My home workspace is 80% assembled from AliExpress — and I’m not kidding
I’ve been working from home for four years now, and during that time I’ve come to understand one simple thing: a workspace isn’t just a desk and a laptop. It’s dozens of small things that either help you focus or annoy you so much that you want to drop everything and go to an office. A blurry camera on a video call, a dead power bank in the middle of the day, headphones that let in every sound from the kitchen — I’ve been through all of it and gradually solved each problem. I’ve put together ten things that truly changed my work-from-home routine — from a charger for 830 rubles to a full-fledged laptop.
UGREEN Webcam — I Finally Look Like a Human on Video Calls
Plugged it into USB, and three seconds later my colleagues asked what changed — it was just a proper camera
If you work remotely and still use your laptop’s built-in camera — I understand you, I did the same for a year and a half. But when during yet another video call someone told me I looked like a ghost from a horror movie, I ordered a UGREEN webcam with two microphones. Plug and play — plugged it into USB and everything worked without a single driver. 1080p resolution, built-in light correction, and the image finally became clear even in a poorly lit room.
Two built-in microphones are a separate plus. I stopped using an external microphone for everyday calls because the camera picks up voice quite well at distances up to one meter. The monitor mount holds securely, and the tilt angle is adjustable. For 1,713 rubles, this is the best thing you can do for your work video calls.
Price: 1,713 rubles
1MORE HQ36 Retro — I Work Eight Hours in Them and Forget to Take Them Off
They look like they’re from the 70s, but inside — Bluetooth 5.3 and noise cancellation that saves you from the neighbors’ renovation
Working from home isn’t just peace and coffee. It’s also a drill behind the wall, a dog barking at the delivery person, and the washing machine on spin cycle. That’s exactly why I got the 1MORE HQ36 Retro headphones in January — and since then they practically haven’t left my head during work hours. Active noise cancellation blocks out household noise beautifully, and the retro design with brown headband and metal cups is just a nice bonus.
The main thing for long work sessions is comfort. The ear cushions here are soft, the pressure on the head is minimal, and after eight hours my ears don’t hurt. Battery life — up to 60 hours, meaning I only charge them once every week and a half to two weeks. The folding design lets me toss them into a backpack if I go work from a café. Bluetooth works stably, there’s no lag during video calls. For 4,840 rubles — this is a serious work tool, not just an accessory.
Price: 4,840 rubles
Baseus Charger — Charges Everything
Smaller than a matchbox, yet charges an iPhone faster than the original adapter
I used to have a big white brick from the iPad kit living on my desk — it heated up the outlet and took up space. Then I replaced it with a Baseus 30W charger and I’m still happy about it. One USB-C port, fast charging support — iPhone goes from zero to 50% in about twenty-five minutes. The size is literally half a finger, barely sticks out of the outlet.
It doesn’t overheat, which is important for GaN chargers, and it works not only for smartphones. I also charge my headphones and Kindle with it. The compact body is easy to toss in a backpack pocket when I work from a café or coworking space. For 830 rubles — it’s a consumable that everyone who works with gadgets simply must have.
Price: 830 rubles
Honor MagicBook X16 — Got It for Remote Work Instead of a MacBook
16 inches, Ryzen 5, and silence — fans are only audible under load
I used to use an old 13″ Intel MacBook Air, which had frankly stopped coping lately: a browser with ten tabs, Zoom, and Google Docs — and that was it, the fan howling, the system freezing. I ordered an Honor MagicBook X16 2024, and the problem was solved. The AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS processor with Radeon 760M graphics handles office tasks without any strain, and 16 GB of RAM is enough for everything, including running Figma alongside.
The 16-inch screen is a separate pleasure after the cramped 13-inch old-timer. The 512 GB SSD is fast, the system boots in about ten seconds. The metal body doesn’t creak or flex. Yes, it’s not a gaming beast, and I did have to get used to it after macOS, but for working from home — documents, spreadsheets, video calls, occasional light photo editing — it covers absolutely everything. For the price, it’s a perfectly honest work machine.
Price: 41,180 rubles
UGREEN Power Bank with MagSafe — I Stopped Looking for Cables
Sticks to the iPhone and charges it — I carry it around from room to room all day
A workday at home means constantly moving around: desk, kitchen, couch, balcony. The phone is always with you, but an outlet isn’t. Ever since I got the UGREEN power bank with Qi2.2 magnetic charging in November, I stopped worrying about it.
