Logitech Casa Pop-up Desk: the mobile work unit that's nearly perfect

(And maybe still could be).

Casa Pop-Up
(Image: © Future)

Our Verdict

This review could so easily have been a five star review. And the only reason it's not, is due to a less-than-perfect trackpad experience. Everything else is brilliant – the thought given to ergonomics, the look, and the neat solution to a problem that isn't covered enough: how to elevate portable working from the hunching over low laptops, to an open-chested, upright experience. If by the next iteration Logitech provides an upscaled trackpad or – dare we dream – one of their excellent mice instead, this will easily turn into a must-have five star review.

For

  • Genius idea
  • Beautiful design
  • Nearly perfect

Against

  • Nearly perfect!

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I love the idea behind Logitech's Casa Pop-Up Desk. As with all the best ideas, it's a nifty solution to a common problem – a solution that you can't believe doesn't exist already. The 'problem' is that many of us who work on the move (on trains, in cafes) or in random rooms where we live (kitchen table or low coffee table), make do with working long hours on laptops, often craning our necks and hunching our shoulders for hours on end. You don't need to be an expert in ergonomic chairs, desks and stools to know this is less than ideal.

The solution, says Logitech, is to provide a portable set up that houses all you need to keep your eye-line ahead of you, your back straight, chest open, and your neck upright. And the Casa Pop-Up almost nails that brief perfectly. It's a mobile work solution that elevates your laptop to an ergonomically-sound eye level, provides a lovely mini keyboard, and a... decent track pad (more on that later), and comes in a beautifully designed hardback book-styled case, that fits nicely in a backpack. 

Let's dive into the details... 

01. Design

Casa Pop-Up desk, folded up.

(Image credit: Future)

Logitech's Casa Pop-Up Desk's design is brilliant. It provides a laptop stand that brings the top of your lappy roughly to eye-level, and so encourages the user to change their sitting position for the better (and healthier). With the keyboard and trackpad near you, you don't have to be hunched or scrunched when tapping away. 

And all this comes in a beautiful, hardback book-style package. The keyboard, trackpad and charging wire slots into a tray, which has additional room for pens (remember those?), and which provides the base of the stand when being used. A connected piece of rubber binds the Casa Book together when you're travelling.

Logitech's site says this all weighs 1.2 kg / 2.65 lbs. All I can tell you is that it didn't feel that I was carrying anything more than my usual laptop, headphones, book and other bits. This is a compact, beautiful-looking workstation. Five stars out of five for design. 

02. Performance

The Casa Pop-Up Desk in action.

The Casa Pop-Up Desk in action (Apple AirPods Max not included).  (Image credit: Future)

I've been using the Casa for around 10 hours today, and I've noticed a marked difference in how I'm sitting on my standard, wooden cafe chair, and interacting with my laptop – all for the better.

Don't get me wrong, if it's an ideal ergonomic set up you want, this is not that. You'll want a dedicated office, for one. And in that, you'll want a standing desk, a chair with lumbar support, and throw in a monitor arm and fancy mouse to finish it off.

But we're talking 'working on the go' here. And as far as that goes, no product has so positively effected my working day as the Casa. It's really that good. I may have felt a little self-conscious when getting it out in my local cafe. It certainly shouts, 'I'm here to do some work for a while,' which may not be the vibe you want to be sending out. But if you're working around your flat – or you could care less what people think about you out and about – this just transforms your set up for the better.

The back of the Casa Pop-Up Desk.

(Image credit: Future)

The product site tells us that the battery life of the keyboard will last up to five months and the touchpad will last up to three weeks. I've had several Logitech keyboards and mice before, and though I've not experienced those battery lives before, Logitech is great for long battery life, so I can believe it.

And now for the main criticism of the Casa – the touchpad. I just didn't get on with it. It's OK. If you're used to, and even favour, trackpads I could imagine that's it's even good. But there are some issues with it that aren't just about preference.

From putting my my two fingers on the pad, to scrolling up or down, there's a lag – a moment of hesitation that momentarily breaks the spell of the otherwise fantastic experience of using the Casa. Now, if you use one finger, there is no such delay, but if you want to be able to click, drag and scroll from the second you touch the pad, like I do, this delay may be an issue for you. 

03. Price & verdict

The packed away Casa Pop-Up.

(Image credit: Future)

'Harsh', I hear you cry: knocking off half a star for a millisecond of lag. Well, yeah! I think the design of the Casa is ambitious and promises great things. Really my disappointment of the delay on the trackpad is testament to how much I rate everything else about the Casa. I can really see it changing people's experience of working on the go for the better. Get a mini mouse in to replace the trackpad, and we've got perfection! (Though how you get a mouse into a trackpad-shaped space is certainly above my pay grade).

The Casa Pop-Up Desk retails for $227/£179 (with no US release date as yet), and that's a serious money commitment, especially when you can just carry on working like you always have – opening your laptop and getting on with your day. 

But I think it's worth it. It can transform your transitory workspace from wherever you happened to sit down that day, into a considered, ergonomically sound space. It does that with minimal fuss, and maximum style, and it's design that should be lauded. 

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The Verdict
9

out of 10

Casa Pop-Up Desk

This review could so easily have been a five star review. And the only reason it's not, is due to a less-than-perfect trackpad experience. Everything else is brilliant – the thought given to ergonomics, the look, and the neat solution to a problem that isn't covered enough: how to elevate portable working from the hunching over low laptops, to an open-chested, upright experience. If by the next iteration Logitech provides an upscaled trackpad or – dare we dream – one of their excellent mice instead, this will easily turn into a must-have five star review.

Beren Neale
Deals Editor

Beren has worked on creative tech magazines and websites at Future Publishing for 13 years. He started this journey as Staff Writer on the digital art magazine ImagineFX, and in 2012 found himself bridging the magazine/website divide as Commissioning Editor on the newly launched Creative Bloq. Since then he took the editor role on ImagineFX, was Launch Editor of the fine art magazine Paint & Draw, moved to Canon Pro Europe website as Deputy Editor, and then edited the graphic design magazine Computer Arts. In 2020 he moved back to Creative Bloq, the biggest global art and design website, and as Deals Editor has applied his expertise in creative tech to help digital creatives get the best deals on the kit that they need and love. Outside of work, Beren likes nothing better than to climb himself a bit of rock.