BenQ ScreenBar Pro review: bright, great coverage, and solid mount

BenQ specializes in products that improve people’s lives. This includes electronics, computing, and communication products, with a significant focus on things like projectors and monitors.

The product I have before me today is related to these but in many ways unique. It’s the ScreenBar Pro and is designed to provide workspace lighting for those who find themselves working in poorly lit environments.

At £119, this is far from the cheapest lamp you could buy for your desk but it does have the benefit of providing bright and even lighting across your whole workspace. This sets it apart from standard lamps, which often provide spotlighting, a type that is far from ideal for reading.

Having never tried a monitor-mounted workspace light before, I was really intrigued and excited to give it a whirl. I mounted it on top of my 32-inch Philips Evnia monitor located on my 180cm wide and 60cm deep desk. Read on for what I thought of it.

BenQ ScreenBar Pro: Specifications

BenQ ScreenBar Pro: Price

The BenQ ScreenBar Pro Monitor Light attracts a cost of £119. From the price, you can tell that this is no ordinary desk light and you’ll be paying for certain privileges that are not available on standard lights.

As far as monitor light bars go, this is definitely on the more expensive end of the spectrum. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly alternative, then the Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar can be bought for around $40/£50 (check Amazon). Keep in mind that it is not as feature-rich as the BenQ alternative.

BenQ ScreenBar Pro: Design & Handling

My first impressions of the ScreenBar Pro were that BenQ have created a beautifully built device. The excellent build quality spans right across the button strip, the clamp, and the lightbar itself. I’ll take these in order of how I interacted with them.

The first was the clamp mount. Prior to attaching it to my monitor, I was concerned that it would damage my display. I needn’t have worried. The clamp includes two rubber pads that are large enough to ensure no other part of the light bar touches the monitor itself. The quality of the hinge is also up there with the best. It’s a spring-loaded hinge that is robust enough to withstand regular movement as well as the pressure of being applied to a monitor over a long period of time. It’s very good indeed.

The light bar itself continues BenQ’s commitment to excellence. The 50cm bar is constructed of Aluminum alloy, PC / ABS, Polycarbonate, and Zinc alloy, making it very strong indeed. I tried bending the bar with all my strength and it didn’t budge even a little. The LED lighting strip is protected by a thin strip of plastic, which is the biggest letdown to the overall quality. I knew I would damage it if I pushed my finger through it too hard. The bar can rotate a small number of degrees so you can direct the light towards or away from your monitor.

The final part of the product is the button bar. This is located in the middle of the light bar and contains a set of buttons for operating the light. I really like the design, with lit-up icons telling you what is active at any point in time. Unfortunately, I found the button presses to be a little temperamental and unpredictable. Buttons with some haptic feedback would definitely be preferable.

I was also incredibly impressed to see that all of the protective film, cushioning, and tape in the packaging had been made from wood fibers instead of plastic. As a result, everything could be recycled. BenQ is clearly committed to the planet.

BenQ ScreenBar Pro: Performance

I’ve covered a lot of how the light bar performs from a design and handling perspective in the previous section. But most people don’t buy a light bar because of what it looks like; they buy it because of the light it’s able to generate.

The BenQ ScreenBar Pro offers a fantastic level of brightness with a whopping 1,000 lux at the centre, spreading out to 500 lux at the edges. This makes it the brightest light bar on the market at the moment. It’s brightness capabilities don’t just make it ideal for dimly lit spaces but also make it usable when it needs to compete with lighter environments.

Other than the light brightness and colour, the other consideration with any light bar is the coverage area. BenQ’s offering covers an area of 85 x 60cm (at 500 lux), which was more than enough coverage for my desk and I imagine most people’s desks.

The light bar includes motion controls, which turn the light on and off automatically. This is a fantastic little feature, as you don’t need to worry about wasting and paying for precious electricity. The motion sensor performed well enough to be a reliable inclusion for the product.

I’ve previously talked about the issue with the capacitive touch controls, much of which could have been overcome with a simple remote control. At this price, I would have expected one to be included but alas, there isn’t.

BenQ ScreenBar Pro: Verdict

I really love the BenQ ScreenBar Pro Monitor Light and it has been a pleasure to interact with it ever since I unboxed it. The light quality is excellent and the ability to adjust the brightness is incredibly useful. The light bar lit up the whole of my desk with no problems and the light was surprisingly even across the space. The buttons didn’t have any haptic feedback and were a little unresponsive and unpredictable at times. That being said, this is a classy light bar that delivers where it matters most.

Alternatives

Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar
A super budget-friendly light bar with magnetic rotation, a wireless remote control, and no screen reflection.

Diirglus Computer Monitor Light Bar
A screen lamp with a dimmer switch, USB power, and a brightness/color adjustment.