

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The evolution that Secretlab has gone through to create its new MAGNUS Pro XL and MAGNUS Pro sit-to-stand metal desks is incredible. It's everything that you could've wanted with your personal wish list for MAGNUS upgrades, with the new MAGNUS Pro not only being height adjustable, but features a game-changing integrated power supply column built right into the leg of the MAGNUS Pro desk.

Secretlab was already at an "Apple level" product with the original MAGNUS, but the new MAGNUS Pro really is a big step up from the OG. Where the original Secretlab MAGNUS desk was the perfect combination with a Secretlab gaming chair, the new MAGNUS Pro XL (and regular MAGNUS Pro) desks are perfect for any gaming chair.

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Here's my personal setup for work (most of the time) and gaming (some of the time). You're looking at multiple PCs, plugged into multiple monitors, but the main dual 43-inch 4K 120Hz ASUS ROG gaming displays are my heart and soul. The larger Secretlab MAGNUS Pro XL desk is actually perfect for the dual 43-inch displays.

The arsenal of accessories that Secretlab has available for its MAGNUS Pro desk is also impressive, with the Secretlab MAGRGB powered by Nanoleaf a necessity for the desk. If you have a monitor that is VESA compatible, you can buy the Secretlab MAGNUS Single or Dual Monitor Arm for the ultimate in cable-managed PC setups.

Everything and I truly do mean everything is magnetic in the life of a Secretlab MAGNUS Pro metal desk... the magnetic mouse pad, magnetic cable management clips, magnetic monitor arms, magnetic RGB lighting strips, and so much more.

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I said in my review of the original Secretlab MAGNUS metal desk that the company had redefined the workstation and gaming desk market, but they've done it again with the MAGNUS Pro... and some. It's everything you wished for on the OG MAGNUS, and more, with surprises along the way.

I guess we've got to wait for a magnetic arm to come out of the MAGNUS 3.0 metal desk, which will connect to your next-gen Secretlab gaming chair, and pull you in to the perfect distance away from your monitor (which is on another magnetic arm that moves around on its own after the desk has detected how far away you are from the monitor).