If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I’d have told you I didn’t need (or truthfully understand the need for) a monitor bar light. After using the BenQ ScreenBar Pro in the time since, though, I can’t imagine life without it. Even as I sit here writing this review, my cluttered desk space sits bathed in a gorgeous glow that may or may not be actively contributing to my eye health or productivity – but certainly feels like it is.
The ScreenBar Pro, like an increasing number of modern gadgets, ships in an unassuming brown box, one that you could easily mistake for the shipping carton. Inscribed on the inside of the packaging is a message to tout that all of the protective film, cushioning and tape is made from wood fibers and not plastic, so absolutely everything inside can be recycled as a paper product – which is pretty great. And as a bonus, the whole unboxing experience actually feels more premium as a result.
Inside you’ll get the ScreenBar Pro itself (phew!) along with an optional webcam attachment accessory and a USB-C power adapter with swappable plug types for Australia, the UK and EU. The USB-C power cable is fixed to the unit, but you’ve got a bit of flexibility in how you plug it in – either to the included adapter, any other 15W USB-C adapter or just a spare USB-C plug on your monitor or PC.
The light itself is quite an attractive instrument, a sleek black or silver brushed metal bar adorned with minimalist touch-sensitive buttons across its face and the row of LEDs tucked neatly underneath. The attached clamp should mount to just about any kind of monitor, sitting nice and securely for me on a curved 32” panel, and the bar rotates up and down for added adjustment. If you’re someone who has a separate webcam above their screen, the included accessory will let you pop it on top of the ScreenBar Pro.
So I suppose the first thing to address here, given this whole endeavour has been as new to me as it might be to you, is the purpose of a monitor light bar like this one. Put very simply, this type of device is different from your typical table or floor lamp in that it’s designed specifically to illuminate a computer desk in a way that increases eye comfort, without shining any direct or even reflected light on the monitor itself. The idea is to bathe your working space in a diffuse glow that gives you extra visibility without adding glare to your screen, reducing the strain on your eyes and potentially even helping with posture.
As I attempted to impart in a recent review of a “vertical” gaming mouse from Razer, it’s important not to take any scientific or medical claims from these tech manufacturers at face value. I say this not to disparage BenQ or anyone else, but marketing is marketing. If an ad for a monitor light says it promotes eye health, it’s in your interest to find out if that’s actually true. A quick Google search (scrolling past all the AI junk) revealed that most of the folks spruiking the benefits of a variety of desk lighting solutions for eye care were, well, selling desk light solutions for eye care.
That said, I also came across a ton of anecdotal evidence from actual users that specifically called out BenQ’s range of products as helping reduce their eye fatigue and even boost their mood and productivity purely by virtue of the added atmosphere and ritual. And honestly, it does feel like that kind of magic. It might be an LED strip mounted in some nice-looking metal, but it’s been engineered to hell to offer an impressively wide and diffuse glow. The first time it beamed to life, I audibly Ooooh’d as the vibe at my desk transformed from “struggling streamer” to “brooding novelist penning a future classic in an attic by a lake” in an instant.
There’s actually quite a magnificent bit of research and development to this, and those with a curiosity for lighting science can visit BenQ’s product page to read up on its near-perfect CIE Ra value of 96, which essentially measures how closely the light it produces resembles the spectrum of daylight at Ra 100. Again, this is just what BenQ tells us is important, and I’m not an authority on this stuff, but if you think about what the stuff on your desk would look like under a harsh fluorescent bulb versus the natural light from a window, the latter is the goal and very nearly the result here. It’s quite remarkable.
Equally impressive is the ScreenBar Pro’s ability to detect human activity. A motion-activated light might not sound impressive, but in this case there’s a fancy bit of ultrasonic technology to accurately tell the difference between someone walking by the desk and someone actually sitting down to work. It’s so precise, in fact, that it’ll automatically switch off if you’ve fallen asleep in your chair – something I have tested by doing that a lot.
Of course, you’ve got plenty of control over how the lightbar operates. The presence detection and auto-dimming features can be turned off entirely, if you like, and you’re able to set both the light brightness and colour temperature right from the touch-sensitive buttons along the top. There are 16 levels of brightness and eight ANSI-compliant temperature settings available, making it easy to adjust the mood from a focus-enhancing cool white to a relaxing, warm white, or natural midpoint, and favourites can be saved to a shortcut button.
Final Thoughts
At $239, the ScreenBar Pro is not exactly the cheapest way to join the Nicely-Lit Desk Club, but the sheer amount of engineering and fuss-free use does justify the expense. If you’re spending a ton of time at your desk and want an attractive, comfortable and simple lighting solution it’s hard not to recommend this. Whatever the true, scientific benefit there is, or lack of, I just can’t imagine working without it, now.
You can check out the BenQ ScreenBar Pro here
Review hardware supplied by BenQ
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