The Setup Behind the Reviews
Marques Brownlee reviews a lot of tech. New phones, laptops, cameras, and gadgets flow through his studio constantly. But in a video that dropped March 14 [1], he turned the camera around on himself — rating every item on his desk, not from weeks of testing, but from years. Some of this stuff he's been using for over a decade. That's a different kind of review. When a tech creator picks something up, uses it every single day through dozens of products, and still hasn't replaced it — that tells you something. The ratings were honest enough to sting. And for a channel that reviews some of the most expensive consumer tech in the world, it's revealing to see where even MKBHD's money doesn't buy satisfaction.
The Desk and Chair: Where It Starts Right
Let's start at the foundation. The desk is called the XDesk Air Pro — formerly Next Desk, which tells you how long Marques has had it. The controller on it still reads "Next Desk." It's a 96-inch by 38-inch aluminum sit-stand surface that barely flexes under a mountain of gear. His only complaint? You have to hold the button to raise or lower it instead of pressing once and walking away. That's it. That's the whole complaint. He gave it a 9/10 [1]. The chair next to it is the Herman Miller Embody, which he called "one of the best investments I've ever made." He had one in college. He expects to have one for the foreseeable future. At this point it's stopped being adjustable and just molded around his back. 10/10 — no argument here, and anyone who's spent real hours at a desk knows this isn't just luxury talk. A bad chair is a health problem.
